Goodbye to My Angry Summer Hives

Summer is my favorite season. Well, at least it used to be my favorite season…

I grew up in a New Jersey shore town where summers meant long beach days, boardwalk strolls, and amazing produce (New Jersey is called the “Garden State” for good reason!). As an adult, I have always lived in places that enjoy the 4 seasons. I love experiencing each season, and I believe that only having summer for 3 months of the year helps me appreciate and love it even more.

But this summer has been different. And I think it’s all due to my hives.

Heat triggers my hives

This summer has been HOT, HOT, HOT. Normally, I don’t mind hot days. A little sweat never bothered me before. And if the humidity wants to wreak havoc on my hair, I’m OK with that. But I am not OK with how my hives seem to be thriving in the heat and completely dodging all my usual tricks to keep them at bay.

I do a lot of little things throughout the day to try and cool my body down. These include:

• Wearing lightweight clothing
• Wearing tank tops
• Drinking lots of ice-cold water
• Working in air conditioning
• Keeping a fan on me while I work, relax on the couch, and sleep
• Taking cool showers

None of these things are inconvenient for me, and I’m sure lots of people do things on this list during the summer months. What really burns me up (ha!) is that despite doing all these things, my hives are just really angry this summer. The heat is a bothersome trigger that has simply been out of my control this year.

Nowhere to hide my hives

Because I’m wearing tank tops, shorts, and pulling my hair up, my angry summer hives have been on full display. Thankfully, I can work from home so few can actually see what’s happening on my arms, legs, and neck. But I refuse to cancel plans or avoid socializing in the summer on account of my hives, so they have been living their best life while I have been living my itchiest.

The change of seasons from summer to fall means I can pull out jeans and long-sleeves and not have to think about my hives being visible anymore. I can’t wait!

Summer schedules disrupted my treatment plan

At the beginning of the summer, I added an H2 blocker (Pepcid®) and a leukotriene receptor antagonist (Singulair®) to my antihistamine routine. The plan was for me to give these 2 new drugs a try and follow up with my doctor the next month.

But an unexpected trip, my doctor’s vacation time, and then a few more spontaneous plans caused me to cancel my follow-up appointment. Rescheduling is on my fall to-do list.

So long, summer!

There is still a lot I love about summer, and overall I’d say mine was pretty great. But I’m ready for it to be over. I am ready to see the leaves change color, to enjoy all the pumpkin things, and most importantly, to feel the glorious cool air that’s right around the corner.

Has anyone else been struggling mightily this summer? Anyone else counting down to cooler days? Share in the comments below!