What Having Full Body Hives Felt Like and How I Treated It

For those of you who know me or have read my story on why I started this company, you know I really f****ing hate to itch…it drives me mad…temporarily insane, really. I have very sensitive skin and I have a history of developing urticaria (hives) very easily when my leg or ankle brushes up against grasses or plants I am allergic to. One time many years ago, I was hiking on a cliff-side trail along the Oregon coast with my bestie, and we were kicking up a lot of pollen from the bushes that had overgrown the sides of the trail. The puffy clouds of yellow dust that exploded from these pollen-laden seaside shrubs were nearly disastrous for me – I developed full-body hives…EVEN ON THE WHITES OF MY EYEBALLS. When breathing became laborious, I started to get scared. But even in the event of this severe reaction, my lifelong friend Benadryl saved me. Within 30 minutes the reaction halted and within a few hours I was normal again.