I have A Chronic Illness, Here's What Life Is Like With It
Health and Wellness

I Have A Chronic Illness And Here's What Life Is Like With It

I started living my life day by day.

Katie Smith
Feb 26, 2019
Butler University
443
personal photo

Since I was born, I have had what is called Chronic Urticaria living in my body. Chronic Urticaria is a terrible version of hives that less than 1% of the population has. Around 20% of people get hives...you know, those itchy lumps on your skin that come up when you come into contact with allergens. Mine can be that way, itchy bumps that emerge when I come into contact with things I'm allergic to, but mine also can get into my joints and get into/under my skin. When y hives emerge, I am an essentially a vegetable. My fingers can't move and are red and irritated, my breathing slows to a near stop unless I get help, and sometimes it can lead to anaphylactic shock.

Web MD says, "About 20% of people get hives -- itchy red or skin-colored welts also known as urticaria. They're often caused by an allergic reaction to a food or drug. Usually, they go away quickly.

For a small number of people, though, hives come back again and again, with no known cause. When new outbreaks happen almost every day for 6 weeks or more, it's called chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU).

One percent or less of people have it. It's most common in people between the ages of 20 and 40. With CIU, a single outbreak usually lasts no more than 24 hours. After that, new hives form.

What Causes It?

Experts don't know. The immune system seems to play a role. Some people get chronic hives at the same time that they get other problems like thyroid disease, hormonal problems, or cancer.

What Are Some Common Triggers?

Even though doctors can't say for sure what causes CIU, they do know things that can lead to flare-ups. They include:

  • Alcoholic drinks
  • Tight clothing
  • Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) like aspirin and ibuprofen
  • Exercise
  • Cold
  • Heat"

My illness is incredibly dangerous and effects my everyday life. I have to be careful whenever I go outside because one bug bite can send me into the emergency room. On vacations, I can't put any part of my body into the ocean without coming out of the water as a giant hive. I have lived with this illness my entire life and I have had many scares to the point where I inform every person I begin to date about how serious my illness is just in case they aren't ready for the responsibility.

I think most people look at me and see this happy, carefree girl, but they don't know that I live my life day by day anymore. I live y life to the fullest every single day because I can't promise that I'll be okay tomorrow. I try and love my life every day and make people realize their true potentials because sometimes I worry about my own. I have had to drop activities and people I care about because of my illness and it has made things incredibly difficult. I think what the world needs to learn from my story is that you never truly know what is happening in a person's life until you try and look for it. Love everyone while you can because who knows, they could be uncertain about tomorrow just like me.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Currently

I Asked 22 People 4 Questions About George Floyd, And It's Clear Black Lives NEED To Matter More

Change can't happen tomorrow, because we're already 100 years behind today.

Aspiring Journalism Professionals
Taylar Banks

May 25, 2020: the day that will forever be remembered as the day George Floyd lost his life at the hands of cops.

The day that systematic racism again reared its head at full force in 2020.

Keep Reading... Show less
Lifestyle

24 Beauty And Style Brands Donating To The Fight To End Police Brutality Against Black People

From small, boutique brands to legacy fashion brands.

@freck

The worlds of beauty and fashion often collide, whether for good or bad. In both, underrepresentation has always been, and remains to be, a major unresolved issue. After the recent killing of George Floyd, many people are rightfully enraged, compounded by the fact his death in police custody wasn't an isolated incident.

Police brutality against Black people is not new, and isn't going away till we start dedicating resources to fighting it. Many of us, as individuals, have only begun in the last week scratching the surface of what it means to educate ourselves on race, historical race relations, and how to be an ally to the Black community.

Keep Reading... Show less
identities
Health and Wellness

Feel A Lil' Better: Because You Can Still Connect While Disconnecting From Social Media

Your weekly wellness boost from Odyssey.

Unsplash

No matter how good (or bad) you'd describe your health, one thing is for sure: a little boost is ALWAYS a good idea. Whether that's reading a new, motivating book, or listening to a song that speaks to your soul, there are plenty of resources to help your health thrive on any given day.

I don't know if you've heard, but there's a lot going on right now, particularly in relation to George Floyd's death, Black Lives Matter, and public protest of racial injustice in the United States. While we can all agree that this deserves conversations, change, and actionable good, social media arguments with Great Aunt Linda are not where social change begins and ends. Spending too much time scrolling through your phone has never been healthy, but now it's even more addicting — what does that one person from my hometown say about this? How can I further education within discussions? Am I posting enough?

Keep Reading... Show less
mental health
Swoon

23 Romance Novels By Black Authors You'll LOVE Reading This Summer

You won't be able to put them down.

I don't know about you, but reading is at the top of my to-do list this summer... especially with all the social distancing I'll still be doing. If, like me, you're hoping to pick up a romantic page-turner (or a couple dozen), here are 23 romance novels by Black authors you'll absolutely LOVE reading.

Keep Reading... Show less
swoon
Lifestyle

22 Black-Owned Etsy Shops With The Perfect Gifts For Everyone In Your Life — Including You

Treat yourself and your loved ones while supporting Black creatives and artisans.

R-KI-TEKT, Pontie Wax, Lovely Earthlings, and blade + bloom on Etsy

The world is taking action against the injustices and under-representation plaguing Black lives, and one small but impactful thing you can do to actively make a difference is support Black-owned businesses.

Etsy is likely one of your go-to sites for gift-buying, but have you ever paid attention to which independent artists and sellers you're buying from?

Keep Reading... Show less
identities
Health and Wellness

True Self-Care Is HARD, That Face Mask Isn't Actually Going To Solve Your Problems

There's a line between self-care and self-destruction.

Unsplash

Anyone who hasn't been living under a rock for the past few years has seen something somewhere about self-care whether it was on Facebook, Twitter, or their Instagram feed. Oftentimes it's pictures of celebrities or influencers sipping green smoothies or slathering on mud masks with #selfcare. It's posts like these that made me realize that "self-care" has become the ultimate buzz word, soaring in popularity but in the process, it's lost most of its original meaning. It's time to set the record straight and reclaim the term.

Although self-care has been around for quite some time, within the past few years it's been misconstrued and commodified as our capitalist society tends to do with things it thinks can be profited off. Self-care is now being peddled as something that can be bought and sold on the shelf at Target rather than something that takes real work to achieve. This fake self-care movement is not only enabling people to over-indulge themselves, but it has created a crutch for people to avoid the responsibility of taking true care of themselves. Instead of doing the work that needs to be done, many people fall into the trap of rewarding themselves for doing nothing at all — this can quickly become an unhealthy coping mechanism, especially with corporations cheering us on (to buy their next product). Long, hard day at work? Just grab your third iced coffee of the day! Fight with your SO? Buy that 50-dollar face mask, it'll make you feel better! This is how self-care becomes self-sabotage and self-destructive.

Keep Reading... Show less
mental health
Lifestyle

25 Black-Owned Fashion Brands Every Fashion-Lover Should Support ALWAYS — Not Just Now

Pure art for your body.

@cushnie

Minorities are consistently under-represented in our day-to-day lives, notably in the world of fashion. It's likely you're looking for a way to support black artists. Whether that's the case or you're just a fashion-lover in general, these brands aren't just some of the best black-owned fashion brands — they're some of the most innovative brands of our time, period.

From luxury staples to fun accessories and loungewear, these brands aren't just stunning names you should definitely be following on Instagram, each honors the founder's roots in unique ways with the power of storytelling through artistic expression that manifests in pieces we can't wait to wear.

Keep Reading... Show less
fashion
Health and Wellness

10 Home Items You Need For Stress Relief, On The Days You 'Literally Cannot'

Fill your home with peaceful, calming coping mechanisms.

Pexels

I'd like to think that 2020 is teaching us a lot. Or will teach us a lot. Or will be a story we tell at parties one day. Ultimately, this year has been — and is probably going to continue to be — a bit of a mess.

At the beginning of the year, Australia was on fire and we mourned the death of Kobe Bryant. Then, coronavirus (COVID-19) took our spring and shut us in our homes, inciting panic over public health and sparking political upheaval at every decision made by local and federal officials alike. Now, a week after George Floyd's death at the hands of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, a nationwide conversation is reignited with protests regarding racial injustice in the United States. There is an enormous amount of tension, hurt, and change that is upon the American people.

Keep Reading... Show less
mental health
Facebook Comments