Allergy Symptoms?

[CatsCradleCreations]

For those of you with known yarn allergies, could you please describe some of your symptoms for me? My hands have little blisters that itch like crazy~~they only started Tuesday after my nephew came over, so I'm wondering if it's a reaction to my mom's laundry detergent/fabric softener or a reaction to a yarn I'm using?

 

The only different yarn I've used recently is a mohair blend, but I have some 100% mohair that doesn't give me any problems at all. Thanks for any help.

[CountryCrochet]

That could quite possibly be a reaction to the yarn. I get that sometimes too. I usually also itch everwhere the yarn is and it usually makes my eyes itch too. I would think more the yarn than the laundry detergent though because if it was detergent, you should itch all over, not just on your hands.

[Stacey]

I don't have any fiber allergies so I can't say for sure, *but* what you're describing sounds a lot like contact dermatitis--basically a localized reaction where an irritant or something you're allergic to touches your skin. I get it when I have certain metals against my skin (and DH gets it if he uses the weed whacker wearing shorts because he's allergic to some of the weeds). So probably isn't from something like a detergent or a fabric softener that would be all over. When I get it, it starts out as itchy red bumps that start looking blistery if I scratch them (and if I scratch too much clear fluid comes out of them).

 

Usually I put hydrocortisone cream on it--makes it feel a bit better and makes it go away faster. (If that's what you've got, that is...) And don't scratch it! It only makes it feel worse!

 

Hope you figure out the culprit soon...

[cajunwhacko]

I think it could very well be from the detergent your mom uses - afterall, the nephew's the one wearing his clothes, not you! Depending on how old he is and how much contact you had with his clothes, it could very well be only on your hands. I'm assuming that she doesn't do your laundry too, just from the way you worded things.

[CatsCradleCreations]

Yeah, my mom does his laundry, but not mine. And, we use different types of detergent~~I use All Free & Clear because I've had problems with Tide in the past. I'm not sure what my mom uses.

 

My nephew is 16 mos, so there wasn't a lot of picking him up and handling him~~just picking him up to change his diaper and put him to bed. And, the itching is just on my hands. I washed with hot soapy water and that helped quite a bit.

 

Thanks for the responses! Because of this itching, I haven't been able to crochet much.

[diamond]

I'm allergic to acrylic yarns (not all but most, mainly Red Heart). My hands don't break out but my forearms do terribly. It's more like hives than a rash. First they get red & blouchy. Then starting bumping up. The bumps look more like blisters in the very beginning but soon become hard & bigger. They itch like crazy but what's worse is they are hot! You can actual lay your hands on my forearms and feel the heat radiating out of them. It's very uncomfortable. The only thing that helps is Benedryl (pill & lotion on the arm) and a cold wet washcloth lain over the areas. HTH

[Alosha]

I have gotten those blisters that itch on my hands & I'm clueless as to what causes it. Since it is mostly on my palms & between my thumb & forefinger I blamed it on yarn at first. Was never able to pin it down to a brand or fiber, so just used the hydrocortisone cream , which helped. Don't know if it's a coincidence, but it doesn't happen nearly as often since I quit using those hand sanitizers (like Purell)

Alosha

[LibiLou]

I will get hives anywhere that wool touches me, itchy and red. I will also start having problems breathing, usually going into an asthma attack.

[yarnoholic]

Whenever I'm around most wool, I start coughing like crazy, my throat feels scratchy, and it feels like my throat is closing in. I have REALLY bad allergies though. Touching the wool doesn't really do anything, but once I breathe those microscopic fibers in, all heck breaks lose in my immune system!

[mc_crochets]

it does indeed sound like contact dermatitus (i get it from just about any jewlery and my buttons on my jeans as well as from wet laytex aka the elastic in my bras and underwear when i sweat alot...dry laytex doesn't bother me...i'm weird) I would say the laundry detergent, since you have mohair that you aren't allergic to. My ex husband was breaking out from his head to his toes, except where his boxers touched him...well my grandmother had refilled our detergent bottle with her tide (he didn't know the diffrence when he did laundry) but since he wore silk boxers, those were washed with woolite...so he broke out everywhere the tide touched his skin...but not where the woolite was touching him....he took benadryl and rewashed his clothing and everything went back to normal.

[CatsCradleCreations]

Just to let y'all know, I'm heading to the doctor about it today. It's gotten worse and is on the inside of my wrists and my left foot. Yesterday I had bandages wrapped around five fingers to keep from scratching! I took a benadryl last night before bed and was able to sleep, but it's been going on long enough now that I don't think it's either the yarn or the detergent.

 

My mom was telling me that both my dad and one of my sisters has the same thing, so I'll be able to let my doctor know that~~it might be hereditary. All I know is my dad can't wear his wedding band anymore because of his. I'm lucky that it hasn't affected my wedding band finger~~I couldn't get my wedding rings off if I wanted to!

 

Anyway, I'll let all of you know what the doctor says!

[CatsCradleCreations]

Turns out my hand issue isn't allergy-related at all. I've got eczema and it's decided to just grace my hands. Oh well. It's treatable, though uncomfy when it flares.

 

Thanks for all the support ladies!

[blong2001]

I get the same thing. After taking away everything to determine what it was it turned out to be the antibacterial hand soap. I switched to regular stuff and the blisters went away.

They can drive you crazy! Hope you find what it is!