Allergic reaction and exercise?

Last night while going for a run I got bitten on the upper back by a fly, didn't see it but it felt hefty when I smacked it.  I thought nothing of it until my palms started to itch.  About a month ago I broke out in hives (all over!) mysteriously after a run and it had started in the exact same way, with itchy palms.  The only common factor was that was on both nights I had been bitten by a fly (the first time on the leg). 

For the last few years I have been working outside so I have been bitten by every imaginable bug: fire ants, bees, wasps, chiggers, ticks, deer flies, yellow flies, black flies, mosquitoes, no-see-ums and so on.  I have NEVER had this sort of reaction before.  I have also been bitten many times by the flies in this particular area and have always been fine.

Both nights I only had about a mile of my run left (ran 5 total) and noticed itchy palms/hands while running and when I got home and took off my shoes my feet start itching and then my entire body.  Last night I even felt like I had some tightness in my chest.  We borrowed some Benadryl and after about 30 min the itching stopped and I was able to fall asleep.

Could it be I am reacting so badly because I am exerting myself (blood pumping faster and so on)?  Anyone else have something like this happen?

I am afraid the reactions will keep getting worse.

* This might belong in Health forum but since it is fitness related I thought I'd put it here.

I get itchy sometimes when I run/walk outside, and if I get a mosquito bite (I react strongly to those), it's even worse. Typically it's my legs, but also can be the backs of my arms.

I've tried to figure out what causes it - but it seems to happen at different times of day, at different temperatures, wearing different clothes, and at different activity levels.

I've read on here other people complaining of the same thing, and have yet to read a solution or even a solid explanation for it.

The last time it happened, I had some itch gel (by Band-Aid, used to be called Rhuli gel) and I slathered that onto my legs - it's the only thing that helps when I get a mosquito bite, and while it didn't help the itchiness completely, I was able to keep walking.

Sounds more like an allergic reaction to the insect. Do you know what type of fly it was? Some flies, like Deer flies, can make people really, really ill. I think it's called 'rabbit fever' plus they can carry and transmit lyme disease.

Anyway, allergic reactions tend to get worse and worse each time you are exposed to the allergent , so each time you get bitten, it will get worse.  Also, allergies can just suddenly come on people that otherwise, spent their life never been allergic. Allergies are a killer...and quite literally, in some rare cases. So, I'd be careful if I were you.

I'd talk to your dr...it would be helpful if you knew what type of fly it was or caught one like the ones that keep biting you.

Original Post by fitnessgirll:

Sounds more like an allergic reaction to the insect. Do you know what type of fly it was?

 I don't know, I didn't even see the one last night and I didn't really pay any attention to the first one since I get chased/annoyed by bugs constantly here (Florida).  I know I have been bitten by yellow flies here and deer/black flies in other states and have never reacted to them. 

Yeah but just bc you never reacted before doesn't mean you are not allergic now. Like I said, sometimes, after being allergic [ to a spec. allergen] for years, a person suddenly is no longer allergic and vice versa.

This might not be related to your particular allergy, but I have found that since I've started running I begin to get itchy too, especially nearing the end of my run.  In my case, I've figured out that it is a skin reaction to pollens in the air.

Basically, my arms get sweaty and pollen sticks to it, causing me to itch.  This has happened several times.  In one particular instance, I went for a run on a high pollen day and I got home to find yellowish/greenish "smears" on my arms that wiped off with a damp towel... Mind you I don't run through fields or anything.  Just by the side of the road, around a local college campus. 

Now, I am normally not allergic to pollens - much less this time of year.   So you can definitely develop an allergy over time.  

Only mentioning it so that you know it's something pretty common.  I take Tylenol Allergy Multi-symptom on days that I know pollen counts will be high as a preventative measure, and it does wonders.  

I think I need to invest in some benadryl and take it right when I get home if I get the itchy palms warning sign.  Hopefully that will stop it from getting so bad.  We haven't had any on hand so it was 30-60 minutes before I took any the last two times.

cc31:  Isn't it amazing what will stick to you when you are sweating?  I got out a little too late in the evening the other day and came back with a bunch of tiny dead gnats stuck all over my sweaty chest/neck/arm.  Yum.

cc31:  Isn't it amazing what will stick to you when you are sweating?  I got out a little too late in the evening the other day and came back with a bunch of tiny dead gnats stuck all over my sweaty chest/neck/arm.  Yum.

You made me laugh so hard.  I just got back from running, I wanted to get it in before it starts pouring (any minute now).  You can imagine the humidity and stickiness out.  Well, I have about 20 of those gnats over my shoulders and arms!  I narrowly avoided having something fly into my mouth, though.  Now THAT would have been tasty 

You could try keeping a tablet of benadryl in your pocket and take it if needed on your run with a bit of water.  I would think that the sooner you take it the better it would be at countering your reaction.

Original Post by smwhipple:

You could try keeping a tablet of benadryl in your pocket and take it if needed on your run with a bit of water.  I would think that the sooner you take it the better it would be at countering your reaction.

 Great idea.  I need to start looking for a way to bring water with me anyway.

Camelback

I'll second what fitnessgirll said about developing an allergy to something you never had a reaction to before. I had this happen to me with Neosporin. I had put it on a minor kitchen burn like I'd done a million times before for cuts and stuff. Only this time I ended up with 3 doctor visits and a week out of work because of a terrible, terrible allergic reaction to it. I'm deathly afraid of Neosporin now.

I'd keep an eye on the reaction. It could get progressively worse or go away.

Original Post by jturnerx:

I'll second what fitnessgirll said about developing an allergy to something you never had a reaction to before. I had this happen to me with Neosporin. I had put it on a minor kitchen burn like I'd done a million times before for cuts and stuff. Only this time I ended up with 3 doctor visits and a week out of work because of a terrible, terrible allergic reaction to it. I'm deathly afraid of Neosporin now.

I'd keep an eye on the reaction. It could get progressively worse or go away.

 I totally understand how dangerous it can be.  Next time it happens if it seems like it is any worse I am just going to go to the doctor.  It seemed a little worse this time then last and I'm afraid of what might happen next time.  I was mainly just wondering if anyone knew if being exposed while exerting oneself could make things dramatically worse.

I had hives over my whole body, feet/knees/thighs/stomach/arms/scalp and they came on FAST.  I am generally not a very allergy prone person, I had bad hay-fever when I was a kid and am allergic to rabbits (came on in my late teens) but that is it. From what I have read if you generally don't have bad reactions and then suddenly something makes you have one it's not a good sign.

My mom's + others solution: stop running.  Not going to happen.

Edit: I took a couple childrens benadryl and went to bed and woke up feeling totally normal, no more hives.