looking for info and advice

[Guest guest]

Hello to all,

My 7 year old son has had hives for the past four weeks,

with no relief. Benadryl didn't work, and Zyrtec isn't either.

Hydrocortisone creme takes the edge off of the itching, but he is

really suffering with this.

The hives are on his chest and stomach, and some on his back and

legs. None on his face or in his hair. We thought a swich in laundry

detergent might have done it, so we switched back to our old brand,

with no improvement.

The pediatrician has referred us to a dermatologist, and we go on

January 9th. I guess I am looking for some advice to help him relieve

the itching in the meanwhile, and I am wondering what the

dermatologist should be looking for...are there specific tests or

things he should be doing to discover the causes? What food items

should I try to eliminate, to see if this is a food allergy?

Any advice is appreciated...Tricia