I am soooooo tired of people asking me about this...so im just gonna rant and ramble on here...okies?!? i have a disease. thats right. a disease. it isnt contagious...it isnt fatal...and most of the time, it doesnt hurt at all. It's very rare. almost no one has it. there is no research being done on it. its called cold eurticaria. i doubt i spelled that right. basically, im allergic to the cold. now when i say allergic, i dont mean i get sneezy. i break out in hives. i get them on the backs of my arms, more often on my left for some reason, and i also get them on the area around my elbow on this arm too. anywhere below bellybutton is fair game for them too. if its windy out, i can get them in my eyes as well. when i get them in my eyes, it looks like i have pink eye and i become VERY light sensitive, but i just sleep all day and its all good. they dont itch, and they dont hurt. well, they DO hurt at times. sometimes i get them and they actually swell in my joints, remain invisible, and i have arthritic symptoms. during the fall/winter i feel like im 80 most nights, but its something ive learned to tough out. i only get them for a few reasons. if i get REALLY stressed, i dont get enough sleep over a couple days, if i go in and out of temperature fluctuations all day, or if its just DAMN cold. it only runs on my moms side, and we're the only ones ive ever met with this disorder. I've seriously considered adopting before. I dont want my child to have to go thru it. but, its something that ive learned to deal with and work through. but yea. im not saying all this for sympathy. bc i dont want it. im just sick and tired of people looking at me and either staring or going "OMG WHATS ON UR ARM/LEG?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? if its not bothering me, it shouldnt bother them. do you go up to someone in a wheelchair and go OMG WHATD YOU DO?!?!?!?!?! no...you mind your own business... im INCREDIBLY self concious about them. i think its bc teachers would always send me to the school nurse bc of them. but yea. i dont want sympathy. im just frustrated and HAD to vent. if you made it this far, youre a TROOPER and might as well slap it!!! ;)