What caused Jessica Tagg's severe hives?

Jessica Tagg's severe hives and angioedema were triggered by pain medication containing opioids following a nasal surgery, leading to a diagnosis of chronic spontaneous urticaria.

How is chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) treated?

CSU is often treated with injectable medications, such as those prescribed to Jessica Tagg, which can effectively reduce hives and swelling.

Can chronic hives affect breathing like in Jessica Tagg's case?

Yes, angioedema, a swelling often accompanying chronic hives, can affect the throat and nasal passages, leading to severe breathing difficulties.

Home / Health / Hives Nearly Stopped Breathing: A Young Woman's Battle

Hives Nearly Stopped Breathing: A Young Woman's Battle

13 Dec, 2025

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Summary

Hives and swelling threatened breathing after surgery, leading to ER visits.
A rare condition, chronic spontaneous urticaria, was diagnosed and treated.
An injectable medication provided relief, allowing a return to daily life.

Hives Nearly Stopped Breathing: A Young Woman's Battle

A routine outpatient surgery in early 2018 took an unexpected turn for then-18-year-old Jessica Tagg, leading to a debilitating battle with hives and angioedema that threatened her breathing. Waking up covered in severe hives, she experienced an agonizing burning and itching sensation, quickly escalating to difficulty breathing. Multiple ER visits and hospital admissions followed, with doctors diagnosing her condition as spontaneous urticaria and anaphylaxis, triggered by pain medication.

Despite trying high-dose steroids, Tagg's symptoms persisted, causing her throat and nasal passages to swell and making breathing feel like passing air through a coffee stirrer. The condition, later identified as chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), is an incurable autoimmune disorder. After months of suffering and numerous ineffective treatments, Tagg traveled to Cincinnati to see a specialist who prescribed an injectable medication.