ship with the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of
America (AAFA), and made possible by Novartis
Pharmaceuticals Corporation and Genentech. The site
includes helpful links and a downloadable symptom
tracker. Lawrence urges people keep a diary to track
their hives. "The website will help guide you in the
right direction and give you some smart questions to
ask your doctor" said Lawrence, "Take pictures with
your cell phone, because you might not get to the right
doctor for a few weeks and get diagnosed with CIU
f or six weeks. You want to be armed with the diary
Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two Woman Show
so when you get to the right doctor you can really advocate for your own health. There are a number of
drugs now that are available to treat this. You've just
got to get to a dermatologist or an allergist that's familiar with CIU."
Fans can find Lawrence's tour dates and DVD's of
Mama's Family and The Carol Burnett Show at
Lawrence is currently touring the country with her
show Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two Woman
Show. She is also doing speaking engagements.
VickiLawrence.com. Lawrence promises that when
you go to see her perform, " We will laugh a lot we
will not discuss hives."
is touring the country.
Help for CIU in Houston
"We actually see it (CIU) on a daily basis."
says David Engler, MD, FACAAI, FAAAAI of
The Allergy Clinic in Houston. " The most
important diagnostic tool is listening to the
patient. The allergy airborne testing is frequently not helpful at all for patients with
hives or urticaria. Once in a while there are
a couple of blood tests that will be important. A lot of immunologic studies are being
done. We are looking at the specifics of the
immune system and what tends to go haywire which results in hives."
Dr. David Engler of The Allergy Clinic
17