I had a sore throat Friday and Saturday that then became a cold on Sunday. Monday I got the chills a fever, vomited one time and then broke out in hives. The hives subsided today, but are back with a vengeance now. Any suggestions?

If you have hives "with a vengeance" you need to seek medical help. They are usually indication of a serious allergic reaction to something. And yes allergies can appear suddenly, and if bad enough can be life threatening. It doesn't have to get a whole lot worse to get life threatening... and it can happen in the mater of minutes or hours.

Better safe than sorry.

Absolutely fantastic advice, Smoothy. I have had severe allergic reactions that always begin with hives. See a doctor and make sure you carry an emergency treatment device if the doctor feels you need one.

I have as well... three times they progressed to the point of being life threatening if I had not gone to a doctor. The first time was for an allergy I never had previously. The next two were for the same allergy. With the second event less than 24 hours from the first one, and related to the same exposure (specific type of wasp venom).