Has anyone know someone who has urticaria and how they try to get by?

I know I can search for it in Google but i'm looking for someone who has first hand experience.

I have had chronic urticaria for as long as I can remember, and it has gotten worse as I have gotten older (I am 20) I finally went to the doctor, thinking maybe I could get allergy shots and fix my itchiness. This is when the doctor (who is an allergist/immunologist) told me I have urticaria. I take Singulair (often prescribed for allergies) in the morning, and Ranitidine (often used for heartburn, but it works for both conditions because it is a histamine blocker) This does not completly stop all my breakouts, but it seems to help quite a bit. There are many different causes, and it may be impossible to find out what is causing yours (go to a doctor and see if they can help figure out the cause) Unfortunatly there is no "cure" only medicine to control it. Besides my preventative meds, I use benedryl or hydrocortisone creams if I have an especially itchy spot. I don't know what causes it (the doc said that a traditional allergy test won't work for me, my skin will react to the needles themselves, not necessarily the allergens), but I have figured out that stress tends to make things worse (actually having a problem with that right now, it's finals week at college, and I'm a little stressed, and rather itchy). Some people try elimination diets to see if food is a cause, but I'm not quite that desperate (yet). Sometimes heat or cold can cause it. Cold doesn't do it to me, but heat sometimes seems to make things worse, its hard to tell, as I have a rash almost everyday somewhere on my body. Sometimes pressure can be a cause (my underwires bras cause mine sometimes if I wear them too long, but I know thats not the main cause, because I get them a lot on my arms, and other places that don't have something pressing on them. I have never gotten hives on the bottom of my feet, but every other part of my body is fair game. It doesn't occur much on my face (thank goodness!) but it does happen every once in a while. (Actually happened today during my Organic Chemistry II final.) Only once have I had hives so bad that I had to go to the hospital, and that was before I was on meds. I was in middle school, and my parents had to take me to the ER in the middle of the night because almost my entire body was covered with whelps. They gave me something IV, but I don't know what it was. Don't remember much about that night.
Well, I don't know how much that helps you, but if you want to talk more, just e-mail me amy_edrington@yahoo.com (be sure to put urticaria in the subject so I don't throw it out as junk mail or spam.)
Hope my ramblings were at least a little helpful. :)