Mechanical work symptoms and conditions

Have had skin excema most of my life on and off and just dealt with it with various ointments and such. To make a long story short I went to an emergency room one night about 9 months ago with a bad headache and instead of them dealing with just the headache they obsessed over my rash which is worse on my lower right leg. I was prescribed prednisone along with some antibiotic and not realizing what prednisone can do i took the 5 day plan. I knew immediately I was going to have problems as I was definitely on some kind of powerful stimulant. Anyway that was 9 months ago and I seem to have exchanged my excema for a permanent case of the type of hives that is worse at night before bed and is aggravated by any pressure on my skin. I do mechanical work and if I squeeze a screwdriver or bang on something with my hands they will swell and itch and my fingers will not bend very well. When I feel a slight itching in my hair or around my neck I also will have a slight headache. The hives can appear on my back or thighs or arms or belly at different times usually. Stress doesn't help either. By the way I am 60 and never had hives that I recall ever.
mtrsr50