What Did I Eat?

[answerseeker]

Last night for dinner I made gluten free penne pasta with cherry tomatoes, garlic, and feta cheese. And artichokes

Within two hours my skin started itching like crazy and this morning I have a red rash on my bum and calves. Also an old DH spot that was healed seems to be coming back. This is miserable!

Maybe it's just flaring for no apparent reason ugghh

[ItchyAbby]

Last night for dinner I made gluten free penne pasta with cherry tomatoes, garlic, and feta cheese. And artichokes

Within two hours my skin started itching like crazy and this morning I have a red rash on my bum and calves. Also an old DH spot that was healed seems to be coming back. This is miserable!

Maybe it's just flaring for no apparent reason ugghh

Aw, I'm sorry! I know that misery all too well. I also know how crazy it can make you to try and figure out why it's flaring. It could just be the natural cycle of your rash - it will likely surge and recede, surge and recede while you are healing. Some people clear quickly, others take a bit more time. You should also consider going low-iodine, which means cutting out things like the feta that you had last night. Look here for low-iodine guidelines: Open Original Shared Link (Obviously, leave out the gluten-y stuffs)

 

Also, I might recommend starting a food journal. It's a bit of a chore at first but soon will become habit. It has been very helpful for me.

 

As far as itch relief, there is a whole thread in here somewhere about what people do to make it bearable. My technique is not the norm but works well for me: scalding hot water with a hand held shower on the itchy spots. It burns like hell for the first second and then is this mixture of pleasure and pain, but it knocks out the itch for hours (again, for me. Everyone will have different ways of managing). I wrap myself in ice packs when I get out of the shower if I am crawling right into bed. Some people take only cool/cold showers, others swear by epsom salt baths. Soft loose clothing is best and minimize sweating/overheating while it's flaring. Late afternoon and the wee morning hours seem to be the worst itching times for many of us.

 

Hang in there!

[squirmingitch]

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/96552-help-for-the-itching-stinging-burning-pain-of-dh/

 

Abby has been a very quick learner so you can bank on what she says! 

 

It could have been something you ate like the feta (iodine) or it could be nothing you ate. This darn rash will vex you to no end!!! I have no idea if artichokes are high iodine or not. I haven't seen them on any list but something in my gut is telling me they may very well be high iodine. Just guessing mind you.

 

An example for you is this:

I have been squeaky clean, strict, 200,000% gluten-free since 12/01/11 & was low iodine from around Feb or March of 2012 all the way up until 9/10/13 & I STILL have the rash. It has improved 1000% but I still have it & it will flare & recede, flare & recede as it pleases. It used to make me nuts wondering what had set it off since I was so pristine in my diet. I would question if this or that made the rash flare, does it not like chocolate? does it not like tomatoes? does it not like..... & the list was endless. I don't drive myself nuts anymore. IT does what it wants & at times there will be a pattern of days you can sort of count on but in the end, bottom line, it has a mind of it's own & will do it's own thing regardless. The only control I have is to be certain I am not getting any gluten from any where. I also know that stress has a big effect on my dh. When I quit worrying about what had set off the rash this time or that time; I have done better. Accept that you only have X control over it. I am improving but it's like baby steps, very slowly & sometimes it even seems to go backwards but you just make sure you are not getting any gluten & forge ahead. One day we will be on the other side of this. Some of us sooner than others but 1 day we will ALL be on the other side.