Hi Belle, well done for advocating brilliantly for yourself. Looks like you have a good dermatologist on board now to help you go forward. Hope your elimination diet continues to keep you itch free. Sue

Hi everyone I have just come out of the Dermatology appointment on a bit of a high! Derm said that she does not see dermatitis herpetiformis often but believes everything I said about thinking that I have it. She said it is either that or a wheat allergy - either way, the answer is the same, no gluten. She said that she spends her working life advising people to trial eliminating wheat and diary etc. but they don't do so (I did say that I am equally as guilty and it really got to the point of desperation with me before I tried eliminating gluten. Plus I knew it was not an eczema flare when the little bumps appeared on my skin. She will do a blood and a FIT test for Coeliac but expects both to be negative. I said that I would refuse to do a 'gluten challenge' if she recommended one and she smiled and said she admired me for that, it is not necessary as my evidence was very clear. She did not think a biopsy would be worth doing but did see the bumps on my feet and said that yes, they do suggest gluten/Coeliac/what allergy.  She said that she would like me to be her 'case study' for investigating this so thoroughly myself - and for trying the elimination diet! She does not see dermatitis herpetiformis often. All my bloods that were taken when I was at my lowest point after seeing her were (surprisingly to me) normal. Iron was just a bit low but I have since increased all my vitamin and mineral intake. I did not mention Dapsone because I think I can do this with diet alone now that I appear to have cut out everything that was irritating me (thanks to you guys here). She will give me a repeat prescription of Elocon to use to clear the final areas of sore skin up. I will stay here with you all as we all progress through this.   

I've tried a few bread recipes but I am by no means an expert. However, this recipe is the best bread I've made to date. It uses 3 grains (or their flours if you prefer) and requires a strong blender (like a Vitamix) but no bread machine. I use it to make English muffins or a loaf of bread. The muffins are a little easier to make and the bread comes out in premade portions. It passes the sandwich test and it tastes great over several days (to my taste, store-bought gluten-free breads tend to lose their flavor on the second day) This recipe is pretty flexible in terms of varying ratios or types of grains.  https://www.instagram.com/p/DPDnyaJjpHh/

I don't have a bread machine but it sure looks like the bread I remember from BC. This is on my "to do" list.

I think seafood in general will be high in iodine.