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Dh Sometimes Look Like Poison Ivy?

Rita L

By Rita L
in Dermatitis Herpetiformis

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Rita L Newbie
Rita L
Posted

My doc says my Psoris on my one heel is more than likely caused by my Celiac. I have been gluten free for many years and successfully so.... BUT those darn restaurants get me every time. I am on my 3rd bout of Poison Ivy or so I thought. Kinda strange that I have a spot on my shin that I shaved inadvertenly (not noticing the raised fluid filled rash) until it was too late. That spot took forever to heal. BUT I notice that this time around it's the same exact spot that is itchy and starting to raise up. I find that to be too coincidental to be poison ivy again. Anyone have their rash resemble poison ivy? Not to mention that the itch is insane.

Thanks...

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kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

My hub kept getting poison ivy right above his knees. Even when he hadn't been out side in the yard or grass for days. We discovered it was poison ivy - that was the level the dog's tail hit him. She was out at the fence where the poison ivy grew.

bartfull Rising Star
bartfull
Posted

And usually with DH if you have it on one heel (or knee or arm, etc.) you'll have it on the other.

mitchgam Newbie
mitchgam
Posted

My doc says my Psoris on my one heel is more than likely caused by my Celiac. I have been gluten free for many years and successfully so.... BUT those darn restaurants get me every time. I am on my 3rd bout of Poison Ivy or so I thought. Kinda strange that I have a spot on my shin that I shaved inadvertenly (not noticing the raised fluid filled rash) until it was too late. That spot took forever to heal. BUT I notice that this time around it's the same exact spot that is itchy and starting to raise up. I find that to be too coincidental to be poison ivy again. Anyone have their rash resemble poison ivy? Not to mention that the itch is insane.

Thanks...

You possibly have DH an auto immune disease similar to celiac but for a different reason.

Since you are already living mostly gluten free, you will not test positive on the blood test for it.

It does not have to be bilateral, although it often is

If it progresses or happens during a season when Poison Ivy is not growing, then you will know for sure that it is.

Other then that, there is not much you can do, like with a peanut allergy all you can do is do your best to avoid anything containing gluten.

Rita L Newbie
Rita L
Posted
  • Author

You possibly have DH an auto immune disease similar to celiac but for a different reason.

Since you are already living mostly gluten free, you will not test positive on the blood test for it.

It does not have to be bilateral, although it often is

If it progresses or happens during a season when Poison Ivy is not growing, then you will know for sure that it is.

Other then that, there is not much you can do, like with a peanut allergy all you can do is do your best to avoid anything containing gluten.

I also have a rash on the back of both knees right now and under the bra line. I know it's not Shingles having had that before. It's very frustrating.

bartfull Rising Star
bartfull
Posted

DH isn't SIMILAR to celiac, it IS celiac. It's just that DH manifests in the skin rather than the gut. Quite a few folks with DH have no gut symptoms, although some do. Usually if they do, those gut symptoms are milder.

 

The way to know for sure is to see a dermatologist and have a biopsy of CLEAR skin near an ACTIVE lesion. Read as much as you can in the DH section here. There are some very smart and experienced folks there. Squirming Itch and PricklyPear in particular.

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

My DH was misdiagnosed throughout my entire childhood as poison ivy. Doctors wondered how I would get it even in the winter. Of course they never considered it might not really be poison ivy.  I did manage one year to actually get poison ivy ON TOP of the Dh lesions. That was true hell. The derm my Mom took me to said I had gotten poison sumac on top of the poison ivy. He couldn't figure out where I got it though since it didn't grow in the area I lived in. I did get relief from a course of prednisone but the doctors would only give me a script once a year because of the risk of side effects.  That would clear the DH for a couple of months but it would always return. 

You really need to be more careful with the restaurants where you are eating. If you are not mentioning you're celiac and ordering from a gluten free menu you should do so. Your entire system is being impacted by getting glutened even if the most troublesome symptom is a DH breakout. 

I hope this outbreak heals for you soon. 

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Rita L Newbie
Rita L
Posted
  • Author

Thanks all.... I can't wait to take my Gabapentin tonight so I can get some relief. I usually just take it at night for my Fibromyalgia. The itching is driving me crazy!

1desperateladysaved Proficient
1desperateladysaved
Posted

I just experienced a rash that seemed very much to me like poison ivy.  There were a few oddities, it was on my thighs which I cover with two layers of clothing and it did not have the yellowish oozing which one finds with poison ivy. Plus it went away and then returned in the same spots. My functional medicine nurse now believes this rash is an allergic reaction.

mitchgam Newbie
mitchgam
Posted

DH isn't SIMILAR to celiac, it IS celiac. It's just that DH manifests in the skin rather than the gut. Quite a few folks with DH have no gut symptoms, although some do. Usually if they do, those gut symptoms are milder.

 

The way to know for sure is to see a dermatologist and have a biopsy of CLEAR skin near an ACTIVE lesion. Read as much as you can in the DH section here. There are some very smart and experienced folks there. Squirming Itch and PricklyPear in particular.

While both Celiac and DH are a bodies response to gluten, they are not the same. While it is easy to lump them together they are totally different from each other medically. DH is an auto immune disease that creates a systemic histaminic  reaction. Celiac doesn't. I am not a doctor but have had medical doctors explain the difference in medical terms that I do not fully understand, but that is the bottom line.

notme Experienced
notme
Posted

While both Celiac and DH are a bodies response to gluten, they are not the same. While it is easy to lump them together they are totally different from each other medically. DH is an auto immune disease that creates a systemic histaminic  reaction. Celiac doesn't. I am not a doctor but have had medical doctors explain the difference in medical terms that I do not fully understand, but that is the bottom line.

wrong-o

 

Open Original Shared Link

 

there is an explanation in layman's terms that even not-doctors can understand...  dh is celiac.

kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

While both Celiac and DH are a bodies response to gluten, they are not the same. While it is easy to lump them together they are totally different from each other medically. DH is an auto immune disease that creates a systemic histaminic  reaction. Celiac doesn't. I am not a doctor but have had medical doctors explain the difference in medical terms that I do not fully understand, but that is the bottom line.

DH is considered currently considered a form or manifestation of Celiac Disease.

Open Original Shared Link

squirmingitch Veteran
squirmingitch
Posted

While both Celiac and DH are a bodies response to gluten, they are not the same. While it is easy to lump them together they are totally different from each other medically. DH is an auto immune disease that creates a systemic histaminic  reaction. Celiac doesn't. I am not a doctor but have had medical doctors explain the difference in medical terms that I do not fully understand, but that is the bottom line.

You state you do not fully understand what the medical doctors explained to you yet you claim dh & celiac are different things. Huh. :o

JaneWhoLovesRain Enthusiast
JaneWhoLovesRain
Posted

RIta - I had poison ivy quite regularly as a child and can easily tell the difference.  They both itch terribly but there are differences.  DH will be symetrical and the blistering isn't as obvious.  For me the majority of the poison ivy would be gone in a week but DH seemed to last forever. Also my skin was much more sensitive and inflammed with DH.  They felt different, but I don't know how to explain a sensation. :unsure: Have you tried taking an antihistamine? 

Rita L Newbie
Rita L
Posted
  • Author

RIta - I had poison ivy quite regularly as a child and can easily tell the difference.  They both itch terribly but there are differences.  DH will be symetrical and the blistering isn't as obvious.  For me the majority of the poison ivy would be gone in a week but DH seemed to last forever. Also my skin was much more sensitive and inflammed with DH.  They felt different, but I don't know how to explain a sensation. :unsure: Have you tried taking an antihistamine? 

I now know the difference... LOL... I hadn't had poison ivy in a very long time. It took weeks to clear up. I'm now on Dapsone and using an Ivy itch spray which seems to help some, more so than the cortisone cream I was using before. But the itching is insane and yes it is VERY symetrical for me now but the first bout was only in two spots. I also realize that I have been dealing with this for years and just didn't know.

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