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Itch Relief

icarumba

By icarumba
in Dermatitis Herpetiformis

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icarumba Apprentice
icarumba
Posted

Hello everyone! I've been a reader and watcher of this forum for about 4 years now. I first got a terrible rash back in 2011 at age 57 and after researching what on earth this awful itchy rash could be, was directed to this website and this forum. It turned out to be a Godsend. To make a very long journey and story short, I went gluten free after determining that what I had was DH. It took about 13 months for this terrible rash to finally clear up after becoming strictly gluten free. It was maybe the most miserable year I ever had ever had in my life. The itches would wake me up 4 or 5 times a night, every single night. I scratched till I bled, and tried everything possible to stop the terrible itch. I can see why at one time it was called the "suicide itch"! I have had minor flare-ups now and then since it cleared up in 2012, but they were very minor, and very manageable, that is until I went to Italy last fall. I was there for two weeks and I was not going to miss the wonderful pasta and pizza that is offered there! So that's what I did. I ate like a pig! I started on dapsone a week before I went and for the two weeks I was there, just to stop anything in it's tracks. Well, I went off Dapsone when I got home because it made me extremely tired, and boy, did I pay! I broke out in a major rash from the gluten I had consumed. The rash lasted about 2 months, and was mainly the back and sides of my scalp, my elbows, knees, and the small of my back, but it itched like crazy! During Thanksgiving with my family, my niece who sells doTerra brand products, got me to try their Deep Blue Rub, a lotion with essential oils in it. It really worked for me stopping the itch!!! I'm not trying to sell anything, or endorse any product, but wow, did it help me get through the month or so the rash was still around after Thanksgiving. It has a strong smell (pleasant however) and I just wanted to pass this along to the members or anyone struggling with DH. I know how terrible it can be and this product really worked for me. I hope this will help someone. It's not cheap but a little goes a long way. I will be posting more now that I've joined the crowd here, and offer any help that I can from someone that's been there.

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      Thanks much Scott.  Well said, and heeded.   I don't have Celiac, which is fortunate.
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