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Help and moral support

Kevo01

By Kevo01
in Dermatitis Herpetiformis

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Kevo01 Newbie
Kevo01
Posted

Hi There!

I was diagnose with DH just one week ago, however I've had the rash for about 4 months already , going from Doctor to Doctor, it was a relief to finally get some correct information about what was happening in my body, I am from El Salvador, Central America and it's hard to get gluten free food, my Dr. asked me to take Dapsone, which I've been taking for a week now but I am scared because of the side-effects. Emotionally, it hit me today , even I have been trying gluten-free diet, rash does not go away, do you know, how long does it take for the rash to go away with a strictly gluten-free diet? It is affecting most my elbows, knees and  buttocks. Also i think the rash activates when I eat sugar cane and dairy products, do you know something about that?

Thank you for your help 

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squirmingitch Veteran
squirmingitch
Posted

Hi & welcome to the forum. 

The sugar cane should have zero effect on the rash. The dairy products can in that they are high in iodine. Iodine makes the rash flare. Try going low iodine for 2 weeks. Here is a link to a low iodine diet -- just make sure you leave the gluten out.

Open Original Shared Link

Also, let's make sure you aren't getting cross contaminated so please read this thread & follow the links contained in it:

The Dapsone should start making a big difference very soon if you've been on it for a week now. Just make sure your doctor is monitoring your blood every 2 weeks for Dapsone side effects.

It takes time for the antibodies to get out of your skin. The time is different for everyone so there's no way to say how long for each individual. 

The best thing you can do is to make sure you don't get the tiniest amount of gluten and to do that you need to follow the directions in that Newbie 101 I linked you to. I can not stress this enough. Eat only whole foods for the first 6 months. Don't even try to replace with gluten free breads &  gluten free processed foods. Do NOT eat out. Eat ONLY foods you have prepared yourself. Eat fresh or frozen veggies, fruits and fresh meats. Nuts but make sure they are gluten free nuts that have not been processed on shared equipment. You can slowly add back dairy & high iodine foods after 2 weeks on the low iodine diet. I would stay away from seafood though for a good 2 months as seafood is loaded with iodine.

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