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Does anyone's dh look like this?

ccrew99

By ccrew99
in Dermatitis Herpetiformis

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ccrew99 Apprentice
ccrew99
Posted

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

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squirmingitch Veteran
squirmingitch
Posted

DH can look like that but other things can as well. It would help if you described the way it acts/presents. You can get a dh biopsy. Read threads in this section to find out how the biopsy is done correctly. 

ccrew99 Apprentice
ccrew99
Posted
  • Author

It starts as a piercing itch and the skin turns reddish with a few tiny red bumps. Then tiny watery vesicles appear and itch like crazy. The whole process from start to finish is about 3 weeks and the lesions leave a purplish skin tone and scab. I get them on the back side of both knees near the bend.  Sometimes it's just a few scattered vesicles in the same area. I've had Drs say eczema or herpes. My next step is to find a dermatologist familiar with dh. Thanks for the input.

squirmingitch Veteran
squirmingitch
Posted

I got them on the back side of my knees too. All the literature points out knees & elbows but doesn't mention the "behind the knee" portion of your leg. I eventually got them ON the knees itself but that was one of the last places to present. I also got them on the inside bend of my arm instead of the elbow and just like the knees, it eventually presented on my elbows. Not to be forgotten; the literature also states it can present anywhere on the body.

If you found those links I've posted about how a dh biopsy is done correctly then print them out & take them with you to SHOW them. Any derm should be able to follow the directions or they should turn in their license.  As to them saying herpes, well duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, dh does have a herpes like presentation. That's why they call it dermatitis herpetiformis! Remember, they work for YOU, not the other way around. Insist. Make sure you're still eating gluten. Let us know how it goes. The best of luck to you!

ccrew99 Apprentice
ccrew99
Posted
  • Author

Thank you so much for responding, it's so hard to go on this journey of questions and Drs. I really appreciate the time you took to respond. God bless you ?

squirmingitch Veteran
squirmingitch
Posted

Oh you're most welcome! 

Another thing --- no steroids, oral or injected for 2 months prior to a dh biopsy. Lay off any topical steroid creams for 2 weeks prior.

Really, stand your ground with them. It would also be great if you can get a friend or family member to go with you in case they take the biopsy from somewhere that you can't see such as the back of your neck. Your friend/family member can watch to make sure they don't take it directly ON a lesion.

Do you have a primary care doc? You can also go to that doc & ask for a full celiac panel PLUS an eTG or TG3. 60% of people with dh test negative on the celiac blood panel but maybe you're one of the 40% who will test positive. It's worth a shot.

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