New insectbite-like blisters

[dani nero]

Hi guys, 

It has been a decade since I posted here! I stopped using this forum because a was literally spending whole days reading and writing here, which was getting in the way of studies and so on. Full on addiction :') 

It's been so long, so I'll have to introduce myself again! I'm a self-diagnosed celiac with no symptoms before the diet except for not getting any periods. I was misdiagnosed with a hormone imbalance at 16 and was on hormone meds until the whooping age of 32. I got so tired of the garbage side-effects of the meds, so did some research and found a certified medical-paper online, linking celiac to the absence of monthly periods. I tried going super gluten-free and never missed a period since, and by super, I mean 0 gluten in the house and new cookery, hygiene products and so on. 

I only went to one doctor after going gluten-free but two years after. She supported my theory and said there was no point in testing since I've been on the diet for a long time. She did suggest that I eat gluten again if I wanted an official diagnosis, but not a must as long as I'm feeling better, and there's  no harm in continuing the diet. She did refer me to a nutritionist to make sure I was getting all the nutrients I needed. 

I had a dry, burny and crusty rash with tiny little blisters on my hand around the time I started the diet. They would itch like crazy and wake me up at night. I shared the pictures here and found that others have experienced the same type of rash. I cut iodine to help it go away which worked, and I only got it once again during these 10 years. 

The biggest issue I had over the years was severe depression from time to time. I used to think I got depressed whenever glutened due to hormone changes, but was diagnosed with bipolar disorder last year. I'm thanking god day and night because I don't go through that anymore. 

 

I'm posting here now because I am experiencing .. insect-bitey type of blisters. I live next to a forest and occasionally get bird fleas in the garden. THey don't lay eggs anywhere except bird nests, but they do bite when hungry. I am terrified at the thought of them so check my dogs and house for any hitchhikers, and haven't seen any. Two weeks ago, I tried eating something new and got 5 bites on tummy, one bite on each foot, and two on my back. A few days later I got three on my right hip. I thought it was over but found three new bites on my left hip last night– Almost identical to the ones on the other hip. I initially thought they were flea bites, but there weren't any, and my husband is fine. My husband suggested that it might be some type of allergy, and it hit me then that I had tried a new food a day before the first bites showed. 

What is confusing is that they look nothing like dh, which is why I've been calling them bites. I thought perhaps if I describe them here, someone might recognize them. They look like mosquito bites. Start as colorless flat bumps, then turn into red hive-y bumps with no fluid. They stay flattish bumps, and develop into wide watery blisters after a day or so. That is when they itch the most. A few show up at a time. Like 4-5 each time. 

Before getting any, the whole body itches at night.. like needle stings! So annoying I want to crawl out of my skin. It keeps me awake, and can only sleep when it stops in the morning. There is no burning, dryness, crusting or skin breaking. There is a good distance between each, and the itch gets mild when the bumps show up. Like milder than the tiny rash I had before, and even milder than any insect bite, to the point I don't mind having them.

I am terrified that they are some kind of insect bite. If it's dh, I can relax because I know .. it's not an insect lol, and I know how to get rid of it. 

Can anyone relate to this? Hoping for some good news... insect free :')

[dani nero]

I forgot, I took some pics

first one my right hip, when they start to heal at the end

second one on back

third one left hip just last night, starting to turn red

[Scott Adams]

Welcome back!! And I'm sorry if this forum is addictive! 😉

You mentioned that you added a "new food" just before this happened, so that is probably a good place to start. Is it a food that could be contaminated with gluten? Do you have other food allergies? 

Your description of the needle-like itching sounds a lot like how dermatitis herpetiformis can feel, but without the puss-filled tiny blisters on top your skin issue doesn't look like typical DH, but more like hives that you might get from an allergy.

It is also allergy season again, and it it's also possible that you could get hives from pollen allergies, but the new food you recently introduced is probably more likely. Have you tried taking an antihistamine allergy pill to see if it helps? If you took Benadryl, for example, and the hives went away it would mean that it was likely caused by an allergy instead of DH which would be caused by gluten.

[dani nero]

Hi Scott and thanks for the welcome back!

Yes, that's what the nurse told me to do as well. She prescribed an antihistamine (desloratadin) to test if what I have is an allergy. I unfortunately responded to it with a severe reaction, so I scheduled another talk with her. I'll be sure to ask about Benadryl. 

I got another three on tummy last night. With this speed of popups, I doubt the blisters are bites, since I am yet to see a single insect lurking about.

The new food I introduced was just a different brand of smoked-fish instead of the one I usually get, which makes me doubt it's the type of food itself, and more like kitchen contamination ....  if it's DH that is.

You said that DH blisters are full of puss. Sorry this will be a gross question, but must the pu be thick and opaque :') lol .. or can it be watery?

It hit me just now though that I consume A LOT of iodine. My thyroid gets lazy sometimes, and my diet includes iodine-rich foods. Afaik iodine causes DH to flare extra, if antibodies are present in the body. 
If it's an allergy and not DH, can iodine be a trigger too? 

[Scott Adams]

If you have DH iodine can be a trigger in some people, and certain sea food is higher in iodine. The DH blisters are normally tiny, but are usually full of clear liquid, and not cloudy. 

[shadycharacter]

You won't like this idea, but have you thought of bed bugs? Not everyone get a rash from their bites, so the bites only show on some people. The bites often appear in clusters, like three in a row. 

[dani nero]

3 hours ago, shadycharacter said:

You won't like this idea, but have you thought of bed bugs? Not everyone get a rash from their bites, so the bites only show on some people. The bites often appear in clusters, like three in a row. 

Hi Shady! 

Yes, I look under my mattress, dog bedding and my sheets daily. There is nothing 

[knitty kitty]

@dani nero,

You said you added a new smoked fish to your diet?  I'm curious to know the ingredients, if there's glutamate in it.

[dani nero]

Hi knitty kitty! Just fish and salt. 

I am now on another antihistamine, day 2.

Anyone with allergies know how long antihistamines take to stop blisters from popping? 

[Scott Adams]

If the hives are caused by an allergy, antihistamines will usually make their size, redness and itchiness dissipate within an hour or two.

[dani nero]

4 hours ago, Scott Adams said:

If the hives are caused by an allergy, antihistamines will usually make their size, redness and itchiness dissipate within an hour or two.

I'm so lost then. I got three new blisters today, and the ones from the day before got watery. I now have about 22 in total and look like a ladybird.

But thanks for taking the time to help guys.

 

[Scott Adams]

Watery blisters could be DH, so I still think that it's important to review your diet again more closely. Since you are in the land of free medical care 😀, it might make sense to see if you can have a dermatologist have a look. They can biopsy them for DH, or tell you if they might be something else.

[JenniK]

I think it sounds like DH too. Also, the tingling feeling before eruption sounds like shingles. Are they all on one side of the body/ spine. Shingles usually is on one side.  I have had both DH and shingles.  In my experience, my shingles (several reoccurrences over the years) feels more  like random burning or pain. (Mine is mostly internal, so not a lot to see, but has been cultured and proven to be Shingles.) For most people though, Shingles does have a cycle and part of it is watery blisters, which is what really stuck out to me in your description. It is worth seeing a doctor and having it cultured bc shingles is treatable with antivirals.

in contrast, my DH was more like random bumps, itching and seemed like acne which would not budge. (Mostly on my back, so hard to get a good look). The thing that defined it was that it would not budge until I went gluten-free, then disappeared. Then came back during Gluten Challenge, went away again. Sometimes it does flare and I just have to accept that i got glutened somehow at some point. Sometimes, i will know because other glutening symptoms show up much quicker than DH.

 

 

[Laoshi]

These look exactly like bedbugs as someone has already mentioned.  I got them often in China.  I got so familiar with them.  I knew when I picked one up on a bus or when shopping, as the bite became very familiar.  I’d go home and immediately put everything I was wearing into the washer and take a shower.  It worked.  Before I learned to do that, I would have to wash everything that I could, and take a portable steamer and steam everything thoroughly.  You can’t see them.  Steam is the only thing that works as long as you steam every square inch.  Recently, I took a bra I hadn’t worn since I lived in China—11 months ago— out of a box in my closet, and my theory is that there was a dormant egg in the bra because I got tiny bites from a very young bedbug.  From 11 months ago!  I immediately washed everything and I think I’m safe.  That was a week ago and I’m relieved.  They are so persistent.  Less common here than China but still here!  I am so familiar with everything about them and I guarantee that’s what your bites are.  

[shadycharacter]

On 5/18/2022 at 12:09 PM, dani nero said:

Hi Shady! 

Yes, I look under my mattress, dog bedding and my sheets daily. There is nothing 

They don't always hide in the bed, sometimes they hide in narrow cracks som distance away from the bed (they can make themselves very flat) and only come out to feed at night. 

[dani nero]

On 6/2/2022 at 2:09 AM, shadycharacter said:

They don't always hide in the bed, sometimes they hide in narrow cracks som distance away from the bed (they can make themselves very flat) and only come out to feed at night. 

Hi Shady, 

It has been a year since I posted. Your bed bugs suggestion scared the heck out of me, but thankfully, no bed bugs. I appreciate the scare you gave me though, since in the end, the culprit WAS bird fleas, and I find that less traumatising since they are unable to live in houses like bed bugs do. I'm simply very sensitive to insect bites, and the problem was solved by removing bird nests and giving our doggos monthly tick/flea preventative pills. 

I feel it is super important to mention that the needle-like itch was caused by something else, my liver wasn't doing it's job because I was drinking too little water!! I associated the itch with gluten, not good. So pls if anyone gets a needle-like stingy itch at night, it may be gluten related, but just in case it's not, it will never hurt to drink water and be safe.