Abscesses on legs

[LookingForAnswers101]

Hello, gluten free community! Thank you so much for welcoming me into your space.

I'd like to ask if anyone has had a similar experience. 5 years ago, when I was 26, I started getting abscesses on my lower buttcheek every 2/3 months. There have been a lot of them in the past few years! Now for the last year or so, I keep getting absesses on the back of my thighs. I read online that gluten sensitivity can cause skin issues, and I read that it can cause perianal abscesses, but I have not seen anything about abscesses in other locations--has anyone else had this experience? Could this be gluten-related?

Much love

[plumbago]

Hi there,

Can you describe them a little more? Do they ooze? Do they itch? Do they spread like a rash or appear like a "boil?" Has a doctor / dermatologist looked at them? Are they big? Do they seem like they could get infected if not careful? Do they disappear? (You say you get them "2/3" months, assuming you meant "2 to 3" - so have the ones that came 2-3 months beforehand disappeared?) Have you noticed what triggers them?

Etc.

Welcome!

[trents]

You say you have gluten sensitivity? Have you been officially diagnosed with celiac disease or do you refer to NCGS?

[Scott Adams]

Welcome to the gluten-free community! It’s great to have you here. While gluten sensitivity or celiac disease can indeed cause skin issues, such as dermatitis herpetiformis (a blistering rash), abscesses in areas like the lower buttocks or thighs are less commonly linked directly to gluten. However, chronic abscesses could be a sign of an underlying immune or inflammatory condition, which might be worth discussing with a healthcare professional. Some people with gluten-related disorders also experience secondary issues like bacterial overgrowth or immune dysregulation, which could potentially contribute to recurrent infections. It’s always a good idea to explore all possible causes, including gluten sensitivity, with your doctor. In the meantime, keeping a food and symptom diary might help identify any patterns. Wishing you the best on your health journey!

[LookingForAnswers101]

@plumbago

They appear as boils. They are big, like the size of a nickel--quarter, and they hurt when I touch them. I have gone to the same derm for them over and over and she thinks my body is colonized by a bacteria, but even after using hibiclens all over my body they come back.

[plumbago]

Ok, thanks. I'm so glad to hear you are in the hands of a dermatologist. I hope he/she has given you 1) a diagnosis; and 2) a plan of care with a couple of options so that you have buy-in and comfort with it. I have some ideas, but not having seen the abscesses or you in person, it doesn't really make sense for me to kind of ... speculate further. But your question was regarding gluten, and you've gotten a couple of other follow up questions and answers that are good, including the idea to keep a food diary. Let us know if we can help further or answer any other questions. I'm sorry you're going through this, it sounds very painful.

[Scott Adams]

By the way, have you been diagnosed with celiac disease, and if so, are you on a 100% gluten-free diet?

[knitty kitty]

21 hours ago, LookingForAnswers101 said:

Hello, gluten free community! Thank you so much for welcoming me into your space.

I'd like to ask if anyone has had a similar experience. 5 years ago, when I was 26, I started getting abscesses on my lower buttcheek every 2/3 months. There have been a lot of them in the past few years! Now for the last year or so, I keep getting absesses on the back of my thighs. I read online that gluten sensitivity can cause skin issues, and I read that it can cause perianal abscesses, but I have not seen anything about abscesses in other locations--has anyone else had this experience? Could this be gluten-related?

Much love

Welcome to the forum, @LookingForAnswers101,

I had similar experiences with boil outbreaks in the same areas.  Mine was caused by Candida Albicans and eating a diet too high in sugar and simple carbohydrates.  

Candida is a yeast infection, so the antibacterial wash is not going to help.  I had to change my diet to a Paleo diet before it went away.  If I consume high levels of sugar or other simple carbohydrates (rice, corn, dairy, etc.), boils would occur at pressure points like the groin and back of the legs. 

Your doctor might be able to prescribe an antifungal medication, but some of those antifungal medications destroy thiamine.  Thiamine is needed to keep fungal and bacterial infections in check.  I took Thiamine in the form Benfotiamine, but TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) will work, too.  

Thiamine, and the other B vitamins, especially Niacin and Biotin, along with Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin D will help keep skin healthy.  Be sure to address these nutritional deficiencies that occur with Celiac!

Ask your doctor to rule out autoimmune hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) and Human Papilloma virus, too.  

Hang in there!  You'll get over this rocky patch of the journey!  Best wishes!

P. S.  Get checked for Type Two Diabetes as well.  Candida, type two diabetes and a high carbohydrate diet often go together.  A Paleo diet really helps me with my Type Two Diabetes and Candida overgrowth.

Edited March 4, 2025 by knitty kitty
Added Post Script

[Liquid lunch]

I had these for years, covered in scars from them. Not had any since I started taking reishi and cordyceps tincture, they’re immune modulators, I think that’s how they work.

Most of my other symptoms have also disappeared, I take a treble dose if I get glutened and it’s almost an instant fix, 3 days of mild symptoms instead of 3 weeks of horrible.

Might be worth a try, don’t be put off by the caterpillars, I think they’ve found a different way of growing them now. 

[LookingForAnswers101]

21 hours ago, Scott Adams said:

By the way, have you been diagnosed with celiac disease, and if so, are you on a 100% gluten-free diet?

I have not been diagnosed with celiac disease, and I just cut gluten out of my diet three days ago. The impetus was that I've tried everything to get rid of these boils, and I've heard many people say that their skin issues vanished when they cut out gluten, so I figured gluten might be the culprit here. Thank you so much for your feedback!!

[LookingForAnswers101]

20 hours ago, knitty kitty said:

Welcome to the forum, @LookingForAnswers101,

I had similar experiences with boil outbreaks in the same areas.  Mine was caused by Candida Albicans and eating a diet too high in sugar and simple carbohydrates.  

Candida is a yeast infection, so the antibacterial wash is not going to help.  I had to change my diet to a Paleo diet before it went away.  If I consume high levels of sugar or other simple carbohydrates (rice, corn, dairy, etc.), boils would occur at pressure points like the groin and back of the legs. 

Your doctor might be able to prescribe an antifungal medication, but some of those antifungal medications destroy thiamine.  Thiamine is needed to keep fungal and bacterial infections in check.  I took Thiamine in the form Benfotiamine, but TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) will work, too.  

Thiamine, and the other B vitamins, especially Niacin and Biotin, along with Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin D will help keep skin healthy.  Be sure to address these nutritional deficiencies that occur with Celiac!

Ask your doctor to rule out autoimmune hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) and Human Papilloma virus, too.  

Hang in there!  You'll get over this rocky patch of the journey!  Best wishes!

P. S.  Get checked for Type Two Diabetes as well.  Candida, type two diabetes and a high carbohydrate diet often go together.  A Paleo diet really helps me with my Type Two Diabetes and Candida overgrowth.

Thank you so much for this amazing info!! Feels really great to hear from someone else who had such a similar experience. I will adopt paleo presently. May I ask; are there any sources of carbs that do not harm you, and that align with the paleo parameters? Or will I simply have to forgo carbs entirely?

19 hours ago, Liquid lunch said:

I had these for years, covered in scars from them. Not had any since I started taking reishi and cordyceps tincture, they’re immune modulators, I think that’s how they work.

Most of my other symptoms have also disappeared, I take a treble dose if I get glutened and it’s almost an instant fix, 3 days of mild symptoms instead of 3 weeks of horrible.

Might be worth a try, don’t be put off by the caterpillars, I think they’ve found a different way of growing them now. 

Much thanks--may I ask where you obtain this tincture? And also, if there were changes to your diet that helped eliminate this issue?

Much thanks to you.

[plumbago]

@LookingForAnswers101 If you can tell by now, has cutting out gluten helped?

[LookingForAnswers101]

20 hours ago, knitty kitty said:

Welcome to the forum, @LookingForAnswers101,

I had similar experiences with boil outbreaks in the same areas.  Mine was caused by Candida Albicans and eating a diet too high in sugar and simple carbohydrates.  

Candida is a yeast infection, so the antibacterial wash is not going to help.  I had to change my diet to a Paleo diet before it went away.  If I consume high levels of sugar or other simple carbohydrates (rice, corn, dairy, etc.), boils would occur at pressure points like the groin and back of the legs. 

Your doctor might be able to prescribe an antifungal medication, but some of those antifungal medications destroy thiamine.  Thiamine is needed to keep fungal and bacterial infections in check.  I took Thiamine in the form Benfotiamine, but TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) will work, too.  

Thiamine, and the other B vitamins, especially Niacin and Biotin, along with Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin D will help keep skin healthy.  Be sure to address these nutritional deficiencies that occur with Celiac!

Ask your doctor to rule out autoimmune hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) and Human Papilloma virus, too.  

Hang in there!  You'll get over this rocky patch of the journey!  Best wishes!

P. S.  Get checked for Type Two Diabetes as well.  Candida, type two diabetes and a high carbohydrate diet often go together.  A Paleo diet really helps me with my Type Two Diabetes and Candida overgrowth.

Also one more question--were you able to eat brown rice without issue?

[LookingForAnswers101]

On 3/3/2025 at 3:30 PM, trents said:

You say you have gluten sensitivity? Have you been officially diagnosed with celiac disease or do you refer to NCGS?

What is NCGS? I don't know anything for certain yet; I am simply in the beginning stages of trying to uncover the root cause of a skin issue.

[trents]

1 hour ago, LookingForAnswers101 said:

I have not been diagnosed with celiac disease, and I just cut gluten out of my diet three days ago. The impetus was that I've tried everything to get rid of these boils, and I've heard many people say that their skin issues vanished when they cut out gluten, so I figured gluten might be the culprit here. Thank you so much for your feedback!!

Just a heads up, if your butt sores go away on a gluten free diet, you would need to go back to eating gluten for a period of weeks or months if you want to get formally tested for celiac disease. Otherwise, the testing will be invalidated.

[Liquid lunch]

2 hours ago, LookingForAnswers101 said:

Much thanks--may I ask where you obtain this tincture? And also, if there were changes to your diet that helped eliminate this issue?

 

I don’t think it matters much, there’s another type of cordyceps but I’m not sure if there’s a lot of difference, the one I’m using is cordyceps sinensis from maesyffin in wales, sinensis is the one with a long history of medicinal use in china. I think the alcohol (vodka) in the tincture helps with uptake vs taking capsules.

And yes, changing my diet helped but it’s almost impossible to maintain as I can’t eat any lectins or sugar which is almost everything. Low lectin is about the best to hope for, they’re in everything.

I can eat teff, millet, hemp seeds, blueberries, strawberries, blackcurrants, yogurt, cheese, walnuts, pistachios, macadamia, Brazil nuts, broccoli, sweet potato, carrots, beetroot, olives, rocket, onions, garlic, avocado, kale, mushrooms, chlorella/spirulina, and fish. That’s about it.

I keep quail and make their food myself because lectins get into the commercial pellet fed chickens eggs.

It took me years of adding one thing at a time with three weeks of pain every time I got it wrong to figure this out but there’s a finger prick blood test available now that will tell you which foods are triggering your autoimmune system, they test for 200+ different proteins and measure igg and ige antibodies.

Good luck, I hope the mushrooms help but best to address the cause of the problem I think and have the igg and ige antibody test.

The test won’t work if you’re already taking the mushrooms.

[Liquid lunch]

@LookingForAnswers101Ooh I can also eat coconut, and probably because the ingredients are so highly processed I can eat gluten free bread even though it contains ingredients I can’t usually tolerate.

I’m currently trying high lectin foods that've been through a pressure cooker but not much luck so far, pressure cooked mashed potatoes are fine but needs to be cooked completely soft. Hopefully you’ll have more luck than me.

[LookingForAnswers101]

5 hours ago, plumbago said:

@LookingForAnswers101 If you can tell by now, has cutting out gluten helped?

I can't tell yet because it's only been a few days and the issue occurs every 2/3 months!

[knitty kitty]

On 3/5/2025 at 10:26 AM, LookingForAnswers101 said:

Thank you so much for this amazing info!! Feels really great to hear from someone else who had such a similar experience. I will adopt paleo presently. May I ask; are there any sources of carbs that do not harm you, and that align with the paleo parameters? Or will I simply have to forgo carbs entirely?

Much thanks to you.

The AIP diet restricts carbohydrates for the first few weeks.  Excluding carbohydrates changes your microbiome.  The bacteria that live in the intestines that feed on carbs get starved out when you don't eat carbs.  Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) occurs frequently in Celiac Disease.  SIBO can cause gas, bloating, and diarrhea, symptoms similar to Celiac symptoms.  

When the digestive system is feeling better, then additional foods are added back slowly to look for reactions.  I did not consume carbs for a several months because I felt better without them.  Currently, a "Modified AIP diet" has allowed rice, but doing this won't starve out the SIBO that occurs in celiac disease.

I took vitamins and minerals throughout the day and felt great improvement because those essential nutrients were finally being absorbed.

Thanks for letting me share what made my celiac journey better.