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Does This Sound Like Dh?


Jennifer M.

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Jennifer M. Newbie

I have not been diagnosed with celiac disease; I am trying to diagnose myself (and my daughter) before I pay for the blood work (which I will do).

I have these red round patches on my skin. They started this year. They are mostly on my abodmen; but I also have a few of them on my legs. I would say it is mild. Sometimes they itch; sometimes they do not. They get very dry and scaly.

Pictures of DH on the internet look like my skin, but I do not have the intense itching that I've read about. Could this possibly be a mild case of DH or does DH always have intense itching?

Thanks!

Jennifer M.


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billfl Newbie

Almost immediately after I went on a gluten-free diet, I started getting these nickel sized red areas on my stomach and thighs. They don't itch.

lovegrov Collaborator

This doesn't sound much like the DH I had. First, the stomach is not a common place to get DH. Second, everybody I know who has DH says it itches like crazy -- I once heard iot described as the equivalent of something like playing poison ivy and then rolling in a wool blanket filled with red ants. That's about right. My DH never got dry and flaky; instead I would develop blisters filled with clear fluid. And I assume my DH was rather mild because I was able to control it with minimal doeses of dapsone.

richard

gf4life Enthusiast

The dry, scaly patches might be psoriasis. DH is more blistery, and for most people the blisters pop and ooze. I have both. I only get the DH when I have a gluten accident, but I've had problems with psoriasis on my elbow, ankle, and scalp for years. I would ask the doctor about it if I were you.

God bless,

Mariann

byuiemily Newbie

I had DH extremely bad on my arms from about the time I was 6 until I was maybe 11 or 12. The itching was unbareable and in the mornings I would usually wake up with blood all over my arms from scratching them so much. My doctor thought it was psorisis *since I wasn't diagnosed yet with Celiac* and so he would perscribe medicine for it that would just make it burn and itch even more. To say the least....it's not a fun thing to have, but I still to this day have no idea why it dissappeared when it did, since I was still consuming gluten.

lovegrov Collaborator

DH can actually come and go. My father had it for years and years. Then it just went away for several years, only to return. This was all before we knew the DH-celiac disease connection.

richard

  • 1 month later...
Kathy-W Newbie

Oh thank heavens I found this place. I have finally found the answer to my problems big time. I have a twin sister with Celiac Sprue, but she does not have the skin problems that I have. I also have SLE, Systemic Lupus. I have a positive ANA for Lupus big time. I have a very servere itchy blistery rash on my hands and feet big time. The blisters break and ooze big time. I have to been running to my doctor constantly, because man I can not work with this problem at all. He put me on all kinds of medications to clear this up and nothing at all has worked. My twin sister saw my hands this weekend and told me straight up that I am glutan sensitive. I decided to listen to her and I immediately made another doctors appointment for yesterday and addressed this with him and he looked shocked and said, "That is it, why didn't I think of that"? He immediately ordered blood work and told me to get on a glutan free diet immediately. I can not drink milk or eat eggs what so ever without becomming immediately and acutely sick. Well what do you think? Sorry if this is rambling, but I am so glad to have found this site.


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Pegster Apprentice

DH is typically on elbows and knees, but I get the blisters on my hands when I feed our pet rabbits. Their food has wheat in it and sometimes I forget to wash my hands after I handle it. I have also gotten the blisters from contact with types of grass on my legs and feet. I am on a gluten-free diet so I don't get the other breakouts at all. Good Luck!

  • 4 weeks later...
ryeanddiet Rookie

I have a similar 'does this sound like dh' question.

I'm on gluten to prep for a biopsy next month (was gluten-free for 8 months and all my symptoms cleared up, have positive blood so other than the biopsy, everything else points to celiac).

I don't think I've ever had dh before but I do get both ecxzema and psoraisis. This week is very stressful for me and I'm noticing I feel much more sick after the gluten this week. I've broken out into a 'rash'. It started on my back and back of neck and now it's mostly on my arms (forearms, shoulder joints and hands) and the tops of my knees). The spots aren't 'symmetrical' other than I have them in the same areas on both sides and they look more like big pink welts, some with a water blister top, than dark red sores as I've seen on the internet (I don't scratch).

They seem itchier after eating.

I've gotten a new set of spots every day this week and the initial ones aren't healing.

Sound like dh? or hives from the stress?

thanks.

jen

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      Thank you so very much Scott.  Just having someone understand my situation is so very helpful.  If I have one more family member ask me how my little itchy skin thing is going and can't you just take a pill and it will go away and just a little bit of gluten can't hurt you!!!! I think I will scream!!
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