Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Is This Dh Too?

Guest Kathy Ann

By Guest Kathy Ann
in Dermatitis Herpetiformis

Recommended Posts

Guest Kathy Ann
Guest Kathy Ann
Posted

I don't have a diagnosis of Dh. I AM celiac, however. And it never occurred to me that my skin issues might be gluten related as well.

Does dh have to manifest itself in visible bumps, welts, rashes, etc.? Does it ever do its dirty work "under" the skin?

I don't have any active rashes or oozing places or angry bumps. But my skin does have issues. Skin injuries heal very slowly and stay red a long time. And yet I've never been a sun worshipper or injured my skin in any way. I've actually been a very health oriented person. I've used only health food store cosmetics for 30 years. And yet my skin looks "damaged." It's very disappointing. I also have rosacea.

All my life I have been itchy and very sensitive. ALL clothing tags have to be removed and I can't tolerate synthetic fabrics at all. I can't wear wool, ramie or linen either because of their inherent scratchiness.

If I exercise at all, I begin to itch and my fingers swell. When I perspire, my skin itches from it.

Just wondering if this sounds familiar to anyone with Dh. Or is it likely unrelated?

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


teebs in WV Apprentice
teebs in WV
Posted

Hi Kathy. Doesn't sound like DH to me, but many celiacs on this board appear to have various skin issues. I have DH but I also have other skin issues.

DH is visible blisters - itchy, oozy, itchy, gross, and itchy (did I mention itchy?).

jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted
I don't have a diagnosis of Dh. I AM celiac, however. And it never occurred to me that my skin issues might be gluten related as well.

Does dh have to manifest itself in visible bumps, welts, rashes, etc.? Does it ever do its dirty work "under" the skin?

I don't have any active rashes or oozing places or angry bumps. But my skin does have many moles, random freckles, raised permanent wartlike bumps, age spots and tags. Skin injuries heal very slowly and stay red a long time. And yet I've never been a sun worshipper or injured my skin in any way. I've actually been a very health oriented person. I've used only health food store cosmetics for 30 years. And yet my skin looks "damaged." It's very disappointing. I also have rosacea.

All my life I have been itchy and very sensitive. ALL clothing tags have to be removed and I can't tolerate synthetic fabrics at all. I can't wear wool, ramie or linen either because of their inherent scratchiness.

If I exercise at all, I begin to itch and my fingers swell. When I perspire, my skin itches from it.

Just wondering if this sounds familiar to anyone with Dh. Or is it likely unrelated?

Wow! Your whole post sounds familiar to me! Every bit of it.

I don't think it's DH, though. And since I've been gluten-free (16 months), the situation has gotten somewhat better. I kid you not, a mole I had on my forehead dried up around the edges recently and fell off while I was washing. A couple spots I had near my hairline have all but disappeared, too.

I never would have thought to mention it, but I wonder if it has something to do with Celiac and being gluten-free?

My itchiness was much better, too until I ate tomato sauce last week. I was intensely itchy and even had burning for several days. I don't doubt that there's some sort of skin connection.

Have you ever been "stung" by the water in the shower?

  • 3 months later...
givingthanx Newbie
givingthanx
Posted

Hi. I haven't been diagnosed yet, but I'm going through that process. I've got so many symptoms, and there are so many related conditions in my family (including thyroid issues, irritable bowel syndrome, loss of hair, lactose intolerance, fibromyalgia, lupus, diverticulitis), that I'll be extremely surprised if I don't have it. Plus, going gluten-free fixed me. And then I had a little gluten and experienced symptoms again.

Anyway, I itch when I run - especially the thighs and stomach. Actually, it usually happens when I haven't exercised for a while and then start back. The first few times I exercise, I'll itch. It gets so bad I have to stop. HAVE to stop. It just itches worse and worse and gets red.

If I continue to exercise on a daily basis, it goes away.

givingthanx Newbie
givingthanx
Posted

Hi. I did some more research on this (since I have the same itchy skin from exercise), and it turns out it can be more serious than I thought, and YES, it can be related to gluten.

It is called exercise-induced urticaria or anaphylaxis. Actually, the urticaria is the hives. The anaphylaxis means "a severe allergic reaction."

Don't trust my explanation. Do your own research, but this is my impression of what happens: When you reach a point past your physical conditioning, you itch. If you don't stop exercising when you feel the itch come on, it can even get so bad that you pass out from super-low blood pressure. It can even get so bad that you can die. So it's important to stop when the itching comes on.

This web page shows that there can be a gluten connection:

Open Original Shared Link

It can also be caused by other things - allergies, medications, etc.

Please do an Internet search on "exercise-induced urticaria."

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,882
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Nicole King
    Newest Member
    Nicole King
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Florence Lillian
      Celiac friendly probiotics

      By Florence Lillian · Posted

      In response to your questions regarding probiotics.  I have had Celiac for 40 years.  Stomach issues: digestion, IBS to chronic constipation, bloat after eating anything.  I was unable to eat a healthy variety of foods, tried probiotics supplements - some made me worse, others made no difference.  After reading about people with Crones, IBS, etc, who made their own probiotics I started making Milk Kefir: not water Kefir. There are 10 probiotics in milk KEFIR. After 3 weeks I was able to eat more, no gas, no IBS.  If you have a computer just ask for videos on making milk Kefir. I branched out and make my own Kombucha for even more probiotics. I do not make my yogurt because there are only about four probiotics in that. I started this when I was 82 and I still make my own Kefir and Kombucha. My stomach issues were fixed with the Milk Kefir alone. If you decide to try making it, make certain you order MILK GRAINS. The finished product tastes a bit like Buttermilk. I hope this helps in your journey to good health.
    • slkrav
      Gluten free beer ?

      By slkrav · Posted

      Help me out here. Lauren Dam gluten-free beer from Spain is listed as gluten free. Yet its made from Barley Malt. I thought barley and any form had gluten. Anybody have any more information about it?
    • cristiana
      Ibuprofen

      By cristiana · Posted

      Ferritin levels.  And see what your hemoglobin looks like too, that will tell you if you are anemic?  You can have 'low normal' levels that will not be flagged by blood tests.  I had 'low normal' levels, my lab reading was. c12, just over what was considered normal, but I had small benign lesion on my tongue, and sometimes a sore mouth, and a consultant maxillofacial ordered an iron infusion for me as he felt my levels were too low and if he  raised them to 40, it would help.   Because you are not feeling 100% it might be worth looking at your levels, then discussing with your doctor if they are low normal.  But I stress, don't supplement iron without your levels being monitored, too much is dangerous.
    • Mari
      New here

      By Mari · Posted

      Hi Katht -  I sympathize with your struggles in following a gluten-free diet and lifestyle. I found out that I had Celiac Disease a few months before I turned 70. I just turned 89 and it has taken me almost 20 years to attain a fairly normal intestinal  function. I also lost a lot of weight, down to 100 lb. down from about 140 lb. What Trents wrote you was very true for me. I am still elimination foods from my diet. One person suggested you keep a food diary and that is a good idea but it is probably best just to do an elimination diet. There are several ne and maybe one for celiacs. I used one for a while and started with plain rice and zucchini and then added back other foods to see if I reacted or not. That helped a great deal but what I did not realise that it would only very small amounts of some foods to cause inflammation in my intestine. Within the last few years I have stopped eating any trace amounts of hot peppers, corn and soy(mostly in supplements) and nuts, (the corn in Tylenol was giving me stomach aches and the nuts were causing foot pains). Starting an elimination diet with white rice is better than brown rice that has some natural toxins. In addition it is very important to drink sufficient plain water. You can find out how much to drink for your height and weight online. I do have difficulty drinking 48 ounces of water but just recently have found an electrolyte supplement that helps me stay well hydrated, Adding the water and electrolytes may reduce muscle cramps and gag spams you wrote about. . Also buy some anti-gluten enzyme capsules to take with meals. I use GliadinX advertised here. These are a lot of things to do at one time as they reflect my 20 years of experience. I hope you do what you can manage to do over time. Good luck and take care.
    • oscarbolduc
      Advice while waiting for testing

      By oscarbolduc · Posted

      Hello, I'm relatively new to this, so I'm hoping to get some advice. I went gluten-free for most of April and felt the best I've ever felt. I’ve been experiencing strange symptoms since last August, but they all disappeared when I eliminated gluten. However, to get accurate blood test results, I’m back on gluten for a month (all of May), and I’m honestly feeling miserable. I’ve been dealing with joint pain, bloating, diarrhea, and just overall discomfort. Does anyone have tips on how to manage these symptoms during this month? What has helped you with joint pain? 
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.