Dyshidrotic Eczema And Dh

[Guest Chrisbee]

I've had what I think is Dyshidrotic eczema for years and it drives me crazy. The first time I went to the doctor for it, he told me it was a spider bite, and I suppose it did look like one. It spread slowly over the bottom and then the sides of my foot and my entire sole peeled off in a thick layer. It hurt and itched like mad. That was the first time I had it, after that, I got it on both feet and the palms of my hands. Sometimes it's small, tapioca looking blisters that don't pop, sometimes I just get peeling, and sometimes I get something that looks like ringworm because it starts out as a small blister, then spreads into a bigger ring. One of my daughters and one of my sons also has the same thing on their hands and feet. My daughter is a biopsy confirmed Celiac. My son tested negative (blood tests and DNA) but has responded to the gluten free diet.

I also had an itchy, blistery rash on my lower face which extended into the corners of my mouth. When I would wake in the morning and yawn, the corners would crack. Sometimes it would spread all the way up to my eyelids. I even would get blisters on my chest which burned and itched. My doctor told me it was a yeast infection, but the cream she gave me didn't clear it up. I currently have raised, itchy bumps all over my scalp, neck and behind my ears.

Is Dyshidrotic eczema the same thing as DH? Can I have it biopsied? What about the rash on my scalp? Could that be DH? I've been gluten free since March and my chest and face have completely cleared up for the first time in years, so I know it was related to gluten consumption. I currently have DE on one foot and one hand, and both are very, very slowly improving, so I'm hoping it will eventually go away as well.

Thanks for any help!

[wowzer]

It sure sounds like it could be DH. Celiac Disease is hereditary, so your daughter got it from either you or your husband. It could be that your eczema really is DH. It sure sounds miserable what you are going through. I hope you find answers.

[UR Groovy]

I have had this since a teen. Hands and feet. Your description is exactly what happens to me.

First, I don't think I'm "Celiac" and I don't have DH. I believe I'm intolerant to wheat gluten, dairy, & soy (but not off soy & dairy right now).

I know that they're not the exactly same, but I there is some type of relationship in there - they're both atopic dermatitis. I think it is a reaction that happens when your body responds to stressors (maybe intolerances, withdrawals, etc.). I was always told that it was caused by "stress". For a long time, I didn't believe it, but I came to realize that it seems to correlate with times of physical stress & not necessarily emotional stress. I think that dairy makes it worse for me. When I was completely dairy free, it completely cleared up for a couple months. I started farting around with dairy & it came back. It came back with a vengeance about 3 days into quitting smoking (which only lasted a week), which is why I think that physical stress contributes - withdrawals from nicotene.

Hope this helps in some way.

[Guest Chrisbee]

The stress thing makes alot of sense. My poor daughter would break out every time we moved, which was every two-four years when her father was in the Navy. When she was two, she had it so badly we had to bandage her hands. Our doctor told us to be sure and avoid anything acidic, including tomatoes, OJ, and pickles! Nothing helped, it just had to run its course.

I broke out with it for the first time when I started buying raw milk, cream and butter from our Amish neighbor about five years ago. I had avoided most dairy before that time because I didn't care for it, but I loved the raw milk. I actually was scared for a while that it was something I had "caught" from drinking raw milk, but I bet it was actually because I was consuming dairy in larger amounts for the first time in my life. I cut out dairy a few days ago, so I haven't had a chance to see if it makes a difference yet.

The other rashes, the ones on my face and chest, I'd had for about 15 years. I'd tried all kinds of creams, and either they didn't work, or the instant I stopped using them, the rash came back worse than before. I finally quit using anything on them. Within weeks of going gluten free, they were gone, all except for my scalp. Hopefully, cutting out the dairy will take care of that too. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

[wowzer]

What first put me on the gluten free diet was my biopsy results. I had different itcy rashes going on for about a year and many others over the years. I even landed in the hospital about 25 years ago with a rash from head to foot. It was diagnosed as an allergic drug reaction, but they didn't know to what. I had 2 biopsies. One came back eczema and the other spongiotic dermatitis. The natural cure for the spongiotic dermatitis was the gluten free diet. The more I searched this site, the more symptoms of celiac I saw. I did have a negative blood test, but went gluten free anyway. I had many positive results in the first two weeks. I do have a little sister that was diagnosed as a celiac at a year old. I always itched especially after a shower all of my life. That has even disaappeared going gluten free. I had patches of eczema that are gone now.

[Keri]

What you describe on your hands and feet might be palmoplantar pustulosis. My mother has it and it's very difficult to get rid of. there has been a study that confirms that people with gluten sensitivity or celiac are slightly more at risk for it.

[hangcat]

  On 7/4/2007 at 3:45 AM, Chrisbee said:

I've had what I think is Dyshidrotic eczema for years and it drives me crazy. The first time I went to the doctor for it, he told me it was a spider bite, and I suppose it did look like one. It spread slowly over the bottom and then the sides of my foot and my entire sole peeled off in a thick layer. It hurt and itched like mad. That was the first time I had it, after that, I got it on both feet and the palms of my hands. Sometimes it's small, tapioca looking blisters that don't pop, sometimes I just get peeling, and sometimes I get something that looks like ringworm because it starts out as a small blister, then spreads into a bigger ring. One of my daughters and one of my sons also has the same thing on their hands and feet. My daughter is a biopsy confirmed Celiac. My son tested negative (blood tests and DNA) but has responded to the gluten free diet.

I also had an itchy, blistery rash on my lower face which extended into the corners of my mouth. When I would wake in the morning and yawn, the corners would crack. Sometimes it would spread all the way up to my eyelids. I even would get blisters on my chest which burned and itched. My doctor told me it was a yeast infection, but the cream she gave me didn't clear it up. I currently have raised, itchy bumps all over my scalp, neck and behind my ears.

Is Dyshidrotic eczema the same thing as DH? Can I have it biopsied? What about the rash on my scalp? Could that be DH? I've been gluten free since March and my chest and face have completely cleared up for the first time in years, so I know it was related to gluten consumption. I currently have DE on one foot and one hand, and both are very, very slowly improving, so I'm hoping it will eventually go away as well.

Thanks for any help!

I have celiac disease and dyshidrotic ezcema. I went gluten-free and it did not take care of the DE. I went off all dairy products, and my DE ended shortly thereafter.