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Is This Dh? (photos)

Guest scully

By Guest scully
in Dermatitis Herpetiformis

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Guest scully
Guest scully
Posted

About a year and a half ago, I got this HORRIBLE rash on my arms around my elbows, inner elbows, and some on my inner knees, though my arms were the worst. After it healed, it scarred, and the pigmentation lasted for a long time. The skin became very inflamed, reddish-purplish and almost LEATHERY. I tried corticosteroid creams, Eucerin, even SHAVING the dry skin and scabs off because I thought it was just an exfoliation issue. I always thought this was "winter itch", I even thought it was a wool allergy and got rid of all my wool sweaters. I started worrying that people were going to think I was one of those people who thinks they have bugs crawling on them and pick their skin to death. :rolleyes: Totally embarrassing.

Then, I got it in the spring, in the summer, in the fall, when the rest of my skin wasn't dry. ALWAYS on the sides of my elbows or in the crease, and much more often on the left arm than the right. It itches and burns at the same time, and wakes me up sometimes. After the itching goes away, it just burns, like I have turned a hot hair dryer on fresh skin. I have a patch right now and this is what it looks like. Apologies that it is healing, but my husband thought it would be a good idea to just post it anyway.

You can't tell from the photo, but the skin around these scabby areas looks like red goosebumps. This literally will pop up overnight. I will go to bed without it and wake up in the morning scratching my arms to death.

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd30/sc...974/skin001.webp

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd30/sc...974/skin002.webp

Please tell me what this is, I had no idea this seemingly inocuous and annoying rash could be linked to my GI problems. I am UNDIAGNOSED as of yet. Monday is my EGD and biopsy.

Thanks,

Jen.

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missy'smom Collaborator
missy'smom
Posted

This website has photos of DH for you to compare to. Open Original Shared Link

Guest scully
Guest scully
Posted
This website has photos of DH for you to compare to. Open Original Shared Link

But these are all very severe looking cases, mine doesn't look like that. I guess it must just be dermatitis. I am probably reading into it. Those photos weren't helpful at all, sorry.

RiceGuy Collaborator
RiceGuy
Posted

Judging by the other posts of similar pics, I think it could be DH. Some get a little tiny "peak" in the center of the red spots, others don't.

Snow Angel Newbie
Snow Angel
Posted

scully...I found this site really helpful (8 whole pages of pics)

Open Original Shared Link

It shows many variations of DH rashes in regular people. Mine is exactly like pics 72-74, of the womans upper back, shoulders, both upper arms & I have all those lovely hypopigmentations left behind too.

It is hard to see in pics but your scratched up red bumps do look just like my scratched off red bumps.. lol.... maybe here you can see the stages of development that we just can't always catch on camera.

Guest scully
Guest scully
Posted

Now THAT'S what I'm TALKING about! Mine look like photos #33, #69, and #95, in its various stages.

It starts out looking like #95 and ends up like #33 or #69. And dry and flaky, too. Like I said, too, sometimes the skin gets so irritated and inflamed that it gets thickened and leathery, like photo #85. I just thought it was dry winter skin, or that I had a wool allergy. I even went so far as to get rid of all my wool sweaters!!! :rolleyes: Oh well.

What I have is healing up, so I think I will have to wait for another outbreak before I see a dermatologist.

Good grief. :P

Snow Angel Newbie
Snow Angel
Posted
What I have is healing up, so I think I will have to wait for another outbreak before I see a dermatologist.

Good grief. :P

No need to wait, just eat alot of Wheat ..bread, shredded wheat, cream of wheat, wheat farina, add wheat germ (yuck)

you'll be itchy, flaring and miserable in no time at all. I have read here that consuming iodine will help bring it out.

I never bothered to biopsed my rash ...I figured out what it was the first time I went gluten-free for gastro problems, I was surprised by the end of the week I wasn't itching anymore, and no one was yelling at me to stop scratching. Went back to gluten for testing & rash came back. Those tests were positive so I dont feel the need to pursue it.

I understand it is hard to find a dermatologist who knows how to do it right... biopsy next to the lesion, not on it. I hope you can find a good derm.

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  • 4 weeks later...
ang1e0251 Contributor
ang1e0251
Posted

Thanks for posting that link. Those are the first pictures that finally match up to my rashes, I knew what they were but it's nice to have the confirmation. I wish I had found those when my friend was trying to ID her grandchild's rashes. We did find others but your find was better, I thought. I have another friend who's son's rash I'm sure is DH. She resistant but did take him to the dermatologist. If she gets the run around, I'm going to show her those pictures.

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