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I Am Only 18 & So Confused. I've Suddenly Developed This....

BoyWonder

By BoyWonder
in Coping with Celiac Disease

Recommended Posts

BoyWonder Newbie
BoyWonder
Posted

I've suddenly developed over the last couple of months weird skin sensitivities/conditions

i started getting like these itchy bumps/rashes all over my body after moving to los angeles, prior to moving to LA ive had no problems whatsoever yea sure i would say i would get dry skin or whatever if i didnt make sure to moisturize after a shower but never like this..

never itchy bumps and whatnot

well i went to several derms and they said that i might have eczema but i really dont think its eczema...anyway i did my own research and i looked at pics of dermatitis herpitiformis which is linked to celiac disease and gluten allergies and this seems like something i could have!?

but my question is this...

1.) could celiac/dermatitis herpitiformis gluten allergy develop SO suddenly??? why didnt i have any issues before???

2.) i dont have any of the diarrhea or stomach pains or fatigue or anything that everyone else is describing , skin issues are my only problem....

3.) if it was dermatitis herpitiformis woudlnt the docs have suggested it ??

im just so confused because im young and never had any problems before and it seems like people are born with this disease?

why did i suddenly develop symptoms for dermatitis herpitofrmis?

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MollyBeth Contributor
MollyBeth
Posted

Hey! Welcome to the forum!

I do not suffer from DH but my understanding is that if you have DH often the intestinal symptoms aren't as bad. I've seen that on here a couple times.

Secondly, do not be surprised that your doctor didn't think of Celiac Disease or DH. Many Doctors it seems skip over this disease.

Third, You need to go to a doctor and ask them to biopsy the rash. As I do not suffer from DH, I'm not sure what fully goes into this but I'm sure someone on here will be able to fill you in. I do know that a positive test for DH is a confirmation of Celiac Disease. The only treatment for this is a gluten free diet.

THis is a great resource while you cope with the new lifestyle! Everyone on here is more than willing to help! Best of luck to you!

BoyWonder Newbie
BoyWonder
Posted
  • Author
Hey! Welcome to the forum!

I do not suffer from DH but my understanding is that if you have DH often the intestinal symptoms aren't as bad. I've seen that on here a couple times.

Secondly, do not be surprised that your doctor didn't think of Celiac Disease or DH. Many Doctors it seems skip over this disease.

Third, You need to go to a doctor and ask them to biopsy the rash. As I do not suffer from DH, I'm not sure what fully goes into this but I'm sure someone on here will be able to fill you in. I do know that a positive test for DH is a confirmation of Celiac Disease. The only treatment for this is a gluten free diet.

THis is a great resource while you cope with the new lifestyle! Everyone on here is more than willing to help! Best of luck to you!

but there are so many bumps (not rashes) i dont really have a rash its more random itchy bumps.

(is that still DH??)

how would they know which one to take a biopsy from? maybe not all the bumps have "Active" DH if u know what i mean

also, any1 know why i would suddenly develop DH just after moving to LA? why if im allergic to gluten why have i never experienced other problems before ?

can DH randomly and suddenly occcur?

rinne Apprentice
rinne
Posted

Hi and welcome. :)

Stress can trigger it, was the move an easy one?

I am wondering if there is something new in your environment you may be exposed to that is causing the rash. Work or school environment?

Diet may be used as a diagnostic tool, have you tried a gluten free diet?

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted
but there are so many bumps (not rashes) i dont really have a rash its more random itchy bumps.

(is that still DH??)

how would they know which one to take a biopsy from? maybe not all the bumps have "Active" DH if u know what i mean

also, any1 know why i would suddenly develop DH just after moving to LA? why if im allergic to gluten why have i never experienced other problems before ?

can DH randomly and suddenly occcur?

DH can pop up suddenly. Often there is a trigger for it. A severe illness or physical or mental stress are usually triggers.

The biopsy for DH is done by biopsying the area next to the rash not the rash itself. If you have active lesions then the antibodies will be found in the adjacent skin. You should contact a Dermatologist and ask for the biopsy.

I had the rash for many, many years (misdiagnosed as 'poison ivy in my bloodsteam') before any GI distress other than a loud stomach ever appeared to a great extent.

BoyWonder Newbie
BoyWonder
Posted
  • Author
DH can pop up suddenly. Often there is a trigger for it. A severe illness or physical or mental stress are usually triggers.

The biopsy for DH is done by biopsying the area next to the rash not the rash itself. If you have active lesions then the antibodies will be found in the adjacent skin. You should contact a Dermatologist and ask for the biopsy.

I had the rash for many, many years (misdiagnosed as 'poison ivy in my bloodsteam') before any GI distress other than a loud stomach ever appeared to a great extent.

i had a cluster of small bumps on my hand and the doctor today did a biopsy "skin punch" on the actual bumps...not the skin adjacent to it..

do u think that he did something in error?

also does dh appear as a rash or itchy bumps? mine is more a singular bump looking like an open comedone almost like a bug bite here and there...not exactly a rash..

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted
i had a cluster of small bumps on my hand and the doctor today did a biopsy "skin punch" on the actual bumps...not the skin adjacent to it..

do u think that he did something in error?

also does dh appear as a rash or itchy bumps? mine is more a singular bump looking like an open comedone almost like a bug bite here and there...not exactly a rash..

DH can vary a bit in presentation and intensity. Mine was a lot like you describe at one point but at another I was covered almost like I had poison ivy. It is usually bilateral but not always.

If he biopsied the bump he did do the biopsy wrong to find DH. This is the National Institute of Health has to say about how the biopsy is done. I would go to the link print the whole page and highlight the biopsy part so when you go in and ask him, nicely, to redo it properly he has the info in front of him.

Open Original Shared Link

Diagnosing DH

......

A skin biopsy is the key tool in confirming a diagnosis of DH. Doctors take a skin sample from the area next to a lesion and, using a fluorescent dye that highlights antibodies, look for the presence of IgA deposits. Skin biopsies of people with DH are almost always positive for IgA.

Blood tests for other antibodies commonly found in people with celiac disease

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ang1e0251 Contributor
ang1e0251
Posted

I had two different rashes. The one on my forearms and hands sounds like what you descibed. In fact, I kept thinking I was getting bug bites and was sure my husband had brought home bed bugs in his suitcase. Of course I never found any bugs, it was DH.

rinne Apprentice
rinne
Posted

And I was just wondering if it could be bed bugs. :)

ang1e0251 Contributor
ang1e0251
Posted

You don't know how many times I searched and disenfected that bedding and mattress. I looked for all the signs, nothing. Of course, my husband wasn't getting "bitten". I didn't know about DH then, so I never even considered it.

  • 2 years later...
schelbo Newbie
schelbo
Posted

I was diagnosed with DH after about 25 years of suffering. I spent tens of thousands of dollars on dr.s, over the counter meds and prescription meds. I was told I had excema, ring worm, foliculitis, etc.

I finally saw a Derm who was recmmended as the best in my town. It took a while to get an appointment but she took one look at this itchy as hell rash on my legs and said " Oh, you have a rare skin disease called DH".

She didn't go into an explanation, she just threw meds at me. It didn't help much.

Thinking back, I used to get it on my scalp as a teen. Didn't pay much attention to it and it went away suddenly YEARS later.

Then it developed on my earlobe, ignored it again, saw my ENT for a cold when he noticed it, and gave me an ointment. It went away.

Then, when I was about 25 I developed what I thought was a mosquito bite on the back of my knee. Well, let me tell you. It itched so bad that after a weeks time it had grown to cover the entire backside of my thigh.

I kept getting cortisone injections straight into the rashes, which helped for a short time. Then I started getting it in the creases of my arms and my elbows. It seemed to get much worse after eating shellfish.

I live in SE Luoisiana so you can imagine how tough it is to stay away from it.

I have lived miserably for so long. I'm grumpy, tired, hungry a lot, had two miscarriages in the past year and now the rash has decided to settle in an unmentionable place. I'm too embarassed to go to my OBGYN, not that she could do anything anyway. OWWWW! That's when I googled all night long to find out about DH and discovered celiac disease. A lot of the syptoms fit. Gas, itchy skin rash, fatigue, infertility, irritability and DH.

I have sort of self diagnosed myself as of yesterday. Any thoughts or advice would be so appreciated.

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

I was diagnosed with DH after about 25 years of suffering. I spent tens of thousands of dollars on dr.s, over the counter meds and prescription meds. I was told I had excema, ring worm, foliculitis, etc.

I finally saw a Derm who was recmmended as the best in my town. It took a while to get an appointment but she took one look at this itchy as hell rash on my legs and said " Oh, you have a rare skin disease called DH".

She didn't go into an explanation, she just threw meds at me. It didn't help much.

Thinking back, I used to get it on my scalp as a teen. Didn't pay much attention to it and it went away suddenly YEARS later.

Then it developed on my earlobe, ignored it again, saw my ENT for a cold when he noticed it, and gave me an ointment. It went away.

Then, when I was about 25 I developed what I thought was a mosquito bite on the back of my knee. Well, let me tell you. It itched so bad that after a weeks time it had grown to cover the entire backside of my thigh.

I kept getting cortisone injections straight into the rashes, which helped for a short time. Then I started getting it in the creases of my arms and my elbows. It seemed to get much worse after eating shellfish.

I live in SE Luoisiana so you can imagine how tough it is to stay away from it.

I have lived miserably for so long. I'm grumpy, tired, hungry a lot, had two miscarriages in the past year and now the rash has decided to settle in an unmentionable place. I'm too embarassed to go to my OBGYN, not that she could do anything anyway. OWWWW! That's when I googled all night long to find out about DH and discovered celiac disease. A lot of the syptoms fit. Gas, itchy skin rash, fatigue, infertility, irritability and DH.

I have sort of self diagnosed myself as of yesterday. Any thoughts or advice would be so appreciated.

Since a doctor has already diagnosed you with DH then you do have celiac. It's too bad the doctor didn't have you go gluten free. Read as much here as you can as the gluten-free lifestyle can be tricky at first. I hope you heal quickly. Oh and do avoid iodine for a while until the rash clears up. Once you have been rash free for a month or two try adding it back in and if you break out again drop it again. With DH you should also check your toiletries for gluten ingredients.

schelbo Newbie
schelbo
Posted

Since a doctor has already diagnosed you with DH then you do have celiac. It's too bad the doctor didn't have you go gluten free. Read as much here as you can as the gluten-free lifestyle can be tricky at first. I hope you heal quickly. Oh and do avoid iodine for a while until the rash clears up. Once you have been rash free for a month or two try adding it back in and if you break out again drop it again. With DH you should also check your toiletries for gluten ingredients.

Thank you so much. I would never have thought my toiletries would contain gluten.

Shellfish are full of iodine and they definitely cause problems.

Are you saying that my problem with iodine may be cause by having gluten in my system?

I hope so. There's nothing like a shrimp, crawfish or crab boil. It's very difficult to go to family functions because it's either shellfish or fingersandwiches. lol

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