Itchy Bumps On Arms, Feet, Neck, Back...

[luciddream928]

I recently took a vacation and though I ate out, took precautions to tell the waitstaff what I needed. However, the likelihood of CC is pretty strong.

My recent symptoms are insomnia, irritability (probably because I'm not sleeping), and itchy bumps within the past 2 days all over my body.

Does DH look like chicken pox? And, shouldn't it have shown up sooner? (I've been back for 5 days).

I don't want to spend $$ on the doctor if it's "just eczema"... and if it's gluten/wheat related, then I'll guess I'll just have to wait it out.

What do you all think?

[Mother of Jibril]

Do you have a fever? If so, I would guess you have some kind of acute infection with a rash. If not, I would guess insects are the culprit... bed bugs, scabies, chiggers, swimmer's itch... ugh I've had chiggers twice and it does look a lot like chicken pox. It takes a couple of weeks for the itching to go away.

[DDD]

I recently took a vacation and though I ate out, took precautions to tell the waitstaff what I needed. However, the likelihood of CC is pretty strong.

My recent symptoms are insomnia, irritability (probably because I'm not sleeping), and itchy bumps within the past 2 days all over my body.

Does DH look like chicken pox? And, shouldn't it have shown up sooner? (I've been back for 5 days).

I don't want to spend $$ on the doctor if it's "just eczema"... and if it's gluten/wheat related, then I'll guess I'll just have to wait it out.

What do you all think?

One of my main symptoms is a itchy rash similar to what you described. I get itchy all over the place, even my scalp and then break out in to red welts on my legs. Throughout the rest of my body I break out in patches that looks like hives. At first, before I knew this was gluten related, I scratched them so bad they did look like chicken pox. Are they painful too? When I got it on the bottom of my feet it hurt and I could barely walk.

One of the first signs I got glutened (or ate casein) is this rash. Plus I get a swollen throat and what looks like acne among my jawline but they hurt, among like 10 other symptoms. I am trying to figure out if I have celiac, an allergy or both. I just graduated college so I don't have health insurance as I job search but to be honest it doesn't matter to me. I just know that I can't have gluten.

What works for me is exercise and trying to detox. I try to sweat it out. I also use my parents hot tub to sweat it out too. I don't know if you have a favorite detox drink but mine is kombucha tea. I drink the synergy brand sold at most health food stores. It tastes like vinegar but it is a wonderful detox. I used to try and cover up the bumps with clothes but now my close friends and family know about it. Anytime I break out they ask me what I ate.

You probably got it at a restaurant. No matter how many times I am careful when going out to eat I usually come home with a rash. I can only think of 1 or 2 instances where I didn't. Or if you were on vacation, there could have been gluten in your sunscreen, chapstick, who knows! It's everywhere.

I suggest a good detox, going on a super strict gluten-free diet for a few days and waiting it out before you spend any money. Mine usually goes away in 4 days from last glutening.

[luciddream928]

Do you have a fever? If so, I would guess you have some kind of acute infection with a rash. If not, I would guess insects are the culprit... bed bugs, scabies, chiggers, swimmer's itch... ugh I've had chiggers twice and it does look a lot like chicken pox. It takes a couple of weeks for the itching to go away.

Hmm... didn't think of that, but I don't have a fever. If it were bugs I figure I would have had it earlier, like when I was in the hotel room...

what confuses me is why it's taken a few days to show up?!

[Mother of Jibril]

What were you doing over the holiday weekend? Hiking? Picnic? Maybe this is something you picked up at home and not while you were on vacation.

I know it's easy on a forum like this to think that everything is caused by food. And maybe this IS food-related... but maybe it's not. Acute (short-term) skin conditions are rarely dangerous. What you want to watch for is if this becomes a chronic condition. DH, for example, takes a long time to go away, even when you stop eating things like gluten and iodine.

[luciddream928]

What were you doing over the holiday weekend? Hiking? Picnic? Maybe this is something you picked up at home and not while you were on vacation.

I know it's easy on a forum like this to think that everything is caused by food. And maybe this IS food-related... but maybe it's not. Acute (short-term) skin conditions are rarely dangerous. What you want to watch for is if this becomes a chronic condition. DH, for example, takes a long time to go away, even when you stop eating things like gluten and iodine.

Hmm... I went to see fireworks in an open field over the holiday. I thought it might be gluten related because I have had it in the past, but now it's more pronounced so I wasn't sure.

[Mother of Jibril]

Hmm... I went to see fireworks in an open field over the holiday. I thought it might be gluten related because I have had it in the past, but now it's more pronounced so I wasn't sure.

Ah... do you live someplace warm enough to have chiggers? I used to live too far north (northern Wisconsin), but now that I live in southern Indiana I've had them twice... both times because I was sitting in a grassy area. Chiggers can go right through your clothes Is the rash especially bad in dark/warm areas like your underarms, groin, trunk, inner thighs, etc...?

[luciddream928]

It's spread now to my face and around my neck and my throat feels swollen. I just took some Benadryl because it's not going away by itself. I don't think it's chiggers because it's spreading and with a swollen throat it sounds more like a reaction. Thanks for everyone's help in figuring this out...

I wonder why it has taken a few days to get worse? I thought with food reactions/allergies the reaction is immediate, say, within ten or fifteen minutes?

[DDD]

It's spread now to my face and around my neck and my throat feels swollen. I just took some Benadryl because it's not going away by itself. I don't think it's chiggers because it's spreading and with a swollen throat it sounds more like a reaction. Thanks for everyone's help in figuring this out...

I wonder why it has taken a few days to get worse? I thought with food reactions/allergies the reaction is immediate, say, within ten or fifteen minutes?

I'm sorry it's spreading, a swollen throat is the worst!

As far as time is concerned, I heard that with food allergies (I'm not sure about other allergies) there sometimes isn't a reaction for 24-48 hours! I know my very first breakout from gluten didn't come until like a day and half after I ate several slices of homemade bread.

[eveleigh]

Somewhere in this message board - sorry haven't got time to look for it. there are so many - a poster says that when he/she eats gluten, it is 7 days until the reaction shows up. DH is not an allergy, so reaction is not immediate, or so I have read. The problem is not the gluten itself but your body's reaction to it and this takes varying amounts of time in different individuals, again, according to what I have read. Don't claim to be any kind of expert, just patiently suffering DH on my legs. Hope it clears up soon.

[luciddream928]

......and the winner is..... SCABIES.

After a night of extreme unpleasantness and lots of cream, and cleaning ALL DAY... I hope this is over. Soon.

Doc seems to think gluten exacerbated my rxn to the insects, but I def. got them from the hotel. Yikes.

Being the cleanest, most obsessive person alive about personal hygiene, I was horrified and almost had a panic attack in the doc's upon hearing this news. The only reason I'm posting it is in the hope that it helps another unfortunate traveler.

I'm trying to get my money back, at least, for my stay at that awful place.

[K-Dawg]

I"m sorry to hear that happened to you. How awful. I think I would also have a panic attack. At least you know what it is now and I really hope you get your money back. What a terrible thing to happen.

......and the winner is..... SCABIES.

After a night of extreme unpleasantness and lots of cream, and cleaning ALL DAY... I hope this is over. Soon.

Doc seems to think gluten exacerbated my rxn to the insects, but I def. got them from the hotel. Yikes.

Being the cleanest, most obsessive person alive about personal hygiene, I was horrified and almost had a panic attack in the doc's upon hearing this news. The only reason I'm posting it is in the hope that it helps another unfortunate traveler.

I'm trying to get my money back, at least, for my stay at that awful place.