Can Dh Be Misdiagnosed If Biopsy Is Done On The Actual Lesion?

[sarahleevillar]

Can anyone help me figure out if what I have is Celiac disease?

2-3 months ago in the midst of a move and a whole sleuth of stress, I broke out with this intensely itchy rash on both my knees and my elbows. Didn't think much of it for a while until it simply wouldn't go away AND would keep me up at night. Topical creams wouldn't work. Nothing worked. I realized that I had had it for well over a month at this point.

I set a dr.'s appt. only for the rash to disappear the week before I went in (of course). Well, the morning of the appt., I woke up to a new rash on the inside of my elbow, just on one side this time. Since the old rash was now only scars, the dr. took a skin biopsy of the new rash and got it directly off of one of the lesions (as I've been reading, could this mess with the results?). The results to the test came back as this, "It is highly unlikely that this is DH. It must be an allergic reaction to medication." That's it. Problem is, I was not taking ANY medication during this time. I'm breastfeeding our baby and am very cautious about taking medication, so this left me confused and rather frustrated. Can anyone speak to this? I feel like I spent $200 for nothing! I tried calling back to get a better answer, all to no avail.

Along with the rash, I have had episodes of severe diarrhea that would last for a few days at a time. It is also a very normal part of my life to feel like my insides are fermenting...probably 5 out of 7 days a week. Is this normal with Celiac Disease or DH? I know that I need to get blood tests done, but can't really afford them right now. Any insight?

I have a feeling that there is some sort of gluten sensitivity/intolerance in my system, I just feel really silly going on a completely gluten-free diet without having an actual diagnosis. But also, I'm really sick of feeling this way. Plus, my skin has all these little bumps all over. They don't itch or anything, it's just now spreading from what used to just be on the backsides of my arms to both of my legs. Could all this be related?

[mushroom]

Welcome to the forum, sarahlee. Your hunch is correct--the dermatologist did not know what he was doing. The biopsy should be taken immediately adjacent to the suspected DH lesion, not of the lesion itself. You would think dermatologists would know this by now!!!! And as you seem to know, the lesion must be an active lesion, not one that is healing, so when you get another one you need an immediate appointment for biopsy in the proper place. It is so frustrating, isn't it???