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Dh: Sign Of Advanced Celiac?


Eliza13

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Eliza13 Contributor

I think that I had DH about a year and a half ago. I had the rash on my elbows (very very itchy) and also had multiple red dots on my scalp. Just wondering whether the presence of DH indicates the severity/damage of having celiac. Is it a sign of the disease being really advanced?


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darlindeb25 Collaborator

No--DH is just another symptom you can have with celiacs--some very bad celiacs have no symptoms at all--they are "asymptomatic" some of us are very sick before diagnosis--some of us doctor for years and are never diagnosed and we figure it out ourselves--there is no rhyme or reason to celiacs---Deb

KaitiUSA Enthusiast

It's as Deb said, another symptom of celiac. It's got nothing to do with the severity or advanced stages of celiac.

Eliza13 Contributor

Thanks for all of your replies. I'm 29 and was finally told by my doctor that I have celiac last week, but without any testing (just by symptoms). I have had nagging complaints for years, but had not connected the dots until my mom told me that she has a "wheat allergy" (her English isn't good, but she managed to pick this up from her doctor).

I went to my doctor and we went over the symptoms. He said it is celiac, just like that!!! Funny thing is I know he's right after just 10 days off gluten. Some of my symptoms have included: DH on elbows and scalp (gone now so can't test to confirm), swollen ankles, 7-10 bowel movements per day, very distended abdomen (to the point that I've been asked several times if I am preggers), amenorhea, voracious appetite leading to weight gain, fatigue, amenorhea, joint pain, dairy allergies, childhood arthritis, constipation and abdominal discomfort as a child, floaty light-coloured stools. I'm sure there are more that I can't recall at the moment, but I am kind of scared b/c of how long I have gone undiagnosed.

Do any of you have excessive bowel movements as well? I am attributing this to celiac, and hope that I have not also developed IBS. How long should it take for the bowels to calm down? I'm definitely going less since being gluten-free, but am wondering if this is due to less fibre intake. Should my stool be dark brown, or is a yellow beige shade okay? My stools are still broken (2 inches long), but at least they're sinking now!!

A few more q's....

Which margarines are gluten/dairy free?

Do I have to worry about gluten with fresh meat from the butcher?

Love,

Skar

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