Dh: Sign Of Advanced Celiac?

[Eliza13]

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?

[darlindeb25]

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]

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

[Eliza13]

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