The Waiting Game... And A Question.

[JenHarris]

I'm on a gluten challenge right now and miserable (appointment with doc on 25th of this month and testing thereafter). I wasn't entirely gluten free before, but I'd say I was only at about 10% or less that could possibly have gluten because I had begun noticing that breads/wheat seemed to cause me problems and had eliminated as much as possible from my diet... until I discovered celiac or Gluten intolerance could be causing my problems.

Here's the interesting thing. While I was on a considerably diminished diet for several months, my scalp rash (almost like tiny little blisters) and keratosis pilaris basically went away. Within a week of going back on a high gluten diet, rash came back with a force.

My stomach is in knots all the time... headaches are aplenty, muscle stiffness, bloating, really bad irregularity... all of it is back.

I guess my question is this... could the rash/keratosis pilaris be caused by the Gluten? Anybody else have a similar scalp rash when on gluten?

[eatmeat4good]

That is very commom with Celiac/Gluten Intolerance. It may be Dermatitis Herpetiformis, the skin form of Celiac. The way you describe it is tiny blisters and that is exactly what happens with DH. The antibodies build up in the skin and cause sores. They can take a very long time to heal even after you are gluten free.

One way to get tested is to have a biopsy of the clear skin next to the lesion. THe IgA antibodies are found there. If you test positive, it is considered a diagnosis of Celiac even without the endoscopy biopsy or blood tests.

Maybe you could get tested that way.