Self Diagnosed. Gluten Free

[Brook-Lynn]

Hi there! my name is Lexi.

For years I had lots of stomach issues. cant go for days or cant stop going. i also had lots of bloating and could not lose weight. always told I had IBS or it was stress.

I am the mother of a child with type 1 so celiac is something I learned about thru his endo and other friends who were dxed. I had the symptoms. but no insurance. so I went gluten free on my own on May 1st. and wow!! tummy issues gone and bloating too! even dropped a few lbs.

but then the itching started. my legs and arms. hives come and go and sometimes bumps that look like dh. but i dont cheat and read all labels. the itching was driving me nuts!

Something urged me to check my body wash, hair products and shampoo. all have wheat protein! has anyone else ever had a reaction to the wheat in body products?? i just realized it this morning so im going to give it a week or two if not better ill have to get the money to go to a doctor. i also suffer from anxiety so i worry all the time about the smallest things.

thanks for reading hope to make some friends here!

[heather Goble]

Hi there! my name is Lexi.

For years I had lots of stomach issues. cant go for days or cant stop going. i also had lots of bloating and could not lose weight. always told I had IBS or it was stress.

I am the mother of a child with type 1 so celiac is something I learned about thru his endo and other friends who were dxed. I had the symptoms. but no insurance. so I went gluten free on my own on May 1st. and wow!! tummy issues gone and bloating too! even dropped a few lbs.

but then the itching started. my legs and arms. hives come and go and sometimes bumps that look like dh. but i dont cheat and read all labels. the itching was driving me nuts!

Something urged me to check my body wash, hair products and shampoo. all have wheat protein! has anyone else ever had a reaction to the wheat in body products?? i just realized it this morning so im going to give it a week or two if not better ill have to get the money to go to a doctor. i also suffer from anxiety so i worry all the time about the smallest things.

thanks for reading hope to make some friends here!

I have the itching to from time to time, usually on the insides of my arms although I can't relate it to any of my hair or soap products as I have checked the labels and I don't see anything that stands out as a wheat ingredient. Recently my chest and neck have been extremely itchy with a small rash consisting of red bumps. They lasted a few days and then faded. One turned into a scab from scratching so much. For the most part the rash is gone, but still very itchy. Every few days a random red bump will rise and then go away a day or so later. I don't think this is DH, but don't know what it could be from. I had a mild sunburn a couple of weeks ago, but that has long since faded and I've never had this with sunburn before.

Hope it all improves for you!

[WinterSong]

Hi there and welcome to the board! Good for you for trying out the diet. If you think the itching may have been caused by gluten, check out the other products you use on your skin (lotions, makeup, soap, also check toothpaste while you're at it) and see if it clears up.

Hope you keep feeling better!

[T.H.]

I don't have DH, but I do know of a few others with this who have had the same experience with very obvious DH, but only in the places where they came into contact with gluten from lotions, makeup, etc.... So, others have reported this experience, although nothing in the scientific literature accounts for it, to date. Couldn't hurt to change the body products, though, I would imagine.

However, with the hives, I wouldn't be surprised if either you are also allergic to wheat (not uncommon with Celiac Disease), or if there is something else that you are allergic to, as well. For a lot of us, going gluten free seems to, well, free our immune systems to start exploring everything else they would have been attacking if they weren't so focused on our gut.

Of course, this means it could be food allergies, contact allergies, you name it. Might be worth keeping a food journal to track what you eat and how you are reacting. Also, might not be a bad idea to write down the ingredients of the products you are using, just in case it's not the gluten and you'll be needing that information to check for common ingredients with later products you might react to.

shauna