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Rash Is Getting Worse With Gluten-Free Diet

trakaye

By trakaye
in Dermatitis Herpetiformis

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trakaye Newbie
trakaye
Posted

2 years ago I started getting a rash on my hands which I thought was eczema. It gradually got a little worse over time, but just on my hands. I am 11 weeks pregnant and my rash has progressed to get worse. Last Thursday I seen a natropath and she said it looks to be a gluten rash and put me on a gluten and dairy free diet. Before I started diet I had this rash on my hands, lower arms, and a little on my thighs and one ear. Since I have gone gluten/dairy free it has spread up my arms, to other ear, both butt cheeks, stomach and face. I hear that most peoples symptoms are relieved right away. Could it be that I am getting cross contamination? I have two children and a husband who are eating a gluten diet. I really want to find out what I am allergic to, are there any allery/gluten tests that are accurate and appropriate with pregnancys? I am feeling overwhelmed that my rash is not getting any better and trying to think of what could be causing it. I have cut out iodine and nightshades from diet also. Any suggestions??

Thanks

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Angie Marie Newbie
Angie Marie
Posted

Hello Trakaye,

let me preface this by saying I am not a doctor. But I, as well as my mother, have Celiac, and have experienced similar symptoms. When I was diagnosed with Celiac (at age 21) my mother began to eat gluten free, and soon realized she had undiagnosed Celiac as well (which was later confirmed by a doctor). She experiences rashes on her hands arms, upper back, and scalp which occur for an extended period after ingesting gluten. For her, she experiences cyclical symptoms after an exposure, with the last symptom being the rash. Sometimes the rash does not appear for 2 weeks or so after the exposure. Also, now that she has been diagnosed, and has gone completely gluten free, her rashes are much worse when she does mistakenly have gluten.

Also, it has only been a few days of being gluten free, unfortunately, this is not long enough to see any real changes. I was gluten free for months before my body began to feel normal again.

Lastly, cross contamination could be a source of gluten still in your system. It is very easy to be cross contaminated: cooking with wooden utensils, placing something on a crumby counter top, using a pot that hasn't been thoroughly washed, etc. And It is especially easy to be cross contaminated when you are first adjusting to a gluten free diet, and you are not sure what to look for on product labels. The less ingredients the better, but avoid labels with ambiguous titles like "natural flavors" and "caramel color" . When in doubt, always google a product first, and find out if it is gluten free.

I wish you the best of luck with this,

Take Care,

Angie Marie

trakaye Newbie
trakaye
Posted
  • Author

Thanks Angie for the response. I think I need to look up more information on contamination and what foods to eat specificly on a gluten free diet. I have been buying stuff from bulk from store, like nuts. And I don't know for sure if they are contamintated or not. And things like corn tortillas that don't say gluten free. I'm fealing a bit overwhelmed with this. There is alot more to a gluten free diet than I originally thought.

kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

Are you limiting your iodine? Use the google or just look under the DH section. You will see several discussions about that recently. I don't have DH but have seen that people are mentioning that.

trakaye Newbie
trakaye
Posted
  • Author

Are you limiting your iodine? Use the google or just look under the DH section. You will see several discussions about that recently. I don't have DH but have seen that people are mentioning that.

Yes, For 3 days I have been eliminating iodine

eatmeat4good Enthusiast
eatmeat4good
Posted

Don't use foods sold in bulk. They tend to be contaminated with wheat. I buy nuts from NutsOnline.com they have a great selection of gluten free foods.

Iodine is present in a lot of foods. Dairy, eggs, asparagus, fish, shellfish, and potato skins come to mind. You can google Iodine restricted diet, and find out what foods to limit.

My rash is extremely reactive to traces of gluten even though I have been gluten free one year. I got accidentally contaminated a month ago and I thought I was going to be ok, but as a previous poster said, it can take up to 2 weeks for the rash to appear...and it went crazy about 2 weeks after the known contamination. Consider making your kitchen gluten free because it is extremely easy to get traces of gluten. Also watch for kisses by your husband or children after they have eaten gluten. Even touching gluten and then touching your food can give you enough gluten to cause your rash to react.

There is a biopsy for DH if you go to a dermatologist who knows how to biopsy it next to the lesion. They look for IgA antibodies in the clear skin next to a lesion.

DH can take up to 2 years to heal according to Dr. Green in Celiac, A Hidden Epidemic. My DH has not yet completely healed and I have been gluten-free for one year. But there have been mistakes. So I expect to take longer to heal. I never eat in restaurants, only eat gluten free food, and use very few gluten free products.

I hope you heal quicker than I am. Many symptoms have disappeared but this rash is most stubborn and the last thing to heal. Some lucky ones heal in a few weeks gluten free, but I guess I'm not one of them. My kitchen is totally gluten free. I can imagine it is very easy to get glutened if your family is eating gluten. Read the DH forum, I found it very helpful when trying to heal. Good luck to you.

Di2011 Enthusiast
Di2011
Posted

I am "undiagnosed" 38 y/o.

I have always avoided or 'don't like' gluten heavy products. I hid under beds at boarding school to avoid getting caught skipping breakfast, 'don't like pasta', avoided breakfast all my living memory, etc etc and ended up taking up a bakery sales job at 36y/o.Short story is the past 4 months I've had so many 'accidental glutening' and 'just a bit will be okay' and 'it can't be as serious as coeliacs' issues that the past four weeks of being ""really serious"" gluten free and limiting processed foods (try one gluten-free cereal box three times without introducing another processed food) that I know now what (specific products) cause me problems.

2 weeks ago I had my first weekend away (Sydney, Australia) from home food and I spent 2 weeks itching and dealing with the consequences (all the usual digestive) of a little bit ((I had checked with chef and was assured the "corn flour" coating the squid would be okay)) Two weeks later I have just returned from another trip, Brisbane, and I feel good. Limited itching ((Iodine - Brisbane water tastes like salt)) and I ate well. Lots of rice/corn thins, tomato, avocado and thanks to Brisbane for a great gluten-free awareness.

I coughed and did a bit of scratching this afternoon on the trip/flight home to Canberra and I can only isolate this to the sharing of a water bottle with my 9 y/o son eating.. Its a crazy disease/allergy/affliction but (in hindsight) worth some serious consideration to isolate causes.

I was always an allergy doubter who thought some mums were a bit overboard but a crazy itch that feels like toxin escaping your pores an kept me awake for almost four weeks can change that!

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lovegrov Collaborator
lovegrov
Posted

I am not a doctor and cannot see your rash, but what you describe sounds nothing at all like the DH I had. IMO, you need to see a dermatologist who knows about DH, not a naturopath. And others are right, it's actually highly unusual for DH to get better or disappear right away. It can disappear quickly on dapsone, but takes weeks and months on the gluten-free diet.

richard

pricklypear1971 Community Regular
pricklypear1971
Posted

I saw results (meaning my rash started to heal) in 3 days going iodine free. HOWEVER, I had been gluten-free for almost 2 months when I went in the low iodine diet. It took about 2 weeks for the sores to fully heal - and I only developed (or didn't heal) two small spots that now serve as my. "warning spots" that raise up when I eat too much iodine or encounter gluten.

So, you COULD see fast improvement- meaning no new

outbreaks or you could not. Everyone is different.

Pregnancy is a wild card - ANYTHING can happen. It could be DH and your hormones are exacerbating the problem (mine certainly intensified with my cycle). Or, it

could be gluten (or other allergen) induced eczema or a similar condition.

An ND is certainly capable, if familiar with DH, of visually detecting DH. I doubt one has the equipment to biopsy it.

You should be careful with a low iodine diet while pregnant. Your body needs iodine to function. Discuss the diet with your obgyn.

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