Ugh! Bad Day...

[jswog]

OK, so I'm a server and, therefore, HATE Sundays with a passion. No offence to anyone here, but the 'church crowd' is HORRIBLE! They are needy, cheep, and awful tippers in general. I have found the same to be true everywhere I have worked, several different states, different restaurants, over the course of about 18 years, but this town is WAY worse than any other place I've worked with all tipping in general (and especially on Sundays). Anyway, all of that to say that I had a pretty rough day at work, then at the end of my shift, my manager told me that a guest had 'complained' about what I believe to be DH on my face and that I have to get a doctor's note to say that I'm not contageous before I can return to work. I have been to a dermatologist, but he took the damn biopsy a full SIX INCHES from where it should have been taken. We have spent so much money on doctors in the last six months and now they are trying to make us spend more for a job where I'm some days lucky to take home $30 for the ENTIRE DAY!!!

And then, to top it off, I got home, tired, hungry, and frusterated, ate dinner and was about to go to bed when I suddenly had a huge rush of acid reflux and then started vomiting a few minutes later. Now (because I've not been as religious as I know I should be about my food journal) I'm trying to back track everything I've eaten the last few days. I know I haven't had anything that my husband and I haven't made from scratch here at home and only one thing that I haven't had regularly, but that in no way shape or form should have given me any problems. So IDK if the stress of everything tonight set my system off, if I accidently could have gotten CC'd at work at some point over the last few days (which is ALWAYS a potential problem), or if I've suddenly developed other food sensetivities.

Now I just don't know what to do!

Jen

[rosetapper23]

So, so sorry to hear about your rotten day...and the rotten job. Since you're a server, I'm wondering if flour in the air or touching food that contains gluten (and then touching something that you put in your own mouth) might be causing your symptoms. Since you believe you have DH, have you tried avoiding iodine? For many of us, iodine is the real trigger behind DH. It appears to take BOTH gluten and iodine to cause the rash....so if you haven't already eliminated iodine, you might consider doing so.

If you've had your rash for more than a week, your manager should not be requiring you to get a doctor's note, because only measles and chicken pox would indicate contagious rashes....and you've had the rash for a while. Instead, he should have stuck up for you by telling them that you have a non-contagious skin disorder. You manager sounds both ignorant and lacking in compassion...

Here's hoping that tomorrow is a better day for you...

[jswog]

  On 10/31/2011 at 6:05 AM, rosetapper23 said:

So, so sorry to hear about your rotten day...and the rotten job. Since you're a server, I'm wondering if flour in the air or touching food that contains gluten (and then touching something that you put in your own mouth) might be causing your symptoms. Since you believe you have DH, have you tried avoiding iodine? For many of us, iodine is the real trigger behind DH. It appears to take BOTH gluten and iodine to cause the rash....so if you haven't already eliminated iodine, you might consider doing so.

If you've had your rash for more than a week, your manager should not be requiring you to get a doctor's note, because only measles and chicken pox would indicate contagious rashes....and you've had the rash for a while. Instead, he should have stuck up for you by telling them that you have a non-contagious skin disorder. You manager sounds both ignorant and lacking in compassion...

Here's hoping that tomorrow is a better day for you...

I'm honestly a little confused as to how to go about a low iodine diet. I really don't eat much salt, but beyond that, I'm not sure where iodine hides.

And, yes, every day at work is potential cross-contamination everywhere. I do (and always have) washed my hands VERY frequently, but there could always be gottchas flying around the kitchen. Job prospects are few and far between in this town, so IDK what to do about that. We cannot afford for me to not work, but I don't want work to keep making me sick either.

The rash (if you could call it that, it's not exactly a rash, but most definately not acne either) has been going on for much longer than a week. And this manager is definately ignorant and lacking in compassion. There have been several 'incidents' involving her lately and I'd be surprised if they don't end up with a law suit.

So I'm stuck in a town full of ignorant people and totally incompetant medical (non)professionals who continually fail me.

Jen

[mushroom]

If this has been an ongoing rash, and your doctor has not required you to stay off work because of your rash (i.e., not contagious); with your manager NOW requiring a doctor's certificate that your rash is not contagious I think I would be asking my manager to pay for the certificate You have been doing everything you can to get diagnosis, so let your manager do better ;

[Di2011]

I'm not religous, many Australians don't tend to be very religous, and I think that most who are would be quite understanding of 'difference'. I think I'm pretty lucky to live and work where I do...

however...

Two years ago I resigned from my $90000 a year job because I simply couldn't do it. I was a mess at home and at work. Initially I worked in a kitchen nearby and later took on cleaning which meant I could stretch the savings for a while. About a year later the savings ran out so I took a job working in a bakery (turns out I'm a great sales person even for product I didn't particularly fancy). Well now I'm still itchy-recovering but finding it hard to consider myself worthy of a decent paying no-food job. I'm working really hard at getting over my confidence issues and trying to get through a few courses to make me fell 'worthy'.

So I am still working in a kitchen feeding school kids for $200 a week and barely covering my&sons expenses

however..

I've been off the gluten (with lots of mistakes and still having problems with bathroom products) for a few months now. And I feel good. Better than I have for years. I even know that how I feel now is not the best I might feel.

I know:

I am lucky that there is lots of work options where I live.

Other people have the energy I am now beginning feel but aren't as pro-active/work disciplined as I am.

I *always* considered myself as very *introvert* but I now think it was some mutant depression in disguise - a massive impediment to my hopeless attempts at job-hunting.

I will never take gluten to get a "diagnosis" (exception being the (presumed) DH might allow me one(repeat ONE)-off diagnosis at some time - when I can afford it@!!)

Last week I had a few people look at me like I was a leper. I know exactly how you feel. I wear head to toe when/wherever I can but at work my hands can't be hidden. When I get a bad flare up I wear (powder free) gloves. My boss (who I have know for years and has seen my disintegration - phew) is very accomodating. I asked to be spared bread/toast duties though I said I would do it if required (gloves on) and he was accommodating.

Given that I've been working in that kitchen/dining room for off&on 2 years my co-workers are very aware that I am obviously not contagious. Don't be shy. Tell them what you have. Show them - your boss, coworkers (even tonight I showed a couple of our regulars my arms, they were so concerned for me to be well/better that I almost cried) etc. The staff need to know how to deal with the complaints/concerns of other customers AND they need to learn about allergy related problesm. Be brave and bold. I am the new advocate for allergy customers and they need us!!!!!

[ravenwoodglass]

  On 10/31/2011 at 6:22 AM, jswog said:

I'm honestly a little confused as to how to go about a low iodine diet. I really don't eat much salt, but beyond that, I'm not sure where iodine hides.

Iodine is not required for a DH outbreak but it keeps the antibodies active in the skin and if the antibodies are still present even the tiniest amount of gluten will cause an outbreak. I simply dropped iodized salt and made sure my vitamins didn't have iodine in them and that was enough for me.

One problem I had with the facial lesions was that I kept using different makeups to cover the lesions. That only made things worse as I wasn't thinking to check my makeup and other toiletries for gluten at that time.

You might want to try dropping the iodized salt, you can buy uniodized as it is used in pickling and check your topicals and see if that is enough to heal before you go through the hassle of dropping hordes of food out of your diet that you may not need to. After you have been outbreak free for a while do add iodine back in as it is a vital nutrient.

[jswog]

  On 10/31/2011 at 11:33 AM, ravenwoodglass said:

Iodine is not required for a DH outbreak but it keeps the antibodies active in the skin and if the antibodies are still present even the tiniest amount of gluten will cause an outbreak. I simply dropped iodized salt and made sure my vitamins didn't have iodine in them and that was enough for me.

One problem I had with the facial lesions was that I kept using different makeups to cover the lesions. That only made things worse as I wasn't thinking to check my makeup and other toiletries for gluten at that time.

You might want to try dropping the iodized salt, you can buy uniodized as it is used in pickling and check your topicals and see if that is enough to heal before you go through the hassle of dropping hordes of food out of your diet that you may not need to. After you have been outbreak free for a while do add iodine back in as it is a vital nutrient.

Thank you, Raven! I have been trying to do just that (no iodized salt), but I think I often don't realize some things have salt in them. I guess that means I have to be more diligent about watching for that now. As for my facial products, I've generally been skipping makeup at work right now so as to take no chances on it irritating this crap and I know the cleansers I've been using are safe (not so sure about the makeup, having a difficult time finding that information).

[jswog]

  On 10/31/2011 at 11:24 AM, diandliam said:

Given that I've been working in that kitchen/dining room for off&on 2 years my co-workers are very aware that I am obviously not contagious. Don't be shy. Tell them what you have. Show them - your boss, coworkers (even tonight I showed a couple of our regulars my arms, they were so concerned for me to be well/better that I almost cried) etc. The staff need to know how to deal with the complaints/concerns of other customers AND they need to learn about allergy related problesm. Be brave and bold. I am the new advocate for allergy customers and they need us!!!!!

My co-workes (and I THOUGHT managers) know what's going on and *they* are very understanding. This guest didn't ask me anything, but instead went and found my manager to complain. And with this manager, she always throws the employee under the bus in situations like that. I've talked to her multiple times about what's going on, but last night she acted like I'd never told her before.

[sariesue]

  On 10/31/2011 at 3:04 PM, jswog said:

My co-workes (and I THOUGHT managers) know what's going on and *they* are very understanding. This guest didn't ask me anything, but instead went and found my manager to complain. And with this manager, she always throws the employee under the bus in situations like that. I've talked to her multiple times about what's going on, but last night she acted like I'd never told her before.

If a customer complained about the possibility of you being contagious, your employer being a restaurant(where you work with food and the public) has every right to require a note saying that the rash isn't contagious. They need to have legal proof that you really aren't contagious. I know at the restaurant where I work they can demand a note if they think you are sick, its in the handbook. I learned this when I had poison ivy and they wouldn't allow me to work until I got a note saying I wasn't contagious, Even though EVERY dr I have ever seen for poison ivy has assured me that the rash is not contagious, they need it in writing from a dr for them to be covered legally. Personally, I would just go to a walk in clinic or your mdoc and have them write you a note, they can call it contact dermatitis and you can move on.

[jswog]

  On 10/31/2011 at 2:56 PM, jswog said:

As for my facial products, I've generally been skipping makeup at work right now so as to take no chances on it irritating this crap and I know the cleansers I've been using are safe (not so sure about the makeup, having a difficult time finding that information).

Well, wasn't this article timely?

Open Original Shared Link

Jen

[heidi g.]

if your gut isn't fully healed it can cause heavy foods to give you indigestion such as meats (chicken, steak, ground beef) potatoes, etc. also stress and anxiety can definitly cause you to get indigestion. indigestion can give you acid reflux. but id relate it to stress because i always get a nervous stomach when im stressed and i get indigestion and acid reflux.

[rosetapper23]

In addition to iodized salt, iodine can be found in some dairy products (depends on where you live in the U.S.), especially soft cheeses, seafood, and asparagus. Make sure that you avoid any salty foods (french fries, chips, crackers, nuts, etc.) and foods with carageenan (which comes from seaweed).

Believe me--if you handle the iodine problem, the DH will improve. Before I ever knew I had celiac (at age 47), I took care of the DH problem at age 34 when I discovered that eliminating iodine caused the hideous rash to go away. I was able to keep my skin clear all the way until my thyroid failed (yeah, probably because I eliminated iodine for so long--but I didn't know about the gluten). By that time, I knew I had celiac and was off gluten, but the iodine being in my system 24/7 causes the rash to come back at the tiniest cross-contamination from gluten.

My DH was mainly on my face, but I also got it on one hand and one foot. I know how disheartening it is to go out in public and have people wonder what's wrong with your skin. I sure hope you're able to get some relief soon.