Upset, Confused, Venting, Scared & Frustrated

[pricklypear1971]

How ironic.

I drank a diet coke earlier today thinking I may be able to tolerate one by now. That was early today before I read or posted.

It wasn't gluten or iodine or anything.

I have a new blister on the back of my neck. After one month with no sores at all.

I sure hope it stops there. No more diet cokes.

And I forgot to mention that sunshine is a disaster for my DH.

Any time my skin is exposed to the sun, I get worse.

Many posts on this in the DH archives.

Just be aware of the sun too. It was hell for me.

Niacin seems to help my sores tremendously. I take the kind that makes you flush and I like the feeling and also think it helps my DH.

Wikipedia says there is a treatment for DH that includes niacin and tetracycline. I told my Dr. I wanted to try it. He said that was fine and prescribed the tetracyline. However, then my DH healed so I didn't actually try it. Yet.

As Randy says..."FFFFUUUUUDDDDGGGEEE!"

[squirmingitch]

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to all of you. It was a loooong day. It was not ALL bad though. More on that later. I wish I could reply to each individually but time constraints..... & I'm not the fastest typist in the world.

I haven't even had time to read all the sal links Prickly posted yet. But it's on tomorrow's to-do list. As well as the most recent iodine links she has provided.

I KNOW stress is a huge factor. We have some land that we are going to build on (5 ac.) & we bought it because it literally spoke to our souls. It soothes us, calms us, strokes our inner being. I have noticed that when we go out there that I stop itching. Whatever sores or "bites" I have stop itching. We come back to the rental & I begin to fire up again. We went out there today & the same thing happened. So I know that the stress is having a big effect on me.

The last # of years have been almost a nightmare for us. 3 hurricanes, my best friend in the world dying of cancer, 6 deaths in our families, being stalked for 1 1/2 years, my hubs got cancer & went through 3 yrs. treatment, and the straw that broke these camel's backs was a 68 yr. old man single handedly building a 3 story all frame construction house 11 feet from our house. The problem was that it took him 11 months working from 7 am to dark EVERY single day FOR ELEVEN MONTHS. You can imagine the constant torture of the noise. We begged him to give us 1 day off a week so we could get a break but he refused. Then last year we moved & upon arrival, the rental we had pre-arranged turned out 1 step above something from the movie Deliverance which landed us in a hotel for 5 weeks until we could find another rental. Within 1/2 hr. of our arrival here is when I broke out with the dh covering my entire torso. I actually don't curse that event as it is the reason I discovered I have celiac disease. How many years might it have been before I had an outbreak that slapped me in the face so hard that I had to discover celiac? I could have gone on for years just getting a few little blisters & doing massive damage to my intestines. As it was, it took me 6 months to discover it was dh & therefore celiac.

I know there are people with far, far worse stories than mine. I do not imagine that our life has been the hell that some have gone through. I'm not asking for pity. But I know the stress has brought this out into the open. And I know like I never knew before just how much stress can affect everything about you --- mentally & physically.

I don't eat any processed foods other than I had been using beef boullion once in a while. Otherwise it's pretty much whole foods. Unless you count unsalted organic nut butters as processed. I have been eating brown rice cakes (totally gluten-free & not cc'd). The nuts I got from Nuts.com. I could not find any in the stores around here that did not state they were processed on shared equip. w/ wheat. But I guess the nuts are out now. How in the world am I going to keep from getting the "dropsies" with my blood sugar? Oh well, that's a question for another day.

"The same itchy, bloated, scabby, tired, grouchy, foggy, sleepless, anxious, b%$@#y, shi*ty, tearful and fearful shoes."

IH --- I LOVE the above that you wrote. You nailed it!

You all have such great insight & suggestions & I am taking all of it to heart. You have been there. I will heed your wisdom & benefit from your experience.

And I AM tough IH. And I WILL win eatmeat. And one day I will walk out the other side. Just like others before us. WE will survive!

It's late & I have a lot of "homework" to do tomorrow to learn what my new diet will be.

Goodnight all. Sleep tight & pleasant dreams.

[pricklypear1971]

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to all of you. It was a loooong day. It was not ALL bad though. More on that later. I wish I could reply to each individually but time constraints..... & I'm not the fastest typist in the world.

I haven't even had time to read all the sal links Prickly posted yet. But it's on tomorrow's to-do list. As well as the most recent iodine links she has provided.

I KNOW stress is a huge factor. We have some land that we are going to build on (5 ac.) & we bought it because it literally spoke to our souls. It soothes us, calms us, strokes our inner being. I have noticed that when we go out there that I stop itching. Whatever sores or "bites" I have stop itching. We come back to the rental & I begin to fire up again. We went out there today & the same thing happened. So I know that the stress is having a big effect on me.

The last # of years have been almost a nightmare for us. 3 hurricanes, my best friend in the world dying of cancer, 6 deaths in our families, being stalked for 1 1/2 years, my hubs got cancer & went through 3 yrs. treatment, and the straw that broke these camel's backs was a 68 yr. old man single handedly building a 3 story all frame construction house 11 feet from our house. The problem was that it took him 11 months working from 7 am to dark EVERY single day FOR ELEVEN MONTHS. You can imagine the constant torture of the noise. We begged him to give us 1 day off a week so we could get a break but he refused. Then last year we moved & upon arrival, the rental we had pre-arranged turned out 1 step above something from the movie Deliverance which landed us in a hotel for 5 weeks until we could find another rental. Within 1/2 hr. of our arrival here is when I broke out with the dh covering my entire torso. I actually don't curse that event as it is the reason I discovered I have celiac disease. How many years might it have been before I had an outbreak that slapped me in the face so hard that I had to discover celiac? I could have gone on for years just getting a few little blisters & doing massive damage to my intestines. As it was, it took me 6 months to discover it was dh & therefore celiac.

I know there are people with far, far worse stories than mine. I do not imagine that our life has been the hell that some have gone through. I'm not asking for pity. But I know the stress has brought this out into the open. And I know like I never knew before just how much stress can affect everything about you --- mentally & physically.

I don't eat any processed foods other than I had been using beef boullion once in a while. Otherwise it's pretty much whole foods. Unless you count unsalted organic nut butters as processed. I have been eating brown rice cakes (totally gluten-free & not cc'd). The nuts I got from Nuts.com. I could not find any in the stores around here that did not state they were processed on shared equip. w/ wheat. But I guess the nuts are out now. How in the world am I going to keep from getting the "dropsies" with my blood sugar? Oh well, that's a question for another day.

"The same itchy, bloated, scabby, tired, grouchy, foggy, sleepless, anxious, b%$@#y, shi*ty, tearful and fearful shoes."

IH --- I LOVE the above that you wrote. You nailed it!

You all have such great insight & suggestions & I am taking all of it to heart. You have been there. I will heed your wisdom & benefit from your experience.

And I AM tough IH. And I WILL win eatmeat. And one day I will walk out the other side. Just like others before us. WE will survive!

It's late & I have a lot of "homework" to do tomorrow to learn what my new diet will be.

Goodnight all. Sleep tight & pleasant dreams.

Big hug.

Remember, Sals are in lots of things. Natural, good things. You can't eliminate them just reduce them. So try eating what you like, first. And you may find just ONE thing sends you over the edge.

What I sincerely hope is that iodine will be less of a factor of you cut down on the sals.

[Di2011]

I had a problem with iodine in the early days (first 6 months or there abouts) but have always had a problem with sals. They are my evil demon as far as my DH is concerned.

I really hope you find what your current problem 'thing' is. It is terribly disheartening isn't it!?!

Now days I eat a fair bit of dairy because it helps my GI issues. I keep my cheese/yogurt intake very standard and that steady intake doesn't effect my DH. Sals do regardless.

[dani nero]

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to all of you. It was a loooong day. It was not ALL bad though. More on that later. I wish I could reply to each individually but time constraints..... & I'm not the fastest typist in the world.

I haven't even had time to read all the sal links Prickly posted yet. But it's on tomorrow's to-do list. As well as the most recent iodine links she has provided.

I KNOW stress is a huge factor. We have some land that we are going to build on (5 ac.) & we bought it because it literally spoke to our souls. It soothes us, calms us, strokes our inner being. I have noticed that when we go out there that I stop itching. Whatever sores or "bites" I have stop itching. We come back to the rental & I begin to fire up again. We went out there today & the same thing happened. So I know that the stress is having a big effect on me.

The last # of years have been almost a nightmare for us. 3 hurricanes, my best friend in the world dying of cancer, 6 deaths in our families, being stalked for 1 1/2 years, my hubs got cancer & went through 3 yrs. treatment, and the straw that broke these camel's backs was a 68 yr. old man single handedly building a 3 story all frame construction house 11 feet from our house. The problem was that it took him 11 months working from 7 am to dark EVERY single day FOR ELEVEN MONTHS. You can imagine the constant torture of the noise. We begged him to give us 1 day off a week so we could get a break but he refused. Then last year we moved & upon arrival, the rental we had pre-arranged turned out 1 step above something from the movie Deliverance which landed us in a hotel for 5 weeks until we could find another rental. Within 1/2 hr. of our arrival here is when I broke out with the dh covering my entire torso. I actually don't curse that event as it is the reason I discovered I have celiac disease. How many years might it have been before I had an outbreak that slapped me in the face so hard that I had to discover celiac? I could have gone on for years just getting a few little blisters & doing massive damage to my intestines. As it was, it took me 6 months to discover it was dh & therefore celiac.

I know there are people with far, far worse stories than mine. I do not imagine that our life has been the hell that some have gone through. I'm not asking for pity. But I know the stress has brought this out into the open. And I know like I never knew before just how much stress can affect everything about you --- mentally & physically.

I don't eat any processed foods other than I had been using beef boullion once in a while. Otherwise it's pretty much whole foods. Unless you count unsalted organic nut butters as processed. I have been eating brown rice cakes (totally gluten-free & not cc'd). The nuts I got from Nuts.com. I could not find any in the stores around here that did not state they were processed on shared equip. w/ wheat. But I guess the nuts are out now. How in the world am I going to keep from getting the "dropsies" with my blood sugar? Oh well, that's a question for another day.

"The same itchy, bloated, scabby, tired, grouchy, foggy, sleepless, anxious, b%$@#y, shi*ty, tearful and fearful shoes."

IH --- I LOVE the above that you wrote. You nailed it!

You all have such great insight & suggestions & I am taking all of it to heart. You have been there. I will heed your wisdom & benefit from your experience.

And I AM tough IH. And I WILL win eatmeat. And one day I will walk out the other side. Just like others before us. WE will survive!

It's late & I have a lot of "homework" to do tomorrow to learn what my new diet will be.

Goodnight all. Sleep tight & pleasant dreams.

You don't have our pity but you do have our sympathy and support :-) We can all associate with and understand you! I know my rash is not as bad as yours but I still do understand how you feel.

[squirmingitch]

Dani, breakfast was not a glass of water. YAY! Low sal: Brown rice cake with sunflower seed butter. If you let the butter sit on the rice cake the moisture will soften it & I believe you will be able to eat it with your sore mouth. AND I had an entire glass of MIIIIIIILLLLLLKKKKKK. Gawd I love dairy!

I found a local dairy who does not use iodine wash before milking but they do use it after but not for cleaning milking equip. & they grow their own feed so no iodine added there. The milk undoubtedly has some iodine but that's okay -- it can't have great amounts. They also makes CHEESES! YAY!

So I'm going back on iodine, at least enough to get over the min. RDA.

Haven't read much on the sal thing yet --- only just waking up, but I think that may very well be my problem. I had been eating a lot of oranges & I WAS eating golden delicious apples till they became not so great quality when I switched to different varieties of red apples.

I'm so happy to see potatoes & carrots are still on the "have" list. I eat a lot of carrots --- organic.

Okay, research today & get going on low sal for now. Then will check out the other factors/foods.

GOOD MORNING everyone! It's a beautiful morning in my eyes. My psyche is doing a happy dance from having a whole glass of milk!

[dani nero]

Dani, breakfast was not a glass of water. YAY! Low sal: Brown rice cake with sunflower seed butter. If you let the butter sit on the rice cake the moisture will soften it & I believe you will be able to eat it with your sore mouth. AND I had an entire glass of MIIIIIIILLLLLLKKKKKK. Gawd I love dairy!

I found a local dairy who does not use iodine wash before milking but they do use it after but not for cleaning milking equip. & they grow their own feed so no iodine added there. The milk undoubtedly has some iodine but that's okay -- it can't have great amounts. They also makes CHEESES! YAY!

So I'm going back on iodine, at least enough to get over the min. RDA.

Haven't read much on the sal thing yet --- only just waking up, but I think that may very well be my problem. I had been eating a lot of oranges & I WAS eating golden delicious apples till they became not so great quality when I switched to different varieties of red apples.

I'm so happy to see potatoes & carrots are still on the "have" list. I eat a lot of carrots --- organic.

Okay, research today & get going on low sal for now. Then will check out the other factors/foods.

GOOD MORNING everyone! It's a beautiful morning in my eyes. My psyche is doing a happy dance from having a whole glass of milk!

It's great that you're feeling happy and positive today! I had brown rice with tomato onion soup this morning. My sores are healing and I'm trying to chew away from them haha :-) I'm not sure if boiling fresh tomatoes is ok but I did it anyway. I sadly can't use any legumes so no sunflower butter for me.

How did you make the brown rice cake? :-O I want some! I want anything with the word cake attached to it lol!

[squirmingitch]

Actually Dani, I was just looking & boiling tomatoes is the only way as canned tomato products are high in sals if you're watching sals --- besides the fact that it would be a processed food. So you done good. But I'm not sure the acidity of tomatoes will go well for your mouth sores but if it doesn't irritate them then go for it!

Oh no, sorry to disappoint you but rice cakes are not like cake at all. They are like puffed rice smushed together & dried so crunchy is the texture & not much taste at all. It's really just something to put the nut butter on.

And you can have sunflower seed butter as sunflower seeds are a seed & not a legume.

Yes, starting out very positive this morning.

[IrishHeart]

SQUIRMY GIRL- (hugs for you--the gentle and non-abrasive kind )

I have been "accused" by my pals that I am a "long poster" --so bear with me ---as this is your Friday morning pep talk.

It is impossible to avoid stress in life...... unless we live like monks (but that would mean no sex or booze and that does not sound very appealing ) So, we all need to find ways to handle stress. Sounds easy, doesn't it? hahahahaha!

This is NOT easy when our bodies are ill and depleted from celiac. Believe me, I know.

Your story mimics mine. I already know we are the same age and we have likely had long-simmering celiac for years and it just took the trigger to let this monster loose. It does not matter that "others may have it worse", hon. While that may be true, do not diminish what has happened to YOU because it is significant and has taken a toll. Everyone has a story on here.

Our stories may not be the same in the exact details of life experiences, of course, but the ACCUMULATION of stressors --when they came one at a time were easily handled--- but piled one on top of the other? JUST TOO flippin MUCH. The day my Dad died, I burst into flames. I am not kidding. I was pushed to the wall after years of stressful life events and even though I handled them all, my body was screaming at me with various symptoms. I just kept going. The neurological stuff (the last and worst of the symptoms I have) kicked in and I could no longer force myself to keep going. My body just broke under the weight of it all. My life came to a crashing halt. Not that celiac was a gift by any means, but getting really sick and incapacitated and in burning hell pain?--well, that GOT my attention. Unfortunately, it took so long to figure it out. I lost nearly 4 years of my life to this thing.

All I can say is (as trite as this may sound) take it one day at a time. Heal and nourish your body as best as you can. Know you are on the path to getting well. You have removed the major culprit and the healing is happening. Try to relax into that thought. Once I did that, I stopped fretting so much that the "magic wasn't happening" fast enough. (but it took a few veterans on here to get me to see that part )

After all I have been through, I no longer let the daily life-crap thrown at me get me down. Why? Because the worst that could happen--already has. And we survived (hubs and I)

Follow the advice of these good women who have successfully dealt with their DH and talk to us anytime and vent.

I suck the life out of every single day now. Little things I could not do (open a jar, tie my own shoes, walk without gasping for breath, read a paragraph and comprehend it, or multi-task, or even drive my car)-- I can do them again. It took me well over a year to see real progress. I could not walk, sit, stand or lie down without searing pain. This week, I painted my toenails red for the first time in 5 years (whoo hoo!) and I walked 3/4 of a mile on 2 different days and read a book! I cooked a multi-course meal for friends again (my passion) and photographed a sunset. I watched a spectacular sunrise last week --and it was magnificent. Do I still have pain? yes. Am I all better? Nope. But I am not the sick woman I was at all!

These are not monumental events at all, but for someone who is in recovery from the devastating symptoms from celiac, oh baby, it is HUGE!

I enjoy all the moments, even the ones that are "boring" and seemingly plain.

Too bad it took almost losing my life to drive that home to me.

My point? I know, I know.....get to the damn point, Irish, puleeze, for the love of mike!

Honey, you are going to be all right in time. Believe it.

Happy Friday ! Cheers, IH

[pricklypear1971]

Dani, breakfast was not a glass of water. YAY! Low sal: Brown rice cake with sunflower seed butter. If you let the butter sit on the rice cake the moisture will soften it & I believe you will be able to eat it with your sore mouth. AND I had an entire glass of MIIIIIIILLLLLLKKKKKK. Gawd I love dairy!

I found a local dairy who does not use iodine wash before milking but they do use it after but not for cleaning milking equip. & they grow their own feed so no iodine added there. The milk undoubtedly has some iodine but that's okay -- it can't have great amounts. They also makes CHEESES! YAY!

So I'm going back on iodine, at least enough to get over the min. RDA.

Haven't read much on the sal thing yet --- only just waking up, but I think that may very well be my problem. I had been eating a lot of oranges & I WAS eating golden delicious apples till they became not so great quality when I switched to different varieties of red apples.

I'm so happy to see potatoes & carrots are still on the "have" list. I eat a lot of carrots --- organic.

Okay, research today & get going on low sal for now. Then will check out the other factors/foods.

GOOD MORNING everyone! It's a beautiful morning in my eyes. My psyche is doing a happy dance from having a whole glass of milk!

Well, double yay!

You've inspired me to go to the farmer's market to look for a source of li, raw milk for kefir. I'm trying to make and eat some fermented foods. Hope I don't blow up the kitchen.

Also must find a pork roast for Easter....

Anyway, I'm glad you had a good breakfast and happy Friday!!!

[dani nero]

Actually Dani, I was just looking & boiling tomatoes is the only way as canned tomato products are high in sals if you're watching sals --- besides the fact that it would be a processed food. So you done good. But I'm not sure the acidity of tomatoes will go well for your mouth sores but if it doesn't irritate them then go for it!

Oh no, sorry to disappoint you but rice cakes are not like cake at all. They are like puffed rice smushed together & dried so crunchy is the texture & not much taste at all. It's really just something to put the nut butter on.

And you can have sunflower seed butter as sunflower seeds are a seed & not a legume.

Yes, starting out very positive this morning.

The tomato sauce is a little acidic but not that bad. Swedish tomatoes are also barely sour and filled with water, so they're tolerable. My mouth sores are healing nicely actually. I can't chew directly on them, but they hurt less than my nose and throat. My throat is what's bugging most today.

I think my IQ has dropped dramatically. For some reason I've been categorizing nuts and seeds under legumes ever since I learned about G6PD. I have been confusing things for some time actually, thanks for correcting me, I would have otherwise avoided nuts for god knows how long lol :-)

[IrishHeart]

I think my IQ has dropped dramatically.

Your IQ is intact, I assure you! That brain fog, fuzziness, short-term memory lapses and lack of concentration/comprehension--just maddening isn't it?! Made me nuts.

This, too, will resolve itself.

Make sure you guys are getting enough EFAs and a good multivitamin along with probiotics.

Sorry to keep butting into your thread that is mostly about DH...

carry on! xxooIH

[dani nero]

Your IQ is intact, I assure you! That brain fog, fuzziness, short-term memory lapses and lack of concentration/comprehension--just maddening isn't it?! Made me nuts.

This, too, will resolve itself.

Make sure you guys are getting enough EFAs and a good multivitamin along with probiotics.

Sorry to keep butting into your thread that is mostly about DH...

carry on! xxooIH

I would say your but is welcome anytime, but that would sound wrong :-) Can't complain when you're giving advice.

[Di2011]

I can't make sense of DH at all, honestly.

There are iodine and sals in everything. Well, at least almost everything. Some people are more sensitive than others - I don't know why.

I'm not sure exactly HOW the iodine interacts with iga - I've heard it described as an activator and necessary, but perhaps it's better descrIbed as an exacerbate?

https://www.celiac.com/articles/177/1/The-Gluten-Intolerance-Group-of-North-America-on-Iodine-and-Dermatitis-Herpetiformis/Page1.html

Open Original Shared Link

I'd switch your focus from iodine to sals and see if that benefits you more. It isn't healthy to withhold iodine for long periods (at least at a near zero level). I cut mine drastically for two weeks only, then started adding back. While I still watch it (wouldn't want to eat a meal like I did at Thanksgibing, again - iodine out my ears) I do believe I'm getting at least 1000 mcg which is the high end for someone with a problem (Hashis/DH).

Coconut AND chocolate are high in sals. Grains can be, also. I don't remember the other new foods you'd added.

I know this is frustrating and painful. Hang in there. Those antibodies will fall eventually.

The real b%$@# about Celiac and particularly DH is that it is so ostracizing. And having a rash makes you so self-conscious and puts you in so much physical pain. I changed everything about my life to accommodate that damn rash. My clothes, my bras, my schedule, my job, my food, my hobbies. EVERY FRICKING THING. It just pisses me off.

It's hard, really hard. I know. It changes everything and then when you think you get a break it screws with you again.

Okay, enough of my vent. I had insomnia last night and feel like I'm hung over. Ugh.

OMFG I've had so many nights like this .. glad we are all getting open and honest. I really is life changing

[IrishHeart]

I would say your but is welcome anytime, but that would sound wrong :-)

...Your funny bone is showing....

[IrishHeart]

TOMATOES (and I think this MAY mean all tomato products?--as I recall when I was avoiding them?) are HIGH in Sals. Just FYI!

There is a food guide here: (prickly may have already posted this one?)

Open Original Shared Link

[dani nero]

TOMATOES (and I think this mean all tomato products--as I recall when I was avoiding them?) are HIGH in Sals. Just FYI!

food guide here: (prickly may have already posted this one?)

Open Original Shared Link

Hmm got confused because the page has fresh tomato under moderate, so I thought making my own soup out of fresh tomatoes would be ok, but I wasn't sure.

[pricklypear1971]

Hmm got confused because the page has fresh tomato under moderate, so I thought making my own soup out of fresh tomatoes would be ok, but I wasn't sure.

Dani, the one thing to remember is they guides are just that - guides. Some of them say different things, and everyone is sensitive at different levels and to different things. The tricky thing about sals is they are cumulative so you may not see an immediate effect - a high sal food may hit you 2 days later when you hit your body's threshold.

Personally, I'm still suspicious of that mouthwash and gel you were using. They are, I suspect, high sals. You may be ok with most foods but not something strong like that. I sincerely hope so.

[Hopeful1950]

I've been following this lively thread and am now curious about salicylates. My DH is at a stage where it is not completely healed, but way, way better. I am strictly gluten free and have eliminated iodine.

Those of you who know about salicylates...any ideas about something with salicylates that I could eat to do a challenge to see if it has an effect? Aspirin maybe? If so, how much would likely cause a reaction of some kind? I'm thinking that maybe salicylates could be the reason I can't completely heal, but am hesitant to eliminate more foods if I don't have to.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

[pricklypear1971]

I've been following this lively thread and am now curious about salicylates. My DH is at a stage where it is not completely healed, but way, way better. I am strictly gluten free and have eliminated iodine.

Those of you who know about salicylates...any ideas about something with salicylates that I could eat to do a challenge to see if it has an effect? Aspirin maybe? If so, how much would likely cause a reaction of some kind? I'm thinking that maybe salicylates could be the reason I can't completely heal, but am hesitant to eliminate more foods if I don't have to.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

Follow the links above. They have charts showing high sal foods. Choose one and see? Remember they accumulate so you may not see it immediately.

Everyone is different.

[IrishHeart]

Dani, the one thing to remember is they guides are just that - guides. Some of them say different things, and everyone is sensitive at different levels and to different things. The tricky thing about sals is they are cumulative so you may not see an immediate effect - a high sal food may hit you 2 days later when you hit your body's threshold.

ABSOLUTELY TRUE.

Every site has slightly different info (I have noticed) and everyone's tolerance level is different.

That's the tricky part.

Same with amines, sulfates, nitrates, MSG, etc. A little may be tolerable, but it is not easy to figure out when the body is saturated. Multiple chemical sensitivities make it even harder.

[dani nero]

Dani, the one thing to remember is they guides are just that - guides. Some of them say different things, and everyone is sensitive at different levels and to different things. The tricky thing about sals is they are cumulative so you may not see an immediate effect - a high sal food may hit you 2 days later when you hit your body's threshold.

Personally, I'm still suspicious of that mouthwash and gel you were using. They are, I suspect, high sals. You may be ok with most foods but not something strong like that. I sincerely hope so.

I agree about the mouth wash and gel. I sadly had another reaction last night though, so I'm thinking the wash was not the only culprit. Probably the same problem as squirmingitch with Sals. If this is really DH.. My nose was so itchy I was about to scratch it off, and my finger was burning with lots of new tiny blisters. The strange thing is that my finger used to itch, but now it only burns, swells and get lots of small dry lines all over it. The only things itching are my scalp, nose, feet and legs. And then this morning the blisters are almost gone, just small bumps remain where they were and agitated skin.

Sorry for redirecting the attention from squirmingitch X(

[Hopeful1950]

Thanks Prickly. I'll go for one of the "High sal" foods and keep everything else the same in my diet and see what happens. Looking at the lists some things that are gluten-free/iodine free that I love are high in sals so could be....

Think I'll wait until Monday because I'm cantoring at church for Palm Sunday and I don't want to be scratching like a monkey up at the altar!

[pricklypear1971]

I agree about the mouth wash and gel. I sadly had another reaction last night though, so I'm thinking the wash was not the only culprit. Probably the same problem as squirmingitch with Sals. If this is really DH.. My nose was so itchy I was about to scratch it off, and my finger was burning with lots of new tiny blisters. The strange thing is that my finger used to itch, but now it only burns, swells and get lots of small dry lines all over it. The only things itching are my scalp, nose, feet and legs. And then this morning the blisters are almost gone, just small bumps remain where they were and agitated skin.

Sorry for redirecting the attention from squirmingitch X(

Sometimes I think it's a chain reaction. Right now your ai system is in overdrive.

You may have to pull all of it waaaay down - gluten, sals, iodine then cautiously add back.

I bet the mouthwash/gel was like the straw that broke the camel's back, though.

Keep the rash lubricated. Find a cream/lotion that is no sal - which will mean synthetic. Sorry. I like Vanicream, if they have it there. Try covering the finger with a band-aid. Irritation just exacerbates skin conditions.

[pricklypear1971]

Oh, and ice packs. Ice the rash.