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Rash That Looks Like Bites? Due To Gluten? (Photos)

LundqvistSaves

By LundqvistSaves
in Dermatitis Herpetiformis

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LundqvistSaves Rookie
LundqvistSaves
Posted

Hello!

After a year of constant sickness and stumping 4 gastroenterolists, I was finally diagnosed with a rare parasite. Needless to say, my GI is all messed up and I am slowly healing. I also think I may be gluten intolerant (was tested for celiac and gluten allergy, but came back negative).

One symptom I noticed when I wasn't yet strict on my gluten-free diet were these random welts that I would discover every other week. It seemed like only one would form and then dissolve, then maybe I'd get another one two weeks later. They were incredibly itchy, and honestly I had always thought it was just a spider bite. I went back on a gluten-free diet and they seemed to go away. I thought maybe it was due to gluten, but i'd eat it occasionally (a slice of pizza maybe once or twice a week) and it wouldn't always happen.

I've been totally gluten-free for 2-3 months now. Now on Tuesday, I broke out on the left side of my neck, left forearm and left finger in a whole bunch together -- probably 12 total (most I've had at once was 2). I went to the doctor and he diagnosed it as shingles (because they are all just on one side of my body). He said he was "95% sure", despite the fact that I have no pain at all, no sick feelings, and absolutely no blistering which are all symptoms of shingles. The only thing I can think of was I had toasted some bread in a toaster oven the day before the bumps broke out. There is the possibility of cross contamination, but just a few days earlier than that I had done the exact same thing and had no problems at all.

I was wondering if anyone has experienced these symptoms. I added photos, I'm sorry that they are so gross. I was hoping someone would recognize the same type of rash. I honestly don't think it's shingles. Could this be gluten? If so, why does it only happen sometimes, and why would it happen so badly this time if it was just a little cross contamination?

Thank You!

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y90/jasonstangelo/photo.webp

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y90/jasonstangelo/photo-2.webp

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Mri3 Newbie
Mri3
Posted

Hello!

After a year of constant sickness and stumping 4 gastroenterolists, I was finally diagnosed with a rare parasite. Needless to say, my GI is all messed up and I am slowly healing. I also think I may be gluten intolerant (was tested for celiac and gluten allergy, but came back negative).

One symptom I noticed when I wasn't yet strict on my gluten-free diet were these random welts that I would discover every other week. It seemed like only one would form and then dissolve, then maybe I'd get another one two weeks later. They were incredibly itchy, and honestly I had always thought it was just a spider bite. I went back on a gluten-free diet and they seemed to go away. I thought maybe it was due to gluten, but i'd eat it occasionally (a slice of pizza maybe once or twice a week) and it wouldn't always happen.

I've been totally gluten-free for 2-3 months now. Now on Tuesday, I broke out on the left side of my neck, left forearm and left finger in a whole bunch together -- probably 12 total (most I've had at once was 2). I went to the doctor and he diagnosed it as shingles (because they are all just on one side of my body). He said he was "95% sure", despite the fact that I have no pain at all, no sick feelings, and absolutely no blistering which are all symptoms of shingles. The only thing I can think of was I had toasted some bread in a toaster oven the day before the bumps broke out. There is the possibility of cross contamination, but just a few days earlier than that I had done the exact same thing and had no problems at all.

I was wondering if anyone has experienced these symptoms. I added photos, I'm sorry that they are so gross. I was hoping someone would recognize the same type of rash. I honestly don't think it's shingles. Could this be gluten? If so, why does it only happen sometimes, and why would it happen so badly this time if it was just a little cross contamination?

Thank You!

http://i3.photobucke...ngelo/photo.webp

http://i3.photobucke...elo/photo-2.webp

Hi, it may be you are reacting to the wheat - more so as an allergy, rather than just to the gluten. I found after doing an elimination diet to determine exactly what I was reacting to, that it was a reaction to wheat. I did not have reactions or skin lesions/red spots with any other grain - only with wheat. I have removed wheat completely from my diet. I follow very "clean eating" now. I thought I was eating "healthy" all along - I was always very careful - but I was unaware of my wheat/gluten allergies/intolerance. Occasionally I have had a slice of pizza etc. - but pay the price. I found that since removing wheat from my diet, all my symptoms have been erased; but I am also that much more sensitive to the wheat when I do consume it (as my tolerance is no longer built up to it). And also notable, I react differently to different wheat. My research has shown those with wheat allergies are more reactive to GMO (genetically modified) wheat vs. organic wheat. And i believe I read that re: GMO wheat - there are something like 25,000 different forms of it. I react to both, but much more severely when the wheat is not organic. And the reaction comes from consuming merely a piece of cake, a cookie, a piece of pizza. So you may need to determine if it is not just the gluten you're intolerant to, but possibly maintain an additional wheat allergy. (when I did the testing I was extremely thorough - I did not react to barley or rye at all to the degree that i did with wheat ... wheat even induces "allergy" symptoms such as sinus headache, stuffy nose, watery eyes, itchy lesions - since eliminating wheat I no longer require Claritin or antihistamines; all these years I thought I suffered from seasonal allergies to the outdoors!) Best of luck to you ; try to identify the culprit & you'll banish the skin lesions ... mine are completely gone.

kmag Rookie
kmag
Posted

Gotta say it doesn't sound like shingles to me either. The hallmark of shingles is severe pain before the appearance of blisters, of which you have neither. Looks a lot like hives, but I couldn't say if it's from gluten or not. You are obviously reacting to something.

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