Getting Rid Of Dh

[willstewartdc]

Hey everyone. Just wanted to say I am new here but I appreciate all the information everyone contributes. I was recently diagnosed with gluten intolerance. I do not have any of the digestive issues that come along with it but I get a terrible rash (DH) primarily on my knees, elbows, buttocks and now face and upper back. I have been trying to detox and strictly watching what I eat. I have been eating nothing but fruits, veggies, lean meat and drinking water like mad the last month and a half now. The only thing that seems to keep my skin under control is if I take a corticosteroid. If I stop taking it, within a few days I start to get the rash again. Does anyone know of a good detox to help balance the gut and flush gluten? I am currently on a probiotic, fish oil, drinking apple cider vinegar and eating sauerkraut by the forkfull. Thanks in advance for any advice and help.

 

In good health!

[GF Lover]

Hi Willstewart and welcome.

 

Just so you know,  DH is a diagnosis of Celiac.  Gluten Intolerance can have a number of rashes associated with it.  I take it you haven't been tested?  Anyway, glad your in good health and feeling well.

 

Good Luck.

 

Colleen

[kareng]

There is nothing to " flush" gluten out. It just goes out with the garbage like any other food waste. Gluten molecules don't float around and hide in the body.

Read around. If you truly are diagnosed with DH, many find a low iodine diet helps. Doctors will prescribe Dapsone ( spelling?) for those diagnosed with DH to use for a while. Many find it very helpful. You might want to talk to the dermatologist that diagnosed your DH about a prescription.

[willstewartdc]

Colleen,

 

   I had a biopsy done the last time I had a bad breakout. It came back 100% as gluten reaction. Like I said, no GI issues, just the rash as far as I know. I am just trying to get it out of my system so that I do not have to stay on a steroid. I would prefer to not have skin flare ups every few days without it. My doctor did not feel I needed any further testing. He did want to put me on Dapsone but I refuse to take it.

Hi Willstewart and welcome.

 

Just so you know,  DH is a diagnosis of Celiac.  Gluten Intolerance can have a number of rashes associated with it.  I take it you haven't been tested?  Anyway, glad your in good health and feeling well.

 

Good Luck.

 

Colleen

[squirmingitch]

Did the biopsy come back positive for dh? "Gluten reaction" does not tell us if you were dx'd with dh. Furthermore, if you do have dh then steroid cream is helping you say but even topical steroids make the rash flare terribly when they are withdrawn. You either use the cream for years until the antibodies get out from under your skin or you sweat it out w/o the steroid cream until you calm from the backlash of the steroid. 

I will agree that there's no way to flush the antibodies out of your skin if you have dh. You have to wait it out until your body takes care of it. For some (with dh), this can take years. I'm sorry to tell you this but better you know now. For those of us with dh, quitting gluten is not an instantaneous magic bullet. There are antibodies hanging around under our skin & we will only be free of the rash when those go away AS LONG AS WE ARE PRISTINE IN OUR gluten-free DIET & DO NOT GET CROSS CONTAMINATED!

[willstewartdc]

Did the biopsy come back positive for dh? "Gluten reaction" does not tell us if you were dx'd with dh. Furthermore, if you do have dh then steroid cream is helping you say but even topical steroids make the rash flare terribly when they are withdrawn. You either use the cream for years until the antibodies get out from under your skin or you sweat it out w/o the steroid cream until you calm from the backlash of the steroid. 

I will agree that there's no way to flush the antibodies out of your skin if you have dh. You have to wait it out until your body takes care of it. For some (with dh), this can take years. I'm sorry to tell you this but better you know now. For those of us with dh, quitting gluten is not an instantaneous magic bullet. There are antibodies hanging around under our skin & we will only be free of the rash when those go away AS LONG AS WE ARE PRISTINE IN OUR gluten-free DIET & DO NOT GET CROSS CONTAMINATED!

Yes I had a positve for DH. I know there is no magic bullet. I am just trying anything I can to speed up the process. I know getting your gut in balance is a big key. Thanks for all the replies so far. I just didn't know if anyone had any detox or oils or anything to help expidite the whole thing.

[squirmingitch]

Well, welcome to the forum you never wanted to be a part of. We all wish we had a key to speeding up the process. I haven't seen any medical answers to that question nor have I read anyone who has dh who found a way to speed it up. Unfortunately! It's a matter of the antibodies. Gluten is not under the skin, the antibodies are. One would have to find a way to get rid of antibodies. Sigh.

 

Here is a link for the low iodine diet which may really help you b/c most of us get bad flares from iodine & that is medically documented. Check vitamins for iodine content also -- most contain it. And of you go more than a month or two on it, then you will want to get your thyroid checked on a regular basis to make sure you aren't damaging it.

Open Original Shared Link

 

Here's a link for help with the itch....etc....

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/96552-help-for-the-itching-stinging-burning-pain-of-dh/

 

Read this thread too:

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/107452-i-think-i-have-it-please-weigh-in-on-my-situation/

 

In the later stages, I also found soaking in a hot epsom salts bath to help. And along the way, some things that helped at some point would stop helping & back & forth so you'll have experiment & may have to keep changing when something stops working for you & then you may go back to that & it helps again. In other words --- whatever gives you relief!

 

Drinking lots of water is always a good thing & I can't say that it flushed any antibodies out but it certainly doesn't hurt. I have always been a big water drinker though.

 

With dh, most of us do not get the GI symptoms that regular celiacs do or we get them much less severe & fewer symptoms. You may be surprised as you go along & find things you thought were not symptoms, in fact were symptoms. We do still have damage to our villi though even though we are "symptomless". 

 

DH is extremely sensitive to the tiniest amount of gluten!!!! This is why I counsel everyone with dh to be ultra cautious in their diet & don't even risk eating out unless it's a totally gluten-free restaurant. If we get cc'd then we just dump more antibodies under our skin & prolong our torture & that can add months to years to our dh prison sentence.

 

If you have any questions or just want to vent & rant & rave --- we're here. Been there, done that.

[squirmingitch]

Also, if you wouldn't mind...... would you please go to this thread & post the name & location of the dermatologist who did your biopsy & dx'd you? And put dermatologist in the title of the thread as well as the city. That could really, really help out someone in that area who is looking for a derm who knows what they're doing & knows how to recognize & biopsy dh correctly. 

https://www.celiac.com/forums/forum/6-celiac-disease-doctors/

 

Thanks!