What's Going On?

[minton]

Okay so I'm really getting upset and my mom is even worried. Since the beginning of December, odd things have been going on.

I get hayfever attacks so bad my eyes turn bloodshot, solid red. My anemia has randomly flared up. I have acid indigestion, bad gas, and ulcers. not to mention 3 canker sores so far this week. I have a horribly sore throat and cough a bit more than usual. And I have a DH like rash growing all over my body.

Let me explain this DH like rash. The spots start out the size of a pencil eraser and they grow to the size of a nickel, then start to heal and go away. They look like DH/plaque psoriasis, but I had that prior to dx and the patches got as big as a fist or hand, these get no bigger than a nickel. They started on my legs and then jumped to my upper chest, then my belly button area and arms. They do not spread by scratching. The area most concentrated with the spots is the top of my breast area. My upper thigh isn't much better. I know this is not a heat rash or anything of the sort because the areas it affects do not get sweaty and are exposed to nice air flow.

Any idea what might be causing this? I highly doubt I'm being glutened.

[ravenwoodglass]

You may not think your being glutened but it sure does sound like you are. Do you take any scripts? If so if any are generics they may have changed binders. Have you eliminated gluten from nonfood stuff? Pet foods, craft and home repair supplies can also be a source of CC as well as lotions, shampoos etc. I am sure you know about all the kitchen precautions and the risk from sharing things like condiments, pnut butter etc and have seperate stuff for your own use but just in case I figured I would mention it.

I notice in your photo you have a horse. Do you care for and feed him? That could also be a CC risk.

[minton]

You may not think your being glutened but it sure does sound like you are. Do you take any scripts? If so if any are generics they may have changed binders. Have you eliminated gluten from nonfood stuff? Pet foods, craft and home repair supplies can also be a source of CC as well as lotions, shampoos etc. I am sure you know about all the kitchen precautions and the risk from sharing things like condiments, pnut butter etc and have seperate stuff for your own use but just in case I figured I would mention it.

I notice in your photo you have a horse. Do you care for and feed him? That could also be a CC risk.

I probably should have mentioned that I have not been eating much as of lately...depression sucks. The loss of appetite from depression and the horrible reaction I get EVERYTIME i eat ANYTHING combine to be a reason why I have cut back on my eating...Canker sores all over my mouth don't help either. When I eat, no matter what I eat, I feel queasy and gassy and tired. The ONLY 2 foods I have found that don't upset me is bananas and applesauce and milk. Applesauce is very helpful...it calms the pain in my canker sores, it sooths my acid, and it temporarily helps my gas. I try to eat 1 bowl, breakfast lunch and dinner.

I have double and tripled checked my scripts. They are fine. My shampoos and such are safe, I checked that yesterday. I don't handle pet food at home because our animals are on diets (fat cuddly kitties) so my mom feeds them. All of my gluten-free food is kept in a pantry in my room, away from the gluten infested kitchen. The only possible source of CC is silverware and such...but they do run on the sanitize mode of the dishwasher.

The picture is regretfully old. I had a horse. He passed away July 15th of 2008. But I should add that after the pet food scare and the gluten in pet food being blamed, he went on a gluten-free diet too. The only gluten he had after I switched his feed was that he had a mixture of wheat hay and alfalfa hay. I cleaned his stall and handled his feed and hay and such. And I was way healthier when he was alive. God rest his soul.

[flourgirl]

I have to chime in with this....we often overlook salts (iodized) and anti-inflamatories and the way they affect DH. I had to avoid these things (still do). If I took ibuprofen, I'd have at least 3 weeks of rash. I use Kosher salt.....nothing iodized for the same reason. I also know that over time the threat of rash will go away as long as you remain gluten free. If I'm not mistaken it takes about a year for the skin to rid itself of such sensitivity (could be wrong on the time limit). Hope you have success getting rid of it

[minton]

I have to chime in with this....we often overlook salts (iodized) and anti-inflamatories and the way they affect DH. I had to avoid these things (still do). If I took ibuprofen, I'd have at least 3 weeks of rash. I use Kosher salt.....nothing iodized for the same reason. I also know that over time the threat of rash will go away as long as you remain gluten free. If I'm not mistaken it takes about a year for the skin to rid itself of such sensitivity (could be wrong on the time limit). Hope you have success getting rid of it

I have been gluten-free 2 years now. I did not realize that ibuprofen could affect it, much less iodized salt! I was told since I naturally have low potassium to use sea salt. As for ibuprofen, I have needed it alot lately...i cant use tylenol because it doesn't work at all for me. Should i try a few days ibuprofen free?

[Northern Shaman]

As others have stated I also think you are being gluteed. I recently had a flare of Ataxia (my form of celiac disease) following Surgery on my back. I oboulsy needed some pain meds and did not do a real close look at the new meds. The symptoms started within 3 days of starting the prescription, and I was taking only 3 tablets per day max. So a total of 9 tablets of pain medication was enough to set off the severe Ataxia. Once noted I went to the pharmacy and obtained a package insert from the actual bottle my medications came from. Sure enough, the culprit was Pregelatanized Starch. Another brand had Corn Starch as a filler so switched and the symptoms went away within 24 hrs. Look hard at any binders. They are a nightmare.

If anyone is interested I can tell the story of what wonderful GFD was made available at the Hospital. That is another huge story and one we should all be spending time working on prior to the need for any admissions. The system has huge problems.

Hope this helps some.Get well

Northern Shaman

[AliB]

There is two or three things I am wondering about here.

You may be getting glutened but it is also possible that you may have developed intolerances and reactions to other foods which is very common - have you tried an elimination diet?

Could Candida and Leaky Gut be an issue? If certain food molecules are passing through into the bloodstream that will set up different toxic reactions.

It also looks as if your immune system is struggling. Do you take supplements to help boost it and help your body detox?

Rashes and spots are often indicative that the body is trying to offload something. Have you been tested for Helicobacter?

As Helicobacter neutralises the stomach acid in order to protect itself, the stomach produces more acid to compensate and that can cause acid reflux. If the acid is not strong enough that can prevent the sphincter from closing properly too. Lack of acid will cause food to sit in the stomach longer than it should, fermenting and creating gas. H. Pylori can also be present in the mucous in the mouth and throat. It produces toxins that can affect different areas of the body.

Doing a quick Google I found several links between H. Pylori, canker sores, anemia and weird skin rashes. Could it be worth getting it checked out?