Hey guys,
I am a new member but I've been reading this forum as a guest for a few months now. I think I might have DH based on the different symptoms others have talked about on here. I have an angry red rash all over my lower legs/ankles. It shows up on both sides of my body and currently looks like big open sores because I can't stop scratching it. It's been hanging around for 5 years now, some spots will heal and leave purple looking scars and new areas will open up. I also have a patch on my head and on my neck. I went to the dr and asked him to do bloodwork, he told me it came back negative for celiac and that it didn't sound like that's what I had anyway. My symptoms include horrible migraines (that usually start about 30 mins after drinking beer, eating pasta dishes, etc.) joint pain, gastro issues, infertility, etc. The doctor told me that since I wasn't throwing up all the time and losing lots of weight it probably wasn't Celiac and that my leg was probably eczema (i know I'm new here but I know there are lots of different symptoms of gluten issues so I don't think he knew what he was talking about). I don't think it's eczema though because i've had tons of different steroid creams prescribed by allergy doctors over the years and nothing helps it.
I was thinking about going to a dermatologist to get the rash looked at to see definitively what it is, but I stopped eating gluten about 4 weeks ago and already I'm seeing improvements in the rash and the itchy level. However, I was eating at a restaurant and think I may have been cc'd because about 30 mins after lunch my legs started itching like crazy, as well as my hands and fingers. I was wondering if it's worth it to go to the doctor if I already know that cutting out gluten is helping?
Do they give you something like a prescription to help with flare-ups? I would do almost anything right now to stop the itching. It seems like it's worse now than it's ever been (maybe because my body had a chance to heal a little and is now more affected by smaller amounts of gluten?).
I don't want to have to go back on a gluten diet after getting a small taste of freedom (4 weeks migraine free is longer than ever in my whole life) but I don't know if there's a reason you should go get a formal diagnosis. Any help would be appreciated!
P.S. I saw somewhere in a thread that someone mentioned photo boards? How do I get to those? My rash looks like the DH pictures I see online but this seems to be a more reputable source than just googling it.