Skin Reactions
Allergic reaction on my arm (faint-but itches like crazy)
So I have not updated much this past week due to getting sick from I believe, something I ate. Tuesday night my husband and I stopped at Rally’s…little drive in/sit outside to eat it kinda thing. This was our first time eating there, so I did not know what kind of “seasoning” their seasoned fries had…and shame on me for not asking. I was pretty hungry and not really in the mood to go through explaining what gluten was since they didn’t exactly understand why I wanted a burger with cheese and no bun. So later that night my skin kind of felt itchy and I thought I was just coming down with a cold…made sense because I usually get sick in September. I was not able to sleep well Tuesday night and felt like I had a fever.
Wednesday I got up and figured I would take a shower to get rid of the fever with a cold shower, however when I stepped out my skin was burning. Then I realized my arms had a faint red rash under my skin all up and down my arms. Normally I got those if I used any type of tanning lotion (I’m very allergic to those) or any lotion with wheat. I believe this is a extremely mild form of dermatitis herpetiformis…aka a rash (although different from your average rash). I found a good article overview of dermatitis herpetiformis by Jami L Miller, MD. on webmd.com if you care to read more about this. (Note: photos in article are a full out reaction…mine never was this sevre…although my grandmother had this all over her skin and they never knew what it was. They thought Lupus…but all tests came back negative…this is what I believe she had)
Also before I was diagnosed I would get what I believe now to be dermatitis herpetiformis on my lips and face…like little raised blisters with clear fluid. It was pretty embarrassing. They would also appear on my face and be extrememly itchy. However now six years later after healing when I do ingest gluten- this is when I believe I get the mild form of dermatitis herpetiformis. Because now it only forms under the skin. However if I use a lip gloss with gluten they will almost immedietly blister up just as bad before I was diagnosed and lasts about a week. Hence I avoid almost every lipgloss or chapstick like the plague…and only use the known safe brands!
Anyway, pretty much this whole week since tuesday I have felt awful, fever, itchy skin, no energy, nauseous, problems sleeping, joint pain, stomach aches, horrible headaches… the whole thing.
Still taking some time to feel better!
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Hello Jessika,
I have the same itching occasionally. Same as you it happens from eating somewhere I never ate at before. I will at first bloat, feel like throwing up, have almost threatening diarrhea and almost constipated when I eat gluten by mistake. I really do not like that feeling.
My girls found poison ivy some years ago. When I would break out with a rash it was always where I had poison ivy at. I thought before I knew what was wrong that poison ivy never really went away, and it was a flare up (feels the same). I also used to break out with those fluid bumps on my scalp. I thought that was a flare up of a swimmers itch I caught years ago from swimming in a lake too late in the year.
One thing I find amazing about Celliac is how well it hides itself with non specific generally differing ailments. I know now, my father died from it in the seventies undiagnosed. He had the major symptoms, but he had other issues and Celliac was overlooked because some of Celliac symptoms were shared with his known health issues.
I now have a friend who’s wife was diagnosed with something because nothing else fits. I asked if they tested her for Celliac and my friend said no. I believe many people are not even aware they feel bad, until it gets to the point they are very sick, and even then.
Preaching to the choir I know.
Michael