I really have no idea what I could have possibly of eaten…the only thing out of the ordinary was some decaf coffee I got from a 7-11 yesterday.  I used regular sugar and some coffee creamer (one that I know if gluten free) so I am at a loss of what else could of caused these annoying (and painful) blisters.

When I was younger and this would happen I would freak out and believe that I had cold sores or something horrible.  Thankfully today I understand that these painful, itchy blisters are caused by a gluten allergic reaction called Dermatitis Herpetiformis.  Dermatitis Herpetiformis or Duhring Disease is”…characterized by grouped excoriations; erythematous, urticarial plaques; and papules with vesicles.”  according to emedicine.medscape.com.  Most places that are affected are on the buttocks, elbows, knees, shoulders and back.  However mine always appear on my lips (rare, but I have heard of other Celiac sufferers having it appear here as well.)  Also according to “Understanding Dermatitis Herpetiformis or Duhring’s Disease” a treatment called “Dapsone” (an antibiotic) has been known to help people suffering from Dermatitis Herpetiformis.

Personally I have never tried Dapsone, usually mine will clear up on its own in about a week or so.  I have also tried holding a wet caffeinated tea bag between my lips (when they got really bad).  Tea contains Tannin, which has anti-inflammatory effect.  It worked pretty well for me…otherwise I’m pretty much just stuck with blistering lips that itch and burn for a week.  Keeping them moisturized with petroleum jelly seems to help too so I don’t feel they scrap together.

So here goes another week of swollen and blistering lips…fun fun.

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!