<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
 
On Mon, 16 Dec 1996, Dennis wrote:
 
> What I've done for the last 5 weeks: Mega-doses of vitamins
> and minerals (100's & 1,000's) times the RDA and stopped
> all wheat products. Unbelievable!  I've haven't felt this
> good in so long, it's hard to rmember.  I'm left only with a
> residue of neurological problems of the ataxia type.
 
I would be interested in taking vitamins to suplement any that I miss in
my diet, which ones did you take? I will take the info to my doctor to
discuss it with him.
 
> The question: Circa 1960's, a creepy type crud all over my
> hands and fingers, brownish with tiny water blisters that would
> run clear when broken with a red dot underneath . Dermatologist
> tried all the creams of the time with no resolution. 2nd phase:
> Injection in hands and fingers with something like Tyhoid or
> Malaria vaccine, I don't exactly remember.  Didn't work.
> 3rd phase: Had ten (10) radiation treatments on both hands.
> It finally went away.
>
> Was this Dermatitis Herpetiformis?
 
Dennis the above description of your skin condition describes what I have
had since I was 14 years old, dermatitis herpetiformis.  My suggestion
would be to discuss with your doctor the posibility of using a drug called
Dapsone for a trial run.  It only takes a couple of days before you notice
anything.  First the itching stops (within 1 day) then the sores begin to
heal.  The sores which have not been broken heal slower for some reason
unknown to me...
 
My doctor tells me there are no serious side effects to Dapsone other than
long term use possibly damaging the liver.  But chances are once you get
your diet under control your rash will dissapear slowly.  Mine has never
gone away but I am down from 1 pill a day to 1 pill a week.  DH gets worse
when you accidentaly ingest gluten or when you have recovered from an
illness such as the flu or chicken pox, probably due to the immune system
weakening.
 
Hope this helps...