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Dear list members,
Thank-you for the many responses to my questions on the location of DH. I have
copied your responses as follows.
Wishing you all a most joyous and GF holiday season.
Barb N. WI, USA
Could that painful itchy rash be...Shingles?
Having suffered with dh for over 30 years before diagnosis, I feel like an
expert. Mine started on my knees, then went to my elbows. I had it on my
scalp, eyebrows, backs of my legs and many other places. Bottom-line, it
isn't just on one's arms and hands. However, it is generally symmetrical. If
it is behind one knee, it will be behind the other one if it is coming from
what you eat. If it is coming from something you are touching, it could be
just one side of the body.
It generally occurs on the elbows and knees, buttocks or scalp. It starts out
as small fluid filled blisters that after they have broken open, look like a
scabbed knee or elbow.
I have a large, severe area on my lower left leg; it's become my barometer in
an otherwise nearly asymptomatic existence.
DH can appear anywhere.
You need to treat DH from the inside; topical treatments only
provide temporary relief.
I have found most relief in Dapsone combined on occasion
with a topical anesthetic and topical steroids. Avoidance
of gluten is crucial.
You need a dermatologist with specific experience treating DH.
I was very itchy at the base of my spine a couple of weeks ago, but
fortunately it didn't blister. I have read that DH does appear on the
buttocks. My sister gets very itchy on her hands. (She has not yet
been diagnosed as Celiac. Her results will be available next week.)
My 15-year-old son had a rash (not sure if DH) on his inner thighs for
a few months which was extremely itchy. We cut up a leaf of aloe vera
cactus and rubbed the gel on twice a day. Within 5 days, the rash was
gone. (He is also having a blood test next week.)
I had DH on my knee recently and after cutting up a mango to eat, I
rubbed the skin of the mango on my knee and it felt good. I presume
papaya would give the same effect. I have been GF for nearly three
weeks. The DH on my knee and elbow has nearly gone. I'm hoping it
will return as I want to have it diagnosed as DH because I'm not
having a biopsy.
I had my first outbreak of this rash which lasted for about 4-6 weeks. It was
miserable. Started around my lower legs above the ankles and lower forearms.
It worked up to my knees and then on thighs. The arms were predominantly on
the forearms but some were on the upper arms. It itched so profusely I
couldn't stop scratching--bled then. Oh, so miserable. I really feel for
people with this all the time. Anyway, I did some research on the Internet,
and apparently, it also gets on the back and buttocks. I found the only
thing that helped me was using Cortisone cream available without a
prescription. It helped stop the itching--I used it 2-3 times a day. It
really helped me until the rash cleared up.
I got a rash I suspect to be DH (I haven't been officially diagnosed, but have
many symptoms of CD) and it was mostly on my tush and my knee. If you read
the websites that are out there and look up DH, most of them say it's common
on the "buttocks, knees, and elbows". Hip is pretty close, as far as I'm
concerned. And people on this list have mentioned having it all sorts of
places; on their eyelids, even. So you're probably correct that you have it.
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