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I received a call yesterday from a woman with an 18 yr old daughter
diagnosed with Celiac and DH about a year ago.  She said her stomach pains
have improved but the DH has not.  We talked about the diet because I though
maybe there was something she is missing but the mother is confident that
her daughter has been gluten free since her diagnosis.  When I asked her
what she was eating she said she is eating only rice, potato, salads and
fish or steak.  She feels her daughter is not eating much at all but is
gaining weight.  She also mentioned that her glands are swollen so I
recommended she take her to an Endocrinologist to have her thyroid checked.
The daughter is working on getting an email address today but because the
mom felt so desperate I said I would ask for the support of the list and
forward the responses to her.

Her biggest problem is the DH.  She said she covered with it, including her
scalp.

The itching is so bad that the mom sometimes has to give Benadryl so she can
get some sleep. She told me she had taken Dapsone for about 2 months and did
see an improvement but was worried about taking it longer and felt she
wanted to get it under control with diet.  She did have a biopsy for the DH
but I was confused about the outcome.   The Dermatologist had told them that
it must be DH because the Dapsone helped her.  I recommended she get a copy
of the biopsy report and maybe even see another Dermatologist.  If anyone
can recommend one in New Jersey I am sure it will help.

I do not have DH myself and felt at a loss to help her any further.  If
anyone could recommend anything or just give support please respond to me
and I pass it on.

Thanks.

Ginny Mingolla
New Jersey