Is this DH?

[Andi]

Sorry for so many posts....just trying to figure things out!

My dauqhter gets itchy spots on the insides of her elbows & on the back of her knees. Usually when she first complains that she's itchy, I can't see anything, but then she starts scratching and it turns red & raw.

Her weight & height are normal. She is very pale and has tested slightly anemic at times. She has dark circles under her eyes, doesn't sleep well, and is extremely clingy and moody.

A friend suggested that she might be red dye 40 intolerant so I've been trying to keep her off that and I think that I can see a correlation between her behavior and red dye, but most of the things she was eating with food dye were things with gluten in them (cereal, twizzlers, etc.), so now I'm wondering???

She has been allergy tested and tested positive for mold, but tested negative for all food allergies.

She's 3 & has not been tested for CD/GI at all yet. I plan to explore this further if I get a positive diaqnosis.

I asked the Dr. about her rashes & he didn't know what might be causing it. Two of my friends have suggested that she could have Ezcema.

She also gets splotches around her mouth when she gets salad dressing, mayo, or margarine on or around her mouth. The Dr. couldn't explain that one either.

Sorry for the long post - if you got this far, thanks for reading!
Still looking for answers...
Andi

[Judy]

I posted this on another topic, but I thought I'd re-post it for you. My husband has DH and it appears as water filled blisters. Not really what you think of as a "rash". They are very itchy, usually break within a day of appearing, get a small scab and then disappear in a week or so. Mostly he gets them on his face now, but before diagnosis he got them on all of the thin skin - elbows, knees and butt. We usually know he's been glutened by the blisters before the stomach issues. He has a prescription for a antibiotic cream which seems to help some - it doesn't take them away, but I think it at least helps prevent infection.

My daughter had rashes behind her knees and in the inside of her elbows and it was exema.
_________________
Judy

[aklap]

Take a look thru this post. I have some sites that have pics. Also a discussion board in the UK for DH.


http://www.celiacforums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=98
_________________
Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

[Andi]

That's so terrible. That's not what she has, thank goodness!
May God bless those of you who do.
Thank you for your responses.
Andi

[aklap]

Hi Andi,

I still would not rule out gluten completely. The other symptom you mentioned as anemia. I have seen others that anemia is the only symptom.

When I was sick...Peg (my wife) was constantly saying..."You feel OK - You're really pale". So much that I got mad at her for saying it all the time!

The other thing to try is cut out the dairy. If I remember correctly dairy can cause ezcema. I'm experimenting with that right now. My hands get these scaley patches...the few times I've noticed...have corresponded to dairy intake. I am dairy reduced. We'll see what happens I had cheese on my Outback salad lastnight cuz I forgot to order w/o.

There could very well be some other food issues going on.

Good luck! Keep us posted!
_________________
Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

[Andi]

Thanks, Al! I have thought for a while that something isn't quite right but after the allergy testing, I wasn't sure what else to check for. I try to keep her away from artificial colors. She drinks chocolate milk every morning just like her daddy, but I try to limit it to her one 8 oz cup. I've wondered about dairy with her.
The wheat thing runs in the family so I wouldn't be surprised...
When she was 1.5 - 2.5 years, she had terrible fits for an hour at a time. I was really scared & thought she must have food allergies b/c this is how my younger brother reacted after he ate food he was allergic to. All of the allergy tests came out negative & proved me wrong. Everyone kept telling me it was part of the 2 year old thing but for an hour at a time and without cause??? It wasn't even always when I would tell her no - sometimes she couldn't even tell me what was wrong (even though she spoke well enough that she could have).
She doesn't have fits anymore, but she is very clingy now & moody - basically she acts just like my little brother used to.
He didn't test positive for food allergies so my mom did an elimination diet with him. She started with rice & potatoes and added one food at a time. How's this for an intolerance list: wheat, oats, and all related grains, citrus, chocolate, dairy, soy. We knew he had issues with a food because he would bang his head against the wall and act out of control after he had consumed them. It was frightening. He was between 1.5-2.5 years when he did this. As a toddler, I remember him acting very similar to the way my daughter acts now.
Anyway, it concerns me that her behavior so closely mirrors his. My husband doesn't really support eliminating foods, etc. - he thinks she's a normal toddler.
Maybe it's just the way she is, but if there's anything I can do to help her be happier and feel better, I would do it in a heartbeat!
I'm very tempted to do the Enterolab thing for her....
Another book by me....
Andi

[aklap]

Hi Andi,

I have seen that before...kids will be out of control when they are getting food that they react to. Makes ya wonder if ADHD drugs could be rendered useless with diet mods!

I would imagine it'd be a fine line between normal and out of control for a kid. We dont have any...so it's REAL difficult for me! LOL

Keep at your hubby...maybe he will see changes in her and finally realize that you are correct!

Keep up detective work! You are a good Mom for trying to make her the best she can be. So many are not pro-active (even with their own adult bodies!).

Here are some other labs for you to check out:

http://www.gsdl.com/home/assessments/
http://www.greatplainslaboratory.com/home.htm
http://yorkallergyusa.com/dfa.html
_________________
Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

[Fawn in CA]

Pediatricians had my kids (now in their 20s) off dairy, citrus, chocolate, nuts, Red #40, Yellow #5, etc. etc.!!!
Now we know it's gluten, dairy, and the 2 dyes (they can cause behavioral difficulties, among other symptoms). Gluten intolerance is difficult to pin down through dieting experiences alone.
Do you know if allergy testing would reveal gluten intolerance?

[Fawn in CA]

Our pediatrician called those dark circles "allergy shiners." They improved with no dairy, but didn't completely resolve until going gf. Maybe they're also related to a vitamin and/or mineral deficiencies (like Vit K)? Could be caused by malabsorption?

[Fawn in CA]

Andi - Sounds like you are working hard to help your daughter. I had a head-banger in the family, too. Against wall corners and table legs, and if they weren't available, the floor. Leg/foot stomping, too. Cutting out dairy and dyes (even in vitamins and medications) did definitely help. Such behavior ran in our family (and so did short stature, hay fever, asthma, skin rashes, and anemia), but that's just an observation, not a diagnosis or treatment.
I think drs must have thought I wanted my kids to be sick, b/c I'd mention lots of things at well-child checkups, and was usually brushed off.
Keep working at this, and if you hit a brick wall, I'd suggest going strictly gf and dairy free for a month to 6 weeks. The easiest way to do this is to avoid most processed foods.
When my kids were diagnosed at 19 and 21, I cried because we hadn't figured it out sooner. Believe me, though, it wasn't from lack of me continuousely pestering drs, even during their college years.
I hope you can find an answer a lot sooner.

[Andi]

Thank you so much for the encouragement. I hope that I can find a way to help her be a happier child. Although I would hate to take her off gluten for nothing, if it means a lifetime of better health, it would be worth it.
She's been having some diarrhea or at least urgent bm's lately & hasn't always made it to the bathroom. This is new for her b/c usually she's constipated if anything. Does anyone know if the hot temperatures can cause diarrhea - or only if there's another problem going on??? My mom & I (mine only for the last couple of years since I've been having pretty much the full range of CD symptoms) both have had problems with diarrhea & the heat, but since going off dairy it hasn't been a problem for me.
Holland has been ending up in our bed because she's too hot & her tummy hurts.
Thank you again for the encouragement. It's nice to know there are others who have been there...
Andi

[Marilyn]

Hi Andy,
I don't know if this will help or not, it might make you feel worse, but everything I've read about "eczema" (dermatitis herpetiformis) in connection with celiac disease is that it usually appears on the backs of the knees, the elbows, the back and the buttocks.
I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis in 1976. Then in 1996, I was diagnosed with "Eczema" on the front of the shins of my legs, and I've spent the last 9 years trying to figure out how to get rid of it. It has disappeared on its own (hormone related?). Prior to 1996, I never had any skin or complexion problems or diseases.
Now it appears that the so-called Rheumatoid Arthritis, and the digestive system, and the "eczema" are somehow connected.
Get your little girl tested! before she develops some kind of "rheumatoid arthritis" or other complication. It sounds like "classic" dermatitis herpetiformis, from what I've read. Hopefully not, I hope I am mistaken.
But since she is so young, don't wait, get her tested and give her a leg up on this crap.
-Marilyn

[Marilyn]

Hi Andy,
I don't know if this will help or not, it might make you feel worse, but everything I've read about "eczema" (dermatitis herpetiformis) in connection with celiac disease is that it usually appears on the backs of the knees, the elbows, the back and the buttocks.
I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis in 1976. Then in 1996, I was diagnosed with "Eczema" on the front of the shins of my legs, and I've spent the last 9 years trying to figure out how to get rid of it. It has disappeared on its own (hormone related?). Prior to 1996, I never had any skin or complexion problems or diseases.
Now it appears that the so-called Rheumatoid Arthritis, and the digestive system, and the "eczema" are somehow connected.
Get your little girl tested! before she develops some kind of "rheumatoid arthritis" or other complication. It sounds like "classic" dermatitis herpetiformis, from what I've read. Hopefully not, I hope I am mistaken.
But since she is so young, don't wait, get her tested and give her a leg up on this crap.
-Marilyn

[Marilyn]

[strawdog]

Wait a minute, DH appears on the elbows?
My gastro ruled out DH because it was on my elbows; he said it only really appears on arms/legs/trunk sort of places. He said my horribly itchy elbow rashes were probably ezcema or something else.

Of course, the rashes go away by the time I get into a doctor's office, so I can never show them to anyone who knows anything about it.

And yes, I tested biopsy negative for CD.
But what the heck do they know, I feel better gluten-free, so pardon my french, but those doctors can suck it.