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Dreadfully itchy rash, started day 6...


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I'm on day 9 of my first W30.

 

Day 6 I noticed a small itch on the inside of my leg right before bed, it was SUPER itchy.  I didn't think much of it, other than to scratch it.  The next morning, the itch didn't go away, and suddenly, I noticed a rash on my wrist with the same horrible itch...within moments of looking around, another rash on the inside of my elbow on the other arm, and both armpits.  And the original tiny rash on my leg (upper, inner thigh, awesome spot  :wacko: ) had grown.  It itches as bad as poision ivy (but I'm familiar with that, and this is not PI)  

 

Day 8, still miserable.  I was originally convinced it was some detox rash  (never get rashes, start W30, get a rash...coincidence?  Maybe?), but people kept telling me I must be crazy.  So I kept googling...I googled enough I was convinced if it wasn't detox related, I had scabies.  I have three small kids, I didn't want them getting it!  So I rushed off to the doctor.

 

Doctor had never heard of W30 and quickly squashed any detox theories.  Said it didn't look like scabies, and was convinced I must have changed my detergent (did not).  I was sent on my way diagnosed with "a rash".

 

Today is day 9...rash continues to spread and the itch continues to worsen.  It's so miserable!  Has anyone else had something like this happen?  Any potential causes?  I'm willing to wait it out, but if each day is worse than the day before, I'm starting to think my toxic life of chocolate and martinis wasn't so bad after all.

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Breakfast has been mostly eggs (we ate a ton of eggs pre W30, so this isn't new) with various enhancements (spinach, peppers, onions, prosciutto, etc), sometimes a potatoes, chorizo, egg combo with salsa & avocado (delish!)  On days I don't have time, I cut up a banana and add a little cashew butter, raisins and walnuts. (Only one or two of the days has been this.)

 

Lunches and dinners are a lot of meat and veggies.  Pork loin, grilled chicken, flank steak, salmon, tuna/chicken salad etc...with broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, asparagus, brussel sprouts, salads.  (Again, nothing new for us, just missing the side of rice or noodles or beans we would have had pre W30)

 

I drink a ton of coffee (always did, and always loved it black), I've upped my tea and kombucha intake a bit (but really, nothing crazy...I've just replaced the adult beverage I would have reached for some evenings, for one of those).

 

Ocassionaly snacks (yes, I snack, shamed) have been larabars or a handfull of nuts (almonds or pistachios) or fruit.  Lots of fruit.

 

I actually have gorgeous photos of most of these meals, but can't find where to upload from my phone ;)  So you'll just have to trust me.

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I've eaten eggs every day for the past four years but I've very recently had to exclude them - if you're eating more than usual the over-exposure can result in an intolerance.

Are you eating potato skins? I ask because I know the skins specifically can be problematic.

Common Nightshades would be potato, peppers, tomatoes, eggplants & paprika - if you're eating a lot of those you might want to eliminate those for a few days to see how you go.

Nuts & nut butters can also cause skin problems so they could be another culprit...

Personally I'd eliminate whatever I was eating most of, and if there was no improvement I'd move on to the next most common food.

Of course, it could be environmental & purely coincidental that it's struck in the midst of your Whole30 - have you been any place new recently, or in proximity to blossoming trees etc?

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The only thing in my diet that was not there before at all is pistachios.

 

Possibly those?  But the placement of the rash?  I've never been allergic to anything before, so this is all new if I am.  It seems like it's in some odd places and so random?  And I have not eaten pistachios in a few days, but the symptoms continue to worsen.  (I went to grab for them last night as a movie snack and decided on the apple instead just in case it was those.)

 

I do eat potato skins, but always have.  And I've had maybe 3-4 potatoes in 9 days.  Certainly nothing more than I would have pre W30.  And really, we were big egg eaters before this, I have not upped my intake at all.  (Two things I didn't fear that most do going into the W30, black coffee and too many eggs...I was already there.)

 

Is there nothing to this illusive "detox rash" I've found minimally on the internet?  It seems most people discredit the idea, but then, the few of us out there who seem to have no other explanation think it might deserve some credit?

 

 

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Is there nothing to this illusive "detox rash" I've found minimally on the internet?  It seems most people discredit the idea, but then, the few of us out there who seem to have no other explanation think it might deserve some credit?

In all the time I've been here every rash I've read about has been related to something - be it a reaction to a food, an environmental allergy, or some new product being used in the home. One member had a reaction from heating her tupperware (or whatever type of plastic lunch container she was using in the microwave at work.

In my experience detox tends to show itself in skin break-outs rather than rashes.... 

ETA: I know you think you're not eating any new foods, or more of anything you were eating previously. Each of us have a tolerance level for certain foods, and by excluding the rice & various other sides you were eating preW30 your intake of many foods will have increased, and you may just have exceeded your tolerance level - you wouldn't be the first, and you certainly won't be the last. As I mentioned in my first post I ate eggs every. single. day for maybe 4yrs and I've had to exclude them only in the last 10 days - they are problematic for a lorra lorra folk....

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I have a rash which started about the same time 9day 5 or 6. Funny thing is that I didn't even think of diet until now. I saw an urgent care dr over the weekend because I have some spots with blisters. She said it looked like 3 different kinds of rashes - poison ivy (found it in my back yard) , scabies and something else. They gave me a steroid shot, a pack of prednisone and a treatment for scabies. So I did the scabies treatment but am still developing new patches. The steroids don't seem to be helping. I'm debating whether to schedule with a dermatologist for later this week.

 

I've definitely increased my egg intake and avocados. However, it's not as if I didn't eat these foods at all. While my carb intake is low, I'm not sure it's too low since I'm having sweet potatoes and fruits.

 

I saw both the detox rash and the candida die-off rashes mentioned on the inter webs... 

 

Hate the rash but otherwise feeling great. Surprisingly few cravings... 

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Rash remains going into day 11...

 

I've been dousing myself with ACV every chance I get and that seems to be helping.  (ACV is my "Windex" for those familiar with My Big Fat Greek Wedding)  Although, smelling like vinegar is getting old and every time I back off on applying it, the rash seems to worsen.  

 

Sigh.

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  • 3 months later...

Again, are you eating any new foods? Or more of any foods you ate previously? Are you using any new detergents/beauty products? Have you been anywhere where you may have come into contact with an environmental irritant? Really without more information it's difficult to help.

And of course it could be conicidental that this has happened during your Whole30 and it's not actually related...

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I don't remember who wrote that it detox appears as breakouts and not rashes.  I don't find that to be true at all.  When I eat too many nuts, especially pecans, sometimes, I immediately have a breakout (due to the iodine in the raw nuts).  I do detox via skin rash.  I have two med sized rashes on my armpits and of course this is where the lymph nodes are.  So approx. how long before this disappears -- although this is such a silly question and I know it -- the severity of the itch has lessened though!

Thanks!

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I second the nuts, nut butters, nightshades and eggs.  This is the first place to start.

Are you eating a large amount of ghee?  If you are extremely dairy sensitive ghee (clarified butter) may give some issues here.

One thing I have discovered is that sometimes strawberries, and oranges may cause rashes.  I used to get rashes from strawberries when I was young and gorged myself on them.  My MIL recently discovered a sensitivity to berries and cherries in general.  She dropped eating them and then her skin improved.  And she is 67 and has been eating berries and cherries for years.  

Rashes are very often a reaction from your body saying "I've had enough of that!".  Your system has simply overloaded and is telling you so.

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thank you, Carlaccini! i will definitely look into those things you mentioned. it could very well be eggs. i've always had them, but not nearly as much as i am now. i'm doing the whole30 on just eggs and fish as my protein, and I don't eat fish very often (maybe 4 times a week on plan), whereas i'm eating eggs (2 or 3) with nearly every meal. yikes! i just never thought an egg allergy could suddenly come about if it hadn't already when i was younger. i'll cut down and see how it goes. thanks again :)

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I had to cut back on eggs as well.  I used to rarely eat eggs and then all of a sudden I was eating 2-3 everyday.  I've had chronic eczema on my hands ever since I can remember.  It cleared up drastically when I went whole 30/paleo, but there were still remnants of it.  I started developing chronic joint pain about 1.5 years after going paleo (and eating eggs nearly everyday).  I cut out eggs and both skin and joint pain disappeared.  Now I eat eggs only once or twice a week. And that seems to be tolerable for my body. (Keep in mind the quality of the eggs do matter)

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Carlaccina, was your reply below specifically to me?

I second the nuts, nut butters, nightshades and eggs.  This is the first place to start.

Are you eating a large amount of ghee?  If you are extremely dairy sensitive ghee (clarified butter) may give some issues here.

One thing I have discovered is that sometimes strawberries, and oranges may cause rashes.  I used to get rashes from strawberries when I was young and gorged myself on them.  My MIL recently discovered a sensitivity to berries and cherries in general.  She dropped eating them and then her skin improved.  And she is 67 and has been eating berries and cherries for years.  

Rashes are very often a reaction from your body saying "I've had enough of that!".  Your system has simply overloaded and is telling you so.

I still eat nuts, have eggs almost daily and yes, I use a lot of ghee, I can cut back on the ghee.  Nuts, so so, and eggs, I mean darn!  Is there anythign that won't cause an issue?

And yes, I still have a rash on my underarms (right where the lymph nodes are) and my forearms (which I've had before and it's flared up again), and my neck and parts of my face.  My neck, decollette and arms feel somewhat numb at times from the itching.  (I have always had very sensitive skin, though!  I was noticing yesterday that my underarms are still very itchy.

Any suggestions?  Thanks in advance!

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1 hour ago, Oralia Acosta said:

 

And yes, I still have a rash on my underarms (right where the lymph nodes are) and my forearms (which I've had before and it's flared up again), and my neck and parts of my face.  My neck, decollette and arms feel somewhat numb at times from the itching.  (I have always had very sensitive skin, though!  I was noticing yesterday that my underarms are still very itchy.

Any suggestions?  Thanks in advance!

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Are you able to give us a run down on what you are eating.  Please be detailed as possible: Instead of lots of veggies, please be specific - 3 egg omelet with sauteed mushrooms, spinach and oven roasted tomatoes.  half an avocado.

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Oh my goodness Carla!  A rundown would be difficult b/c I am no longer keeping track.  However, most mornings I have BPC w/either raw cacao, coconut milk or I tried ghee one day and it was fairly good.  But I have stopped using ghee due to your previous post stating it could be an issue.

Then, I usually have 1 eggs w/tomatoes, turmeric, and shallots.  Sometimes I add Urfa pepper flakes, or I have a frittata w/a green, bacon, shallots and turmeric.  Or, sometimes I have Shakshuka w/tomatoes, shallots, cayenne, cumin and paprika.  I don't usually eat bacon when I have it in my frittata b/c it's already in the frittata.  Sometimes, instead of bacon I have homemade pork sausage w/spices and a fruit in the sausage, and of course, shallots.  A few days ago, I tried a salad and 3 slices of bacon and it was good.  

I eat a lot of chicken and I make too many dishes to name, I don't like the chicken breast and always opt for the thighs or drumsticks.  I make it w/spices, sometimes, apricots, sometimes prunes, these are Moroccan recipes which is my food speciality.  (In case you haven't guessed, I am a personal chef and an excellent one, I love my food and RARELY eat out -- and when I do, esp. after being on W30, I get sick!  I always add either a starch or a side green or salads.  Lately I have been doing a lot of salads w/some of the dressings from Mel Joulwan.  I also eat beef and lamb, I love lamb.  Or, as a side, I will eat eggplant, broccoli, rapini, spinach, sugar snap peas, etc.  Sometimes I have fruit.  And sometimes, I overdo the fruit a little or a lot (still looking for something sweet and something to appease my palate and dry mouth which is why I started this regime in the first place).  I do my best to vary the dishes so that I don't get bored, cook something new, or don't get any issues from eating the same thing.  One thing I noticed is that I eat a good amount of tomatoes and have been cutting back on some of those along w/eggplant since they're both night shades.

Around mid afternoon sometimes I have nuts, and sometimes I have too many nuts, this happened for a few days or so.  Now I'm back to having a few almonds, and sometimes I have sliced almonds in my salad.  I will be reducing my nut consumption to mostly salads and maybe a handful here and there.  I do this b/c I think at times I don't consume enough fat, and b/c I like the way they taste, of course.

In the evening, if I haven't had a salad for lunch, I will have a salad, a little protein, chicken or beef.  And in the past I've had a little teaspoon or so of Barney's almond butter again, b/c I don't think I eat enough fat and I tend to do more of a keto eating style.  Most evenings I have potatoes that have been steamed and then I fry them in ghee or oilve oil, since I read that ghee could be a problem.  And sometimes I have fruit, if it's in season and good.  I used to look for the really sweet fruit, now I get it in between, and since we're mostly in between seasons, there's not much to choose from.  I can see how fruit is still a trigger for me and do my best to cut back or not have it every day and the same for nuts.

I drink lemon water throughout the day and sometimes sparkling flavored water (w/no sugar of course), and sometimes I have a little juice w/either sparkling water or lemon water to give me a little taste.  

Along w/the rash, which is still there, I posted previous post and I am quoting below:

----------------------

this regime was suggested to me by my naturopath who has been treating me 1 yr  for loss of taste.  I have tried numerous supplements with him and we have always had to backpedal, at times I regained my taste, others I revered to no taste.

I noticed this issue almost immediately after I started eating Keto; although it was challenging for me to get enough fat in my diet to be keto, I avoided wheat, grains, then went to no dairy.  I noticed my taste buds were very blunt -- I mostly noticed a lot of salt, and a general sweetness without any of the other subtle notes.  For example, when I ate dark chocolate, I could taste a little sweetness and a lot of bitterness -- nothing in between.  Here lately, I was eating out and not respecting much of my keto/paleo diet b/c I was working and would eat wherever I could at times.  And, I was mostly eating sweets which of course I would like to minimize or avoid.  Oh, and I wasn't eating fruit until I started w/W30 b/c that's part of the keto eating style.  And, it can be a trigger for me.  I am hoping that the W30 will reset my tastebuds.  I have tried everything I know including a naturopath, and my ENT doctor, who gave me a smell test and I did very well on.  The ENT even went as far as to do a head scan to see if anything was amiss -- and it isn't.  My naturopath on the other hand says it's clearly lack of minerals, but he hasn't hit upon resolving the issue either.

Oh and for a long while, I woke up w/a tinny/sour unpleasant taste in my mouth, and one of the other symptoms is that I is that after I ate, it felt like I hadn't eaten at all, this compounded w/dry mouth (which I have at times).  I drink a lot of water, although when this started the lemon water I was drinking tasted really sour, and I have also tested for Sjorgen's and those results are negative as well.

As an update, I am doing better, some of my taste returns, and then seems to disappear.  It seems I have lost sense of whether my taste buds are on or off at times.  My next step is to complete the W30 and then return to my naturopath's for further treatment.

So my question is:   has anybody else experienced this?  Does anyone have any possible explanation or suggestions?  And, mostly, has anyone experienced this and then had some relief after completing the W30?

Thanks!

------------

So there you have it, if you could possibly respond to both of my queries, I would highly appreciate it!  

Oralia

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  • 2 weeks later...

I never heard back from Carla regarding my query about the rash.  I have started my W30 again and my rash is not any better.  If anything, it's worse.  I think it has to do w/me being constipated and all the toxins trying to come out through my skin.  My naturopath says I'm a non excreter which is causing these problems.  I also wonder why I am constipated since I'm not eating foods that constipate me like cheese, and very little meat.    I am at a total loss.  If anything, I am eating more salads so that should help.

Thanks
Oralia

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Hi There.  Sorry for the radio silence.  I have been around lurking briefly here and there but to be honest work has been busy and I haven't been able to spend as much time here as I would like recently.  (All mods are volunteers so we give what time we are able)

Also keep in mind that although we have a ton of experience through our experiences with the whole 30 as well as others who share information, we are not doctors.  I know a ton of information simply based on my own skin experiences.

Based on the run down of information you gave me previously I would say you are still eating too many nightshades (Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, potatoes, gogi berries are ALL night shades) , too many nuts and not eating enough fat.

Also - Patience - skin issues sometimes take a bit time to solve.  

Fats - you have so many options here besides nuts.  I hardly touch nuts.  But to be honest, I've never been 100% keen of nuts so keeping away from them is no problem for me.  I personally love homemade mayo (this about the only egg I eat regularly throughout the week. And as long as it's a good quality egg, or, just the yolk, I seem to be good)  I love homemade mayo as I can make so many different types of sauces with it (check out Well Fed/Melissa Joulwan's Awesomesauce - it is awesome) olives - both green and black, coconut butter is great melted on a sweet potato (not nightshade), duck fat is fantastic for roasting veggies, coconut milk is great in coffee and in curries.  And finally Avocado (I don't choose to eat them because of the extreme FODMAP reaction I have to them).

As for being constipates - there are a couple things that could be happening here

1) Not eating enough.  If you are not eating enough your body is not going to make as much waste as it might normally.  Make sure you are following the template:  1 - 2 palm sized portions of protein, 1 - 3 cups of veg, 1 -2 thumbsized portions of fat, option fruit.  With every meal.  3 times a day.

2) Not drinking enough water.  Aim for 1/2 your body weight in ounces a day.

3) Fibrous veggies - yes greens are great (I will never knock them because I love greens!) but if you are not getting enough fibrous veggies: Sweet potato, broccoli, turnip, carrots - think hardier veggies - then it will have a harder time with bathroom time.

4) You might benefit short term with digestive enzymes.  Or you might have better luck with Magnesium Citrate powder (one we recommend around here is Natural Calm unflavoured)  it will help for sleep and bathroom issues.  

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  • 1 month later...

I started the Whole 30 9 days ago and developed a rash all over my body on day 5. It's unbearable. I haven't been able to sleep through the night for 4 straight nights.  I've tried prescription strength anti-histamines as well as a prednasone shot and currently taking prednasone pills.  I did find some stuff online that said the rash could be related to detox and that adding potatoes to my diet may help. I tried that and it didn't help either.  The only thing that provided relief was jumping in an ice bath. I did that for a while and then it started taking longer and longer to get my body temp back.  

I can't think of anything new that I'm eating.  Definitely eating way more eggs than I ever have - although they are organic.  Also eating more fruits - apples, pineapple, raspberries, grapes, blueberries, etc. I am also occasionally eating cashews and cashew butter.

I'm going to give it a day or two more but if it doesn't break I'm going to stop the Whole 30. This is incredibly frustrating.  I was hoping to reset my system and see what foods work and don't work for me.   

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4 minutes ago, Montwood88 said:

I started the Whole 30 9 days ago and developed a rash all over my body on day 5. It's unbearable. I haven't been able to sleep through the night for 4 straight nights.  I've tried prescription strength anti-histamines as well as a prednasone shot and currently taking prednasone pills.  I did find some stuff online that said the rash could be related to detox and that adding potatoes to my diet may help. I tried that and it didn't help either.  The only thing that provided relief was jumping in an ice bath. I did that for a while and then it started taking longer and longer to get my body temp back.  

I can't think of anything new that I'm eating.  Definitely eating way more eggs than I ever have - although they are organic.  Also eating more fruits - apples, pineapple, raspberries, grapes, blueberries, etc. I am also occasionally eating cashews and cashew butter.

I'm going to give it a day or two more but if it doesn't break I'm going to stop the Whole 30. This is incredibly frustrating.  I was hoping to reset my system and see what foods work and don't work for me.   

Some people do react to eggs in this way, if you're eating a lot more of them, you may have hit the limit of what your body can tolerate of them. That's probably the first thing I'd try cutting out.

I don't know that the fruit would contribute to this, but since you mention eating more of it than usual, I'd point out that you should be having lots of vegetables and occasionally some fruit -- many people tend to do it the other way starting out, be sure you're not letting the fruit push vegetables off your plate.

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