Dave, Desiree, Beer & Wine

It started two years ago. A blister on my elbow. A blister on my knee. All turning to several blisters on both elbows, both knees and scalp. “What kind of skin eating fungus do I have!?” were my initial thoughts. Well, after several visits to the dermatologist it I learned it wasn’t a fungus. It was dermatitis herpetiformis.

The doctor gave me a drug called Dapsone. I read the drug insert: Antibiotic. Cool! Just take the antibiotic and viola, no more rash. Three days after the drug was gone the rash was back. Damn! Ok, better start reading more about this dermatitis herpetiformis. Turns out it is a reaction to eating gluten. Gluten! Nnnnnooooooooooo!!!!! NOT GLUTEN! This can’t be right. Let me read further. Oh crap. Turns out if you have DH, then you probably have celiac disease. Well I will just pretend I have DH and not celiac.

Fast forward a few months. Dermatologist won’t give me the dapsone unless I get tested for celiac. Damn. How am I supposed to pretend I don’t have celiac if a doctor tells me I have it? This sucks because of course he tells me I have it.

So now what? No gluten for Desiree. Do I behave? Of course I don’t. I cut out everything gluten but the beer. At first that works pretty good. After all, gluten is a protein and most protein is broken down during the brewing process. There isn’t a whole of gluten in beer. The rash pretty much disappears and for the first time in my adult life my stomach doesn’t hurt anymore. What I thought was normal wasn’t normal. I feel so much better and even my hair looks healthier. But there is one small problem, I own a homebrew store.

Apparently being around all the dust from the grains in the store heightened my sensitivity to gluten. The doc told me that is probably why the skin started reacting. I’ve apparently had celiac for years but the symptoms were mostly mild to moderate and easy to pin on other things. Breathing in barley dust for 2 years put my system over the edge. Every time I spend a lot of time at the store I increase my sensitivity to gluten. It sucks.

So the rash comes back in spades. I start taking the dapsone again. It doesn’t help the internal issues but it is the only thing that can stop the rash. Soon the guilt over taking such a powerful drug just so I can have a beer wins. I stop drinking real beer and start drinking the gluten free stuff. If you like Bud, you can live with Redbridge and New Grist. I can’t. Green’s makes a few pretty good Belgian style GF beers. Just don’t drink a real Belgian beer anytime soon before or after. It’s like eating reduced fat potato chips. You can fool yourself into thinking they are pretty good but accidentally buy the REAL Ruffles potato chips and you will realized you have been cheated!

I’m working on some gluten free homebrews, so far they have ended up getting poured down the drain rather than into my mouth but I’m making progress. When I find the magic combination I will offer them at the High Gravity

Have I been able to go completely gluten free with the beers? No. I pick my occasions to cheat. I have beers when I go to our homebrew club meetings. I take dapsone when I go on a vacation so I don’t have to worry and can enjoy myself.

Dave says I’m like a clown that is allergic to make-up. After two years I’m adjusting to that label.

Desiree Knott
High Gravity Homebrewing & Winemaking Supplies
7164 S Memorial
Tulsa, OK 74133
(918) 461-2605
desiree@highgravitybrew.com
http://www.highgravitybrew.com

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This entry was posted by Desiree Knott on Sunday, August 2nd, 2009 at 2:28 pm and is filed under Random Thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.