Curing the Itchy Leg

Last August I began experiencing a horrible itching on my shins when I'd go to bed.  I'd claw at them all night and wake with scratch marks all over my legs.  At first I suspected it was my laundry detergent; with it being summer I wasn't wearing pants or anything covering my lower legs so I switched to see if that would make a difference.  It did not.  The itching persisted, lasting all this time, though now it goes all all day with no relief.  There's no sign of a rash, no bumps or bite marks, just maddening itching.  Rob did some research and saw a link to my symptoms and a thyroid disorders.  Around the time that the itching began some other things started to occur as well, and I'm only just now making the connection.  Hair loss, (slight) weight loss, and body flush were all things I noticed last summer.  The body flush is particularly alarming when it happens.  It begins with a tingling sensation all over my scalp, then my face and ears become hot and prickly.  Within minutes my entire body is covered in a blotchy red rash.  It lasts for about a half hour then goes away.  It happens irregularly, once a month at most, but I've never been able to trace a pattern with it like a food reaction.  I've made an appointment to see a doctor about this and have my blood tested to determine whether or not it's a thyroid issue.  These are hereditary and my mother battled an overactive thyroid when I was young, so it's likely.  In the meantime, however, I'm going to follow the advice of an acquaintance who has fought with itchy legs like I described for seven years.  Hers are the result of hypothyroidism and she claimed that whenever she eliminates gluten from her diet the itching goes away.  So today is my first day of this experiment.  My biggest problem will be giving up steel-cut oatmeal, my staple breakfast.  Looking at the rest of my diet, though, I don't see this being a problem.  I'd gladly give up oatmeal, though, if it means itch-free legs.  We'll see how this goes.