The MCV is 4 pts below the upper range... given that tests are not always 100% accurate... you are close.

Please read these 16 facts:
http://www.ironoverload.org/facts.html
Some hemachromatosis patients are LOW in hemoglobin.
Some are normal. Iron in the blood cells does not reflect iron deposited in tissues. In fact elevated iron shown in a typical CBC may indicate polycythemia vera...which is too many red blood cells.

These are the diagnostic tests:
http://www.ironoverload.org/diagnosis.html

If TIBC and transferritin are elevated then they do the DNA tests.
Notice the % of Irish descent listed.

The only thing that gives me pause about the iron overload is the fact that I've had the hyperpigmentation for @20 years. Having it that long something should have showed up in my labs by now - either very low hemoglobin/hematocrit, or very high and I should have shown a marked vitamin b-12 deficiency from everything I've read.

And, I remember the day it all appeared. It was after being in the sun all day at my uncle's lake. To this day they get darker in the sun, and fade in the winter.

The other skin lesions on my torso showed up a few years ago, shortly after the first asthma attack.

My mother has a cousin with polycythemia vera, and I've looked into that as well, but my liver enzymes are always within range. The fact that hot showers cause the itch and welts/hives/lesions is what made me consider it, but extreme temp changes can also cause that reaction in mastocytosis. The hives with itch also appear when I over heat and sweat...

It could also just be something more simple like Lupus! But, my hands, face and feet don't get the itch/hives, which is also common in mastocytosis - it "generally" doesn't effect those.

Just speculating though. As I said, only a doctor can really tell me.

Still waiting for those punch biopsy results. Wondering if they may offer insight.

Thanks once again!

Fabry's is also a consideration??

cyclelops,
I just read up on that. I don't have papules, mine are flat, unless they get irritated which makes me scratch them, then they become almost like a hive. I also don't have problems with my eyes other than aging. Plus, my urine protein test was "within range".

Thanks for that though. Anything I can research and give my doc is helpful!

Carcinoid syndrome:

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/282515-overview

flushing/wheezing/ GI cramping/diarrhea... are some signs.
Many times people live with this for years until it spreads to the liver and the flushing/wheezing become severe.

This is a slow progressive cancer. You can have it for decades.

A 24 hr urine collection test for serotonin is done. But there are some blood tests too I believe now.

You can have multiple problems too. Perhaps not all of your
symptoms are connected to one thing only.

Thanks for this. I'll read up on it!

You are a very valuable resource! I do appreciate all your input!

The tests to look for gluten sensitivity and celiac disease are:

antigliadin IgA, IgG (indicates gluten sensitivity)
anti-tTG (anti-tissue transglutaminase indicates celiac disease/ villous atrophy)
Total IgA (to rule out IgA deficiency which can false negatives)

A skin biopsy of the tissue surrounding a lesion is how Dermatitis Herpetiformis is diagnosed (there would be IgA deposits in surrounding areas), but because gluten sensitivity can cause a huge array of skin rashes that aren't technically DH... the blood tests are also in order to look for the antibodies associated with gluten sensitivity. Here are some more pics of DH... there can be wide variance of lesions, not alway blistering, etc. Take the time to look through them, some examples are mild, some are severe. Typically, itching is present... but even if without itching, I'd rule out gluten sensitivity.

http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/hardin/Md/d...etiformis.html
http://www.csaceliacs.org/dh_symptoms.php

Here is a sampling of some other skin conditions associated with gluten sensitivity; it is notorious for causing all sorts of rashes from a to z. It can cause rashes other than DH.
http://jccglutenfree.googlepages.com...skinconditions

I hope you will follow up on this possibility.

I also found an interesting rash that appears on people who are
niacin deficient.

This happens on sun exposed skin, and is called pellegra. It varies from mild to severe. In the mild forms it is often misdiagnosed.

It can happen in people who have Carcinoid syndrome.

When actual pellagra is not present, there are still rashes called pellagroid.
from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15798565

If you search "pellagroid" you will find more on Google.
The rash of pellagra is triggered by UV exposure.

I will definatley look into these as well. I just sent you a PM before I saw this response.
I must not be understanding my labs. I thought the following were for the celiac antibodies?
MPA Serum IgG - 978 (717-1411 mg/dL)
MPA Serum IgA - 108 (78-391 mg/dL)
MPA Serum IgM - 110 (53-334 mg/dL)
Or are they for something else? This was the first time I was tested for them, so they are rather new to me.

As for Celiac's, in your opinion, what if I tried a gluten free diet for about a week?

I've been trying to keep a log/journal and not taking any Benadryl to get a more acurate idea. The itch seems to be rather cyclical. 4 days of itching, followed by a 2 day no-itch period, regaurdless of what I eat or don't eat. Don't know if that means anything or not.

Going gluten free is going to need more than a week.

Months is more like it.

After looking at your lesions I'd suggest a dermatologist to rule out scabies or other types of lesions that can be treated.
Scabies is a mite that is very very itchy.
I recall a funny story (not funny to the teller, but still illustrates how scabies can be hard to identify).
A colleague of mine took her son to the doctor for an ear infection. In passing, he said... BTW your son has scabies!
The boy and my friend never even noticed it. And she was very embarrassed!

Some people are very allergic to the mite, and develop all sorts of secondary lesions/hives which cloud the original infection. Sometimes there are just a few mites in one location and the rest is a body response, to that.
http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-a...abies-symptoms

The rashes from gluten also itch alot too.

Some people with gluten intolerance never get the rashes. Others seem to get them easily. There is a large range of variability in expression of rashes with people.

Also another thing that can cause hives/itching, is Candida infection.
This may be vaginal, chronic. And/or in the GI tract due to previous antibiotic use. This should be evaluated too, since treatment improves it.

And you can have mixed issues, with each clouding the other.
Not everything shows up on tests.
Sometimes tests are just unique to you. I have elevated sed rates, and alkaline phosphatase, but no other immune markers.
And don't know why either. And for YEARS, for example.