Wednesday, December 29, 2010

WEEK ONE: Tuesday, 12/21-12/28


right armpit

Hardest week. worst pain of my life. couldnt move for or walk up and down stairs for three days. I couldnt wash my own hair, move my arms or even prop myself up.
left armpit
The whirl pools were the worst. It created excruciating pain to the point where i was biting hand and leaving bruises from them. First time i ever looked at the wound, and the first whirl pool i almost passed out and threw up. The Vicadin helped me alot!!! The gauze pads on would get stuck on one part of the wound and the only way to get them of was to rip it. Creating a pain of burning and pulling and tingling. I would never be able actually explain how bad it hurt. I screamed and cried but there was nothing i could do about it because it had to happen.

What is Hidradenitis Suppurativa

Hidradenitis is a chronic disease of the apocrine glands (a form of sweat gland found on certain parts of the body). For unknown reasons, people with hidradenitis develop plugging or clogging of their apocrine glands. It causes chronic scarring and pus formation of the underarms (axilla) and groin/inner thigh areas. Almost like a boil. In women it can also occur under the breasts. It is similar to acne, which is also a disease of the sebaceous glands. Hidradenitis is more common in people who have had acne.
This condition is slightly more common in women and African-Americans. Hidradenitis usually starts as one or more red, tender, swellings in the groin or armpits. Over a period of hours to days the lesions enlarge and often open to the skin surface draining clear to yellow fluid. The involved area then heals with scarring. The condition usually continues for years with periods of flare and remission.

Bacterial infection produces the pain and odor. Hidradenitis is made worse by being overweight, however this condition is not caused by obesity and weight loss will improve but not cure hidradenitis. Hidradenitis may become worse under stress. Hidradenitis is not caused by poor hygiene



See they say it is more common in people with dark hair, blacks, people with history of acne and people that are overweight. I am none of those. I am a fifteen year old girl. I'm blonde, 5'7 and 150 pounds. I have never had a history of acne and i have suffered from this since i was 8. They started in my groin area and we went to the doctors. We had many misdiagnosis' all from an allergic reaction from my zipper to having worms. We went to an all natural doctor and got put on many different vitamins. They went away within two years, and so i stopped taking them. Then in seventh grade, they came back worse. I had them back in my groin and now under my arms. The ones in my armpits were even open wounds almost like my tissue was coming out of my skin. They smelt horrible and they pussed. Finnaly we went to the dermatoligist, he got them under control by putting me on doxycylin, some shower gel and benzyfoam. Oh and a gel after all of that.That kept them under control. They still formed but didnt surface. Well most of them didnt. We tried numerous amounts of things to get rid of it. The main one we tried was the hair laser which would completley close up my hair folicles. That one failed because i have blonde hair so it is too light. Then we got recomended to a surgeon that was gonna completley remove my sweat gland and then do a skin grapht from the side of my butt. So we would have him, then we would have to get a plastic surguen to do the graphting. So we went to the plastic surgeun after the consilatation with the normal one. The plastic surgeon, thank the Lord for him, said he has seen and done this before. Since i am only fifteen years old, skin graphting would just be ridiculous to do and we would to the surgeory and leave an open wound. Do a whirl pool therapy twice a day for two weeks then one a day for four weeks. So this blog is to make an awareness and tell people about the surgery and that there is a cure for this disease called Hidradentitis Suppurativa.



beginning
(http://www.aocd.org/skin/dermatologic_diseases/hidradenitis_suppu.html)