Fighting Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) 💉

⚠️ ‼️ Graphic images of the condition on slides number 2 and 5 ‼️⚠️

Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) is a chronic skin condition that causes painful bumps, abscesses, and scarring, often in areas like the underarms, thighs, breasts, groin, and even the booty sometimes 🤯. It’s more than just a “skin issue”— as it can be both physically and emotionally draining, affecting daily routines like exercising, wearing certain clothes, feeling confident in public, or even just moving around comfortably.

There are different types of treatments (modern medicine) available to aid in the management of HS, among these being:

🧴 Topical gels or creams

🧼 Antiseptic/Antimicrobial/Antibacterial soaps

💊 Oral medications

💉 Biologics

🏥 and Surgical care

Holistic remedies also exist and include applying these items to the affected area(s):

🍯 Honey

🪴 A ratio of turmeric and coconut 🥥 oil

🌱 Aloe vera gel

🛢️ and Neem oil

🆘 After trying the first lines of defenses, those being oral medications (doxycyclin, clindamycin, & metronidazole) and topicals (clindamycin ointment and mupirocin), the HS was still winning! After sticking it out to see if the meds just needed time to work and struggling for years to find relief, my PCP referred me to a dermatologist who recommended I try Humira. Fortunately, I had seen dozens of commercials for Humira and was intrigued by it already, so when she presented the idea I was definitely on board! She completed a full CBC to ensure I was in good health. She then placed the order for the Humira, which took about 2 weeks to be delivered by the pharmaceutical company.

❤️‍🩹 Since I started using Humira, which is a biologic medication that helps reduce inflammation and control flare-ups and only one approved by the FDA to combat HS, I’ve seen a lot of improvement in the frequency of flareup and duration. While it’s not a cure, it’s made a noticeable difference in managing my symptoms. Fewer flare-ups mean fewer interruptions to my daily life and less discomfort overall. The images I provided on slides 2 and 5 don’t even speak for how bad my flare ups can get. Often I’d have 2-4 boils at once, sometimes with one or two being chickpea sized and the other one or two being the size of a golf ball (currently) or larger.

I am currently experiencing one under my left armpit due to missing 2 doses as there were delivery issues (and the prices as it is $120/month but ya girl finally found a savings card to get it for $FREE.99 🤪) but I administered immediately when it arrived (after a shower of course lol). Right now, it is a single one that is hard to the touch and golf ball sized. Hopefully getting the issues fixed allows me to stay on track going forward as HS is truly annoying and unbearable.

💭 Discussion: If you’re also living with HS, I’d love to hear your experiences. Do you have remedies or tips that help you manage symptoms? Let’s share and support each other!

#letschat #embracevulnerability #AskLemon8 #hswarrior #lemon8contest