I'm struggling to deal with hs:(

I am sorry to hear this...you are young and many of your peers won't understand. However, you are not alone...this seems to be very common and this is a great step to take for support. Feel free to ask me anything you want to know or just vent. I have been struggling with this conditions since 2008 and I have tried all sorts of medication and have had several lanced. I am at the point now where it has gotten soo bad that I have seen a plastic surgeon to have surgery. This is a horrible condition it's makes me feel bad, it's painful, and very embarrassing. I am ready for some relief or them to be completely gone.

Hi Alice. I'm so sorry to hear you've been having such trouble. If you haven't already, request to see a dermatologist with good knowledge of it. My HS is early stages so I can't say that I know just how you feel but even at early stages this condition is awful and painful. I've made a post about the steps that I take to keep mine under control which you could check out. I often rant about how important sweating is to clear your pores because the infection starts in the hair follicle but you sweat through the same pores so you can clear them of the infection causing bacterias this way and stop them from becoming clogged. It's obviously not easy to exercise with these painful lumps on you but it's something to think about.

There are surgeries that you can speak to your dermatologist about, especially since you are already stage 3, and some treatments such as laser hair removal (of specific wavelengths) could help by shrinking the hair follicles.

You'd be amazed how many people have this hidden condition. I actually found out that I had it at the same time that my flatmate did!

Oh boy....humira already, you are so young to be starting that. I am so sorry to hear about your struggles so young. I'm 40 and mine have been at their worst within the past few months. It is hard for me and I'm older to have to explain my condition to adults I can't imagine being 16 and explaining to peers what it's all about. Mine weren't around at your age, they did start in my 20's under my breasts. Miss diagnosed for years and prescribed acne meds with no sollution. Try going about this naturally at first atleast until October.

Try elimination diets or cleaner eating. If you try elimination diets the two to try are night shade and paleo diets. Document in a journal how you feel and how your cysts feel. Sounds like a lot of work but it will keep your mind off the time between now and October. Second exercise, hydrate with lots of water....believe it or not it helps, no flare ups, but as soon as I stopped they came back with a vengeance. They were not happy, and exercise will help you with confidence and self esteem and keep stress at bay. Being 16 is stressful in itself and these things tend to be worse under stress. Next start a vitamin D prescription, a Curcimin biotene supplement, and a probiotic. Not to sound like a teacher, but 90% of our immune system lives in the intestines, if you keep your intestines happy then the rest of the body will be happy. I have been on tetracycline in my 20's and now doxycline both are antibiotics when the cysts are open and help but shouldn't be used for more than 10 days at a time and cause sun sensitivity. I truly hope some of our suggestions help you in your quest to eradicate these nasty cysts. But no this....your are not alone, more people than you know have this condition, it's just not talked about with our close peers because of embarrassment and doctors are just now realizing what it is, but not necessarily how to treat it aside from antibiotics. Humira I have seen advertised on tv for various inflammations, I personally am leary of trying it because of side effects. But maybe it will help you with minimal side effects. I would like to hear an update from you when you start it. Also to get cysts to burst and drain you can use a hot compress by means of a face cloth soaked in tea tree oil, aloe Vera gel and witch hazel either a little water in a sanitary microwavable bowl, heat for under a minute and use at night before bed. Make sure to have non stick gauze pads on hand to allow clean drainage. Use hibaclense (or store equivalent) to clean the area 2x a day. Wear breathable cotton clothing and underwear. And if you exercise at the gym make sure to shower right afterwards, being in sweaty clothing promotes bacteria in sweaty places. Do not let this bring you down....be confident and experiment with a clean diet, some people have good luck and eradicate them all together and others are able to get them down dramatically. HS is connected to our immune systems, I think those of us who suffer from HS have more sensitive immune systems, and therefore need to care for ourselves a little more than others.

Hi Alice. You are definitely not alone. Yes it is very hard to deal with. I'm at stage 2 or 3 now. I've had HS for a few years. I have it the worst in my armpits and I've never seen remission since even before I was diagnosed. Although I think that I may have a more milder case than others...I've never taken any medication for my HS at all for the disease itself. When I get bumps that cause me pain I just take some tylenol and it helps and when I've got holes I cover them with a gauze pad and some sensitive skin pain free tape. I keep them covered for quite a bit till they heal mostly but don't get me wrong I do let them breath now and then. That's all I've done...so far. I will say I have ahd my moments where they have bothered me so much that I would've cut the HS out of my armpits myself (figure of speech) but I luckily haven't had to get any surgery to remove any of it. It's easier to to deal with it when you have the support you need from friends and family, it helps. Keep your chin up. Just remember that your stronger than you think. Good luck and wish you well! Psst...sometimes music helps me when the HS is bothering me or stressing me out, I listen to my ipod. I heard a song that helps me kinda cope with it and it's called "Carry You" by Austin John. Look it up sometime when you have a moment and listen to it...picture the lyrics being about those including yourself who have HS.

Hey Alice!

I'm so sorry that you are feeling alone right now. You most definitely are not alone. I have had HS since before I hit puberty I can remember have sores from the time I was 8-9. (Now 27) But in the last 6 years it has most definitely gotten worse, I am at a stage 3 too. I get it. It can be so draining, (no pun intended) and depressing and frustrating at times. As I write you now, I'm itting in my car, just getting home from having a sore-turned-humungous-abscess drained at urgent care. I really hope that the humera helps you!

What kind of treatment have you tried up until now? I can tell you in my experience when j have been able to stick to it. Maintaining a gluten free and nightshade free diet helped sooo much and very quickly at that! There's been a lot of talk about Paleo diet helping too.

After tonight, I am going to try and go back to gluten free, diary free, nightshade free and Paleo to see if I can find a food that triggers my outbreaks. I never want to get lanced and packed with gauze again!