i’ve just been diagnosed with HS. what do i do now?

My daughter was diagnosed 2 years ago. I took her to a naturalist and she had vitam and minerals testing. It showed that she was dairy intolerance and her magnesium was very low since .she takes pro biotics and had kept of dairy trays to follow a paelo diet. She is almost in remmision. I hope this helps you good luck

You’re lucky that it’s just under your arms. I’m 18 and a senior ive been dealing with HS for the past 2 years. The only thing I can say is Bleach baths. There’s really not much to do, other than taking antibiotics. It’s not bad enough for humira. Far as pain 600/800 mg of ibuprofen should work since the lumps are so small.

google Nighshades and STOP eating them....epson salt baths and try Abreva on them after they pop or to heklp them dry out. Tumeric is wonderful for the inflammation it causes in our bodies..and if you are on FB get on every HS web page there is TONS of info girl!..tons!

Hi,

My HS started out much like yours. I got fairly frequent small bumps under my skin which would eventually go away again and when I went to my GP about it, they said it was lymph nodes! It wasn’t until I had an abscess the size of a golf ball (much like yours I’m sure) that I was sent to A&E and had to have it drained and packed under general anaesthetic as it was too painful for anyone to even touch. You’re very lucky to find the name of the condition now as for many of us it takes a very long time. I don’t think I have ever been given the name of this by a doctor, I’ve only ever been told that ‘some people are more prone to cysts’. 

I have to disagree with a few things that tammyjo has said in the comment above. I find that nightshades have no effect on my HS, neither did turmeric after taking it for a very long time. It is good for inflammation if you take enough of it, but it never had an impact on my HS. A lot of people do recommend cutting out nightshades but it’s never made any difference for me and honestly some of the diets that people end up on sound so incredibly miserable.

Everyone has different solutions and you just need to find the things that work for you and for your body. Your doctor will likely just prescribe loads of antibiotics, which generally do nothing. They may initially work for you, but eventually stop doing much of anything. My derm looked through the list of antibiotics that I had been prescribed in the past and said that he wouldn’t rate any of them as useful for this condition. The one he prescribed was Doxycycline which you have to take for several months to be effective. Even then the HS will return. I’ve read a lot of clinical research (as I have an anatomy degree) and found that the only medical treatment that seemed capable of putting the HS into remission was a combo of clindamycin and rifampicin - so definitely something to speak to your dermatologist about, but needs to be a dermatologist as your GP won’t know enough about the condition and may not even be able to prescribe this medication. 

The other clinical trial I found that seemed somewhat promising was zinc supplementation. Taking 20-25mg of zinc per day helped some people. 

For me, I tend to treat my HS as if it is blocked pores, with some success. I use a thermal water spray which is mineral rich to soothe sensitive skin, and thanks to this I don’t get cysts under my arms anymore. I’ve been asking other people to try this as I don’t  know if it’s  just me. It’s just a water spray and I only use it once a day before bed, so it can be used alongside any other treatment and won’t hurt your skin at all. This helped me to get rid of some very stubborn cysts. I’ve also been reading about a product called Tend Skin which is meant for those prone to ingrown hairs and contains salicylic acid which is a chemical exfoliant that’s very good for acne. This is probably harsher, but something I’ve been thinking of trying out as I still get cysts around my groin. 

Don’t use antiperspirant as it blocks the pores, you can buy spray deodorant which deodorises without disrupting sweating - I use bionsen Japanese thermal mineral deodorant which I highly recommend. I find that regular shower gel is often not enough to deal with BO, but your doctor should prescribe you an anti microbial emollient like Dermol 500 which will get rid of all odour causing microbes. You may see hibiscrub recommended but don’t use it as it’s too harsh, get the Dermol.

I recommend regular exercise as many days a week as you can as sweating profusely and then immediately showering flushes out your pores and stops them from becoming blocked. 

Anyway, there are loads of great answers on this forum to similar questions so I recommend looking through this forum and finding what will work for you. It will no doubt take some trial and error as it has for all of us. Do speak to a dermatologist with good knowledge of this condition.

dude you know as well as I do, everything works for different people...you can disagree because perhaps it isnt a trigger for you..I am 52 had HS since I was 11 years old..at 49 years old i changed my life just by keeping a food journal and taking supplements and eating foods that don't cause inflammation..Tumeric and Tea Tree Oil are huge helps, but only if you take the kind with pepper and larger amounts..of course because it lowers inflammation in the body just the same as patients with Gout... you shouldnt smoke because tobacco also is and can be a trigger and exercise is extremely helpful..they say sweating is an issue, yes its in our sweatglands but regular exercise and a shower after will make your all over life better..shocking someone would say they disagree with someone when they have been in remission for this for 3 years now...i dont knock others dude..dont knock me, this has been a lifelong battle and im winning!..

and yes..Zinc is hard on the tummy but great..I have moved to Zinc Soap and it works very well also

look up my post here:

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/cure-for-hidradenitis-suppurativa-diet--644609

 

Start trying an elimination diet. Nightshade are a trigger for many. Dairy and gluten are also suspect. there is Anecdotal Evidence that diet may play a role.