Hello and welcome Shane. It's good that you finally got a correct diagnosis.

I think it's important to look at all of the changes in your routine when the disease worsens. Consider more than just stress, work and physical activities such as the food you're eating, changes in your weight, new or changing habits like smoking, etc..

As for the big one, don't squeeze or poke it. You can encourage draining with hot baths and compresses. Mostly a waiting game, but you'll find relief!

Hi Shane
joining the support group (have checked in and out every now and then over the past 5 years or so) was the best thing I did with regards to knowledge and support with my HS. My doctors don't seem to be able to help in the ways these guys can... even if it's just a listening ear. They get it!
Waiting out for them to subside or burst is the worst part and for me the relief is instant. Good luck and remember everyone's here!

I don't smoke or drink, my habits have been pretty much the same as far as eating goes.. I'm not the healthiest eater since I work so much and horrible second shift hours on top of that.. I guess I will just have to try my best and jump on the bandwagon of cutting things out for a while and seeing where it leaves me... it seems over the last few days I've read a lot of posts in general all over the net that potatoes and other nightshades are a big problem..

I'm thinking of trying to push for FMLA or something now for work since this one popped up it's hard to walk without being in pain and sitting too is hard since sitting puts extra pressure on that area..

Anyway, thanks for the welcome!

Hello and welcome Shane!!! I am so happy you got a real diagnosis. I too was told I had MRSA several times yet at the bottom of all my med/lab pages it always said negative lol. The first time it happened I was told I had inflammatory breast cancer. I ended up basically dx myself and brought info to a dr for verification. This is what we are up against. I think the most important thing is finding your trigger. Elimination seems to be the most helpful along with keeping a journal of your activities so you can rule out certain things. Very best of luck to you!!!!

Welcome Shane! I was recently diagnosed with HS as well and Doctor's always said it was a form of MRSA. Although I never tested positive for it.
Anyway... I understand what you mean about all the scars. I have tunnels under my skin. Currently I am on FLMA through my work. I almost lost my job from calling in sick so much. The pain can be intense. I don't smoke, don't drink but recently found out about the nightshade allergy. Explains a lot.
If you want to talk more man let me know, I will give you my email address. I understand what you're going through.

Matt

Hi Shane, welcome! Your story sounds just like so many of us. It took my drs. two years to diagnose me correctly too. After watching a show called the doctors I had a name that went with my symptoms. I went to a specialist and had a biopsy done and found out I have this. I too was on antibiotics constantly. Now I'm immune to them. Getting sick now is so hard because I can't take them anymore. Please don't be afraid to date. I'm glad your on here because there are more of us than you realize. You define who you are, not your disease! I'm married and very grateful for the friendship I have with my spouse. I never realized that a day would come when my whole life style would change. I hope this site helps you as much as it has for me. There are so many nice people on here.

Bactrim is evil. Put me in shock.

I don't think it takes MRSA to cause even severe HS complications, ordinary Staph aureus is probably perfectly qualified, as are various species of Streptococcus.

A few months ago I had a cyst rupture that probably allowed a nasty Strep to make a jailbreak - the whole surrounding area became a huge vile abscess within hours and Bactrim and cefoxin probably saved my life - but its seems like the cysts themselves were resistant since the remaining ones were virtually unaffected. (Nasty stuff though, Bactrim was really rough on my stomach and seems to have messed up my gut flora so that I had a lot of stomach discomfort for weeks to come).

I'm very sorry to hear that it sounds like persons confused over HS bacteriology include someone you were dating. (Of all the irony, a nurse is probably the last person I'd want to date for fear of catching MRSA or a horde of other things they probably come into contact with constantly, I'm almost serious).

As best as I can clarify, HS or at least the most glaring symptoms may be all about the attendant infections, but they're generally considered organisms that are already everywhere and on everyone as normal human flora (commensal) - having them on the skin where they're harmless enough to healthy people just isn't the same thing as having them deep in a wound or a HS lesion where they're often found making all hell break loose. It's us wounded and mildly immunocompromised who probably need to worry most.

My wife hasn't caught anything from me in over ten years together with it, and again my HS complications are probably made of things we'd both been around plenty of times before we ever met.

I still wish I knew what to tell people to do besides try and get the best bacteriological work-up that you can so that you might have better chances of getting the simplest, safest, most easily tolerated, and most effective antibiotics instead of doctors playing hit-and-miss.

Anyway, nice to meet you Shane! I wish it were under better circumstances. Know what you're going through both with misery and having your HS misunderstood. It can be hard to understand, my wife has been wonderfully compassionate, knows all too well most of what I go through, but still doesn't really understand what it's like to actually have it or to try to keep it under management.