Hidradenitis Suppurativa Support Group

Hidradenitis suppurativa (hi-drad-uh-NIE-tis sup-yoo-ruh-TIE-vuh) is rare, long-term skin condition that features small, painful lumps under the skin. The disease manifests as clusters of chronic abscesses or boils, sometimes as large as baseballs, that are extremely painful to the touch and may persist for years with occasional to frequent periods of inflammation,...

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amyls522 03/30/2016

I currently have 2 spots that are flared up, one in my armpit and another on the bottom side of my breast. Neither one of them will drain or break open. They are so sore. I just want some relief. ugggg Any suggestions??

macdenise 03/30/2016

Hot compress. Or sit in a bath full of hot water only for 15-20 mins 2-3 times a day. You can use Hibiclens. It might help dry it out. That's what my problem is, none of mine will pop when they do I get strep infection, and stage 3! First time getting one in my arm pit. :\ hope it works.

tulip76 03/30/2016

Ditto hot compresses. Works like a charm every time.

Sorry to hear about your flare :(

amyls522 03/30/2016

Thanks, so much, actually called the dermatologist, I havn't been there in 6 years, but at least I can get some ointment and antibiotics. :) Have read where people said cutting out potatoes from their diet helped, going to try that also.

macdenise 03/30/2016

I'm not sure about the whole potatoes thing. Gluten is prob a big trigger so I've heard some doctors say. Couldn't hurt to try it for a 3 months to see if it works.

lula73 04/12/2016

Vinegar baths can help with the pain...add 1 cup white vinegar to a tubful of warm water (add more is you have an overlarge tub) and soak affected areas for at least 30 minutes. Pat dry when you hop out. The warm water helps soothe, the vinegar helps dry things out (reducing size of boils) and also kills germs.

On the potatoes, many find their HS is triggered by a food group. Typically Nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, paprika, tobacco), wheat gluten (breads, pastas, pizza, anything with wheat barley or rye products in them), dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, butter) and nuts. You can do a full on AIP diet where you eliminate all these things for minimum of 3 weeks then slowly add 1 group back in at a time with 2-3 weeks in between additions. Alternatively you can try just eliminating 1 group at a time for a period of 2-3 weeks and see if there is any change. Just make sure to eliminate the entire list of foods that falls in that group - you can't pick and choose (ie eliminating nightshades means no potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, paprika, tobacco all at the same time). IF you figure out a food group is the trigger then you can experiment with different foods within that group to see if there are some that are ok to eat and others that are not.

Good luck to you!

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