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,...
I was 17 the first time I noticed an abscess between my breasts. I went to a doctor where they lanced and drained the cyst and it was the most traumatic experience of my life. literally 3 nurses held me down while the doctor cut and squeezed the abscess. I screamed through the entire ordeal but little did I know it was the start of my journey living with HS. between 17 and 24 I was told that I just wasn't cleaning my skin right which I just couldn't understand. It wasn't until 2 years ago that a doctor actually took the time to diagnose me. For the past year or so I have been in remission until this past weekend. I have been very depressed the past few days just remembering all the things I went through before my remission. I look at my scars and I hate them. Now that I am out of remission I will have to give up my job. I sit here and remember my life before, always staying in the house, not wanting to be around people, living through the depression and the loneliness. I decided to search for a support group because there's no one I know who knows what it's like. So days I wake up and I just don't want to live and it feels like everyday is just getting harder.
It is amazing that a lot of docs still don't know about HS. There is a HS website that has a list of specialist throughout different areas. I found my doc on there and she's great! So mad that I lived so close to Boston for so long and never found her before.