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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underarm surgery help or advice PLEASE!

carms29
carms29
yesterday i had a surgery consult because the HS under my arms has taken its toll and im finally at a place in my life where i can go through with this surgery and have my kids taken care of being that im gonna be bed ridden for awhile .. thats depressing as is already... but on the help and advice tip.. i pretty much want to know if this is a possibility from possible experiences or whatever...

the doc told me (since my arms is the only place i get them) that if it were to come back it probably wouldnt go back to the same place but go elsewhere..groin,butt,breast etc... has this happened to anyone? where it was only in one place.. got surgery then it went somewhere else?? this really scares me.. i can deal with my arms.. i can hide them... my groin and butt will affect my life completely..walking..sexually...running..playing wiht my kids ugh i can only imagine how that must be, as i know how annoying and painful the arms is... so please someone tell me any experiences and if this could really happen!?!?!?!

and thennnnnn the doc also mentioned that if my skin doesnt heal properly...that ill need another surgery and he'll need to take skin graphs from my hip... has this happened to anyone??!?!? please advice.. someone..anyone!!

i was so determined to do this and then this consult and me asking a million questions kind of scared me and now idk what to do!!

thanks in advance!
deleted_user
deleted_user
My HS is everywhere so I am not much help on whether it will move. I just had surgery where they removed like a4 inch panel from the underside of my breast and upper rib. basically the fold area of the breast was a HUGE mess so they cut it out. It was very painful but not as bad as i had imagined. I think it was easier for me to process this pain bc I knew the end result was going to be SOOOOOOOO much better than where I was before. So far I am doing well and lots on here have had armpits done and they hopefully will post. I can say that I am soo excited for my groin I can hardly believe I waited this long to begin with.

I hope this helps a little!!!

Amber
deleted_user
deleted_user
I've had surgery to remove the infected tissue, but it was spreading from left underarm to right underarm before I had my first surgery. If I'm not mistaken, when I had surgery under the left underarm, it spreaded to the left breast though it was already beginning to show signs that it was going to move there. So, yes, it did spread for me, even to the groin, but after I had surgery on the underarms and breasts, the groin calmed down and I barely get flare ups there.

My skin healed properly, also. I had another surgery to reclose the left underarm after the sutures broke but they healed nicely and I do not have any reoccurances under my arms. Just the breast and the groin once in a blue moon.

At the same time, I had my surgeries done by a plastic surgeon. I didn't have any skin grafts, either. I'm unsure as to who does the surgeries now, if it is still a plastic surgeon as I had my last surgery in 2005.

I hope this information helps and do not hesitate to message me if you want more information.
carms29
carms29
the surgeon is a plastic surgeon i remember reading on here that its a better way to go so i def asked to be seen and examined by a plastic surgeon.. when you had your arms down @salicia did they leave ur incisions open? my doc is talking abt leaving them completely open.. that kinda has me on the uneasy side!! :/

Goodluck with ur recovery Ajensen... if i end up doin this.. im really hoping for awhile of remission.. thats all im asking for.. i wana be able to wear a tank top and not be so damn insecure abt if anyone can see them or are they staring or can they smell what i smell.. ugh its aggravating!
carms29
carms29
@salicia how was your HS surgery under ur arms?? Pain level afterwards? how long did healing take?!??! any info is helpful!
deleted_user
deleted_user
My dermatologist has told me the same thing. One patch is removed and heals but more could come in other areas, even right beside where they did the surgery! You will however get relief and the exact area that is excised is alright for about a year is what my derm told me....but everyone is different too. And even a year of relief would be worth it at least to me.

But know this actually having the surgery will not make the disease spread.....if you are going to get it in other areas of your body in the future, having surgery somewhere now is not going to affect that. Its like you either will or won't regardless of surgery you know?

good luck dear!

Dus
deleted_user
deleted_user
Carms29, my incisions were completely closed but opened on their own. When I had the second surgery to close the wound under the left arm, it opened again. At that point, I said forget it, let it heal openly. I have full range of motion for both arms and lift weights now.

Full healing took a few months but it wasn't a slow heal, which surprised my surgeon. At the same time, A LOT of infected tissue was removed and the wound spread down a section of my arm. My other arm healed within a couple months as the HS wasn't as serious in that one. I was in a sling while the wounds healed. Pain level for me was minimal. I barely took my prescribed pain meds. Maybe once or twice when pain felt severe shortly following the surgery, but otherwise, I was fine.

The one bad thing (which isn't bad considering the amount of relief you get from being able to go into remission), which dissappeared after a while, was the tightness of the scar. As we get older and we massage the tissue plus return to our usual movements, it loosens up. It also didn't help that the left underarm's scar healed right over a nerve ending so touching or washing under my arm felt uncomfortable for a while until I got used to it.
carms29
carms29
thank you salicia!

this helps a lot!!

Dust bucket thank you!! i want to think the same.. i just (as bad as this sounds) hope that if it is gone come back that it happens in my arms and only in my arms..