Hello sickofit96,

I'm also suffering from HS for almost 6 years now. The only thing that produced positive results to me was the paleo diet. It`s a (kinda) strict diet where you don't eat a bunch of stuff that makes the HS upset. This includes diary, nightshades (potato family plants), gluten and sugar.

Our resistances are different so you may be able to have 1 or another food from the group without flaring up. In my case I cant eat white rice. If I do I'm sure to have some lesions the next day.

Having HS made me lost total faith in doctors and whatnot. They are clueless about a disease that is almost 200 years old... I'm not trying to judge anyone, we all just want to be pain free after all.

I do warm compresses to help the lumps come to a head and drain. I take metamizole pills (painkiller) and use a lidocaine cream to ease up the pain. I'm also going to start taking tumeric pills asap.

Look up the paleo diet, there are many pages and books on the matter. It`s hard to stick to it 100% (at least for me), but I don't eat rice everyday now, which I used to do before. Stress also plays a big factor in my case.

About the second question, I have no idea, ever since my HS got to stage II I stopped pursuing any kind of relationship (p.s. I'm a male). Im not insecure, but the pain made me bitter about life. I dont think anyone I love deserve to be around someone like me everyday.

I also couldnt live alone anymore and moved back to my parents last year,

Considering your finantial limitations, I would take the matter to my own hands and research. IMHO (Im not a doctor) this is thousand times better than any Dr. John Doe that never ever heard of this.

I really hope you get better!
Best regards :)

Thank you!

I feel for you i have had HS for around seven years. I understand you have a great job have you tried applying for medical aid I have stage 3 it forms tunnels and lesions very painful I might add. My husband has chrons disease and had to go on long term disability and insurance he carried at work so we qualified for held I've tried a lot of home remedies and it didn't work I dont want to get you down and hey everyone is different so it could work for you but you need to get to a Dr as soon as possible it does not help to but it of and yes what Lucky92 said about hardly any Drs knowing what it is is very true I went to several Drs before finally one took one look and told me what it was. I just started Humira a couple months ago. No change yet but I pray it works. Now telling someone you like is hard (im glad I am married) I'd say to tell him one night that you need to tell him something important and that if he don't want to be with you after you understand tell him first that you are very self conscious about it and that you hope he understands that then tell him tell him how painful it is and that it's not contagious (atleast thats what they say) tell him how upset it makes you and how hard it was to tell him if he don't want to be with you he's not the one I promise that's not just a saying. I have not been intimate with my husband in almost a yr and very few times in the two yes before that not bc he don't want to but bc it's to painful for me otherwise he wouldn't care a bit so if he don't except you then pick up your heart and move on to better things i promise it's out there. They say birth control helps of course it didn't me but it could you but you need to go to a free clinic or something bc your period should not be affected to that extent and something could be wrong so please look for free or cheep clinic in your area and start with that I wish you all the luck that you can go in remission soon much love!!!

Hello! I am also new to managing symptoms and reaching out for help. I've found that warm compresses help tremendously on both open and closed wounds. Eating as healthy as possible could be a good place to start. No more junk or processed food for me. I'm am currently trying to eat gluten free but I really haven't been replacing gluten filled items with substitutes i.e. Gluten free pasta or bread. Please keep us posted on anything you find that works for you. Hang in there!

sickofit96, I know how you feel. I know this is easier said than done, but you need to love yourself. I know this is uncomfortable to deal with, but once you are able to accept that this is just something that you were dealt, you will start feeling more comfortable talking about it.
When I first started getting lumps under my arms, I had asked my mother what they were, and her answer was, "oh, your dad gets those too, just pop it and it will go away." But they NEVER did! That was when I was about 16. Then once I was an adult, taking care of myself, about 19, I knew something was not right. I had so much pain sometimes I didn't want to put my arms down. Thankfully I had my boyfriend say to me that it's not normal, and you should get it checked out. Then I was finally diagnosed.
Maybe you need to find someone to help you cope, and help you understand more of what you're going through.

Doctors will continue to be ignorant about HS unless awareness is spread. I encourage anyone to educate their medical communities.
More awareness will provide more research for HS.
There are also many clinics that provide financial assistance.
Some have HS so bad they have no choice but to go on disability. I have been an HS patient for 15 yrs, disabled for 10, have tried many forms of treatment.
Apple cider vinegar is very good for the skin, if you are still doing that keep on, also if you can find apple cider vinegar soap, that helps too as I use this in combination with an anti bacterial soap and Clindamycin lotion.
Best Wishes.

Hello! I'm sorry to hear about your situation. Unfortunately, I don't have any particular inexpensive home remedy to recommend, but reading your post, I felt compelled to advise you to do find a way to get a check-up. I admit that doctors know nothing about HS, but they do know about other things. Your irregular or missing periods could be causing your HS, in a way. PCOS (polycystic ovaries syndrome) is often associated with HS. Also, this or hypothyroidism could be contributing to your menstrual problems, weight issues and hidradenitis, so you should get your thyroid checked. If you say you might have diabetes or just glucose intolerance, then it's imperative you see a doctor, not just because of HS. Treating any of these disorders, if they are present, could improve your HS significantly. Also, losing weight and quitting smoking (if you smoke). For me, no particular elimination diet helped, but staying away from junk food and sweets, alcohol, also eating integral bread or pasta (and not pasta and pizza all the time), more fresh fruit and vegetables, seems to make some positive difference. Some people improved when they eliminated dairy, so I'm staying away from that too, but I'm not sure it helps. Oh, yes, and getting enough and regular sleep definitely helps to not make it worse. Trying to keep the stress down as much as possible, relaxation, meditation, exercise, walks, dancing... (when and if possible). I hope you get better soon.

Just an update: staying away from bad foods (beef/potatoes/anything oily) has started to help quite a bit along with the apple cider vinegar and the rest of the colloidal silver I had. I’m going to try to quit smoking but I doubt that’ll work. Now it’s manageable and I ended up telling my SO about it before we did anything and it wasn’t a big deal at all (as I’m crying and he just gave me a hug and said it was fine, we’ll work around it) when I told him or during any intimate moments which was nice. he did however say he appreciated that I told him for anyone wondering if they should just not tell them and have them find it, telling them is probably the best choice so they’re prepared and don’t get freaked out. I do plan on going to the doctor hopefully by winter! Thank you everyone for the advice.