Hidradenitis suppurativa (boil/cyst in armpit or groin) - Page 16

PBLayzod · 06-16-2008, 04:48 PM

I hope the Yaz and Met combo will help. You may need some antibiotics to help get that white bloodcell count down. For me Met, the pregnancy, then Yaz has kept them mostly at bay. I only get fairly mild ones "down there" (as you put it), though. I've never had one on my armpit that I can remember. I've also never had to have one lanced or removed. The one boil I had on my tailbone eventually drained and never returned. I know I'm lucky.

Jess1216 · 06-16-2008, 05:43 PM

PBLayzod-- could the one on your tail bone have been a pilonidal cyst??

I just want to cry. I went in to the general surgeon today and left feeling like I wasted everyone's time. I went in to my primary LAST WEEK because it was bothering me. She referred me to general surgery because she said she couldn't do it there. General Surgery couldn't get me in until Monday (today) at the earliest because the surgeon was out of town. So that was 5.5 days right there & I honestly figured it wouldn't be there by the time Monday came. Sure enough things got so painful and large it started draining. It drained all friggin weekend.

I go in today--I wanted them to look at the situation anyway because for all I knew there was more in there. He told me there was nothing for him to do. It already drained & next time I get one I can call & come in and they'll lance it. I'm sitting here thinking ok....that's SO not helpful when I have to wait almost a week. He said I should be able to get in a lot sooner next time though (yeah...we'll see about that.).

Here is the kicker: the surgeon told me I DIDN'T HAVE HS. He told me they're boils (duh) but not HS because I didn't have any sinus tracts. Which is funny because he also didn't explain the small pinhole that drains frequently but whatever Mr. Surgeon. Then, he and his nurse actually asked me if I've looked on the web because if I had I'd probably be able to see that I didn't have HS by reading the info on it. WHAT?!

From what I've read, I've seen NOTHING that says sinus tracts are REQUIRED for it to be Dx as HS. It says *may* have sinus tracts, and in another place I've read that tracts are a LATER STAGE, or a MORE ADVANCED STAGE of HS.

I want to scream.

PBLayzod · 06-16-2008, 05:54 PM

There's nothing saying you can't have both boils and HS for that matter. Sorry you had a crappy experience, but yay for the thing draining on it's own. That's got to be more pleasant than the alternative.

Jess1216 · 06-16-2008, 05:58 PM

Thank you

I know I shouldn't be so upset about it...and I probably won't be in a few hours but sometimes this can be SO frustrating to begin with it's like insult to injury, you know?! DH thinks I'm being too sentitive & the surgeon didn't seem that bad but I felt like he was talking to me like I wasted his time.

Maybe when I'm not so hormonal I'll do a little reflecting and reassess the situation! haha

meilani · 06-18-2008, 10:35 AM

PBLayzod- you're on Yaz too?! Awesome. I started takin it last August. I tried Yasmin 1st but it actually made my boils worse AND made me have a 7 day AF. NO THANK YOU!! haha So now Yaz (only a 3 day AF WHOOHOO!!) is helpin with tha Met to stop new boils from forming. I actually had a tiny tiny breakout this past week, since I'm due for AF this weekend, but it was only 2 & they're pea sized. FABULOUS compared to what I used to get b4 & tha number of 'em too. It was ridiculous.

Do you know of NEthing th@ helps with these nasty scars?!?! What about th@ Mederma ointment (th@'s designed for scars)? Probably not, but I thought I would just ask if you've had any success with any creams or ointments th@ helped to lessen tha appearance of 'em, especially their awful varying colors. I have smelled tha Tree Oil b4 & I thought I was gonna gag, I'm not sure I could handle smellin like th@ all day. Plus I'm sure my mind would actually sniff out th@ particular scent on my body & make it even worse smellin if I knew I had put it on. I read about tanning helping but it's too hot & humid to tan in a bed here in tha summer...I could in winter time but definitely not now. Plus I know b4 when I tanned in a bed, it could make a few fresh boils pop up overnite, if I didn't shower within 30 mins of tanning, which I'm sure is due to sweating.

I know you said your outbreaks aren't very serious but if anything works for you I can hope & pray th@ it might work for me too!! NE advice @ all th@ you've had success with (OR NEBODY ELSE ON HERE FOR TH@ MATTER) I'll try it out.

PBLayzod · 06-18-2008, 10:59 AM

I don't have scars that I know about from the HS. I don't really scar for whatever reason. I had terrrible chicken pox when is was in my 20's (more than 40 on my forehead alone) and only have 1 scar from them. I also didn't get any stretch marks from the pregnancy even though I carried past 40 weeks. (Don't worry, I do have some from weight gain when I was in college.) I attibute it to my really oily skin, but I know it's probably just genes.

I personally like the tea tree oil. You might want to check out a few different brands and see if the smell is better in some of them. Pure oils just smell, though.

Jess1216 · 06-18-2008, 12:25 PM

Soulfulqween suggested a salve quite a few pages back. She said it always works for her. I was reading something about HS and it mentioned that a particular salve is thought to be helpful. It listed the ingredient in the salve that was supposed to help. I'll try to find the article I was reading so I can be a little more specific!!

chachimomo · 06-20-2008, 02:40 PM

Hi All,

I'm sitting here right now gritting my teeth through another outbreak down there. I take toradol which is the only thing that works for the pain when it's small and at least takes the edge off when it's big (like now). I saw this post from long ago. I am in Austin. Was wondering if anyone has any doc recommendations in the area and also if anyone has had gastric bypass and if it's helped at all. I've diagnosed with both hs and PCOS. Seems to be getting way worse lately...many more skin tags, weight increasing.

[quote=raeannan;1888116566]O my gosh... I have HS also. There are actually alot of websites to read on them. I was diagnosed with HS about 6 years ago. My doctor (Infectious Disease) says its one of the worst cases he had ever seen. I have had gastric bypass (Overweight doesnt cause it but it does make it worse) and had NUMERIOUS operations. (Actually this week I am waiting to find out when my next surgery to remove them all under my armpits is. If anyone has any questions on this or is in the houston area I can give you a great doctor. You guys no guys get it too and sometimes worse. Sorry I can go on and on on this subject. Glad im not all alone!!

island_cyster · 07-01-2008, 12:59 PM

OMG so that's what that is! Recently like the past few months I've been getting those weird bumps around my groin area that itches like the dickens. Of course it's never there when I visit my gyn although I think I've developed a skin tag because of it. Well isn't this just plain lovely.

TapestryInTheDark · 07-03-2008, 12:11 AM

I have PCOS and I have had armpit boils since I was about 16 - I've also had them in my groin area. I've always been overweight which I hear is a contributing factor to PCOS. I always thought these boils were a result of being overweight.

I have one right now that is so painful and got so big that I had to pop it. This is pretty gross but with the liquidy puss there were hard pieces - like you would see in the white head of a zit. Absolutely disgusting - I almost threw up. Should I be worried that they have gotten this bad? They didn't use to be so pussy -- I had to squeeze it every night for three days to get it all out. It's so filled with stuff that it literally "exploded" onto my bathroom mirror.

Do BCP's really help? My doctor prescribed YAZ for me but there are so many warnings I've been apprehensive to take it. But after reading the below I think maybe I should.

Eva37 · 07-03-2008, 08:47 AM

welcome to sc tapestry

have you seen your dr about your hs??

meilani · 07-03-2008, 09:33 AM

island_cyster - oh yes they itch like crazy!! I hafta agree with you. It seems like when they're startin to form I get th@ itchy sensation goin on. Then within a few days it's pus-filled & hurts. It almost feels like a razor blade slicing th@ area if you hit it just right, either with clothes rubbin or just natural movement & it stretches/pulls-on th@ skin. Keep up your spirits!! I've had these lil buggers since I was around 16. I'm not lettin them take over my life so don't let 'em do it to you either!!

meilani · 07-03-2008, 09:47 AM

TapestryInTheDark - I've had these things since I was 16. I have tried all kinds of poopoo thru tha years ta get 'em to go away or @ least not pop up as much.

In tha past yr, I have been put on Yaz (24/4 dosing, teal box), NOT tha purple box Yasmin bad issues with th@ one, & I also take 1500mg of Metformin a day. It sounds like a lot but it really isn't. AND an added bonus for tha Met is th@ I'm actually losin weight from it b/c my appetite isn't as often or as strong as it was b4. It doesn't make you turn anorexic or NEThing like th@ b/c I do still eat but it isn't take as much for me to feel full & there's times when I'm not even hungry but I still make myself eat b/c you can have major blood sugar probs on Met if you're not prediabetic or diabetic. NEways, tha combo of Yaz & Met has GR8LY reduced tha reoccurence & size of these boils & some of my scars have lightened up as well. They haven't gone completely away, th@ is expected of course, but NEthing th@ helps to lessen th@ appearance I'm all for it!! One gr8 thing about Yaz is tha 3 day AF & also tha less moodiness, less bloating...you get tha idea.

Everybody - I had a semi large one reappear under my left armpit AGAIN! It just won't go away, I pop it (or it pops on its own) & it continues to fill up again tha following month & will not go away. FINALLY I tried somethin new. In May I had gotten my nose re-pierced (for a 2nd time) & I was given sea salt (NOT table salt key difference there) to help my piercing heal quicker. I asked tha chick how it works. She said th@ tha sea salt mixed with water help to create a reverse osmosis reaction so it'll pull out infections, gunk, pus, etc but said not to leave it on tha piercing for more than 15 mins. I was like hmmmmm okay. It worked WONDERS on my nose & within 1 week of usin th@ stuff it was completely healed, no redness, no crusties - it looked like I'd had it pierced for YEARS. I was amazed quite frankly. SO I got this brilliant idea over tha weekend to pop this disgustin armpit boil & see what's what. Of course blood/pus mix oozed out. Whatever, usual. Then I put a dab of water on a very large bandaid & put a pinch (yes I do mean a very very baby PINCH!!!) of sea salt on tha wet center of it & pasted th@ puppy to my armpit. It instantly began to burn. I'm not gonna lie. But it felt like it was burnin from tha inside out, if th@ makes sense (hence tha reverse osmosis feeling). I waited 15 mins & I pulled tha bandaid off tha bump was COMPLETELY gone. It's now Thurs & I just looked @ it again, it has been healing from tha inside out since I did th@. It's almost completely healed & closed off. There is some scarring (like with all these damn boils)but not a whole lot. I'm hoping maybe th@ this isn't a fluke occurence. I dunno. I'll try to keep you guys updated on how it looks in another week or two & especially next month when/if it flares up again. I'm not sure if this is safe but hey it's workin so far & so long as it continues I may be utilizing it a lot more!!

TapestryInTheDark · 07-04-2008, 01:03 PM

I've been to the doctor a few times - they always just say it's an ingrown hair or clogged folicle. I've been going through this for years - and only a year ago did this really great OB/GYN tell me I had PCOS and had probably had it for awhile. She was great.

Now that I know I'm learning about all this stuff that doctor's never bothered to investigate before - and learning it's all from PCOS.

The last time I visited a doctor for an armpit boil it was 2 years ago and she said the same thing as all the other docs - and told me to hot pack it. I take care of them myself now - doctor's are no help.

island_cyster · 07-04-2008, 04:19 PM

I am so thankful that I found this site. Mine doesn’t swell up with pus or anything. The area (my inner thighs) just starts itching like crazy. I usually apply some aloe vera or some baby powder an it usually lessens the itching but my inner thighs are starting to get noticeably darker. First time I saw those tiny bumps I was really freaked thought I’d gotten an STD. This was weird considering I’m not even sexually active so my thoughts were running to dirty public toilets. I hate how the skin feels different. I mean it’s smooth but doesn’t feel like the rest of it. I’m gonna try the whole tea tree oil, pure cocoa butter and raid my grandma’s aloe vera tree and see if it works. But I’ve been on met and so far I haven’t had a breakout. I wish PCOS had some health benefits. Oh wait it does. In case of plane crashes that results in you being stranded on an island the high body fat content we carry means we’ll probably survive longer than anyone else! How that for looking on the bright side?