 Topic: Doctor Recs Surgery...Opinions? |
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Message posted by NightOwl on 09 March 2010 at 8:52pm - IP Logged
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| NightOwl |
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United States
09 March 2010
19 Posts |
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Hi everyone!
First time poster here! A little background info first...I'm a 24 y/o female who was diagnosed with HS about a month ago. Had 4 open sores under the arm (only one arm was affected) that were draining. Had stifling pain back in November-December, but that's since subsided. Doctor had me on Augmentin for 3 weeks, but it didn't help too much. One of my cysts actually was positive for a bacteria and that one closed up on the Augmentin. Since then, my 3 remaining sores have gotten better, it seems. The pain is minimal and only tends to come after a long day. It's still sore, but only slightly discolored now. The doc thinks the 3 remaining sores are connected in a tract. In the middle, there is a swelling the size of a lima bean, I'd say. But the 3 sores, while still open and draining, do appear to be getting better.
Anyway, the doctor thinks that I should have surgery to remove the affected area. I'm wondering what people's thoughts are on this? I've been reading some negative stories on here. My case seems to be pretty mild and I was wondering if this was a good thing to excise the area and try and get ahead of the disease? |
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Message posted by Emilio35 on 10 March 2010 at 7:04am - IP Logged
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| Emilio35 |
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United States
08 July 2009
26 Posts |
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Hi NightOwl,
I'd recommend adopting Rick's mantra of "read read read and when you are done read some more". It seems that even from excising the area, that the HS can come back and the surgery itself is a long and painful recovery (I'm guessing he is recommending wide excision with healing by 2ndary intention?).
Have you exhausted all other treatment options? Surgery is really a last option and not necessarily the best last option. I'd read from this site all about tumeric, zinc, and also about having the lesions aspirated then injected with kenalog.
Do you do any daily prevention methods as well? Lots of good information on this site to read prior to choosing surgery.
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Message posted by NightOwl on 10 March 2010 at 10:46am - IP Logged
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| NightOwl |
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Standard Member
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United States
09 March 2010
19 Posts |
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Hi Emilio,
Thanks for the quick reply and your thoughts. I have been scouring this site and as much as I can for the past day or so. Yes, he does plan on a wide excision and leaving the wound open to heal on its own in 6-8 weeks. He was quite nonchalant about recommending the surgery. Said it was my decision to wait or not but that "a lot of people get sick of it and will have it removed...I won't be surprised to hear from you soon." After reading everything, I'm very taken back from his off the cuff response. I fear it getting worse elsewhere and he didn't mention that at all...nor did he mention other treatment options. So far, this is very mild for me and I'd hate to make it worse.
I haven't done any treatment options actually, aside from the antibiotic. My only daily regimen is to clean the area with an antibacterial soap and to place a bandage over it for the day to catch the draining.
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Message posted by Emilio35 on 10 March 2010 at 12:07pm - IP Logged
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| Emilio35 |
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United States
08 July 2009
26 Posts |
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Message posted by NightOwl on 10 March 2010 at 12:16pm - IP Logged
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| NightOwl |
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Standard Member
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United States
09 March 2010
19 Posts |
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All right, so for anyone else who's going to stumble upon this, I definitely wanted to provide an update. Emilio's right: read, read, read, read!! I'm definitely not taking my doctor up on his surgery recommendation. I'm getting another doctor's opinion and starting some herbal remedies.
Love this site! |
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Message posted by Emilio35 on 10 March 2010 at 12:42pm - IP Logged
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| Emilio35 |
Standard Member
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United States
08 July 2009
26 Posts |
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Read read read, you can thank Ricky for! I just beat him to the punch this time is all  |
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Message posted by ricky4511hs on 10 March 2010 at 8:37pm - IP Logged
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| ricky4511hs |
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Forum Moderator
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United States
27 April 2006
1107 Posts |
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Emilio.......... ( ( ( ( GOAL ) ) ) )
Good advise...
Night Owl,
Here are a couple of suggestions....
Try the Zinc and Turmeric. 50mg of Zinc Daily and 500mg of Turmeric daily for 30 days. Take with food to avioid stomach up set. See how things are coming along.
If the lesions have are still active, but not open, mix a teaspoon of Turmeric in to a paste by adding water, then apply the paste to the lesion and cover with a bandaid, see how they look in the morning.
On your next trip to the Doc, have him run a complete Androgen and Hormone study. There is a strong correlation with HS and Androgen and Hormone imbalances.
It is better to check now.
You might also find massaging a small amount of Tea Tree Oil (TTO) into the affected areas helpful. ONLY IF THE LESIONS ARE CLOSED. DO NOT APPLY TO OPEN WOUNDS..it will burn like the fires of hell for about 20 minutes.
Aspiration and injecting with localized Kenalog is also an option. Make sure it is Kenalog...we do not know why but the Kenalog seem more effective than other corticosteroids.
Take a deep breath and gently blow out...you can get through this and things will be fine.
Let us know how you are doing!!
Peace
KIBTL
Rick H.
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Forum Moderator
My new mantra:
Life isn't like a box of chocolates. It's more like a jar of jalapenos. What you do today, might burn your butt tomorrow.
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Message posted by NightOwl on 11 March 2010 at 4:01pm - IP Logged
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| NightOwl |
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Standard Member
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United States
09 March 2010
19 Posts |
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| Thanks for the advice. I've been scouring the site for the past 2 days. I've since made an appointment with a dermatologist for a next week. I found her on the other HS site and it says she has 20+ years experience with HS, so we'll see what she says. I'm gonna hold off on anything until I see her since it's only a week away. I'll be sure to update. |
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