HS and Comorbidities
I've had HS since my early 20s. I lived with it until my 30s. They operated on my armpit, told me there was no cure for HS and that it was an autoimmune disorder. They also told me the bumps could go down on me and they did—to my groin area. To this day, I have been living with the painful bump in areas where it hurt just to sit. I have an appointment with a dermatologist now. I’m in my late 50s.
Earlier this year, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s, and I have low vitamin D despite a supplement I take weekly (I had weight loss surgery in 2009 my body is not absorbing it correctly.). I asked my PCP for Calcifediol and was referred. I also had to have a pacemaker put in at age 42. Now I also have chronic kidney disease and, possibly, liver disease. I'm falling apart inside. I also have moderate osteoporosis. Any information on this or some form of advice would be appreciated.
Hi
. Welcome to the community! You submitted this as a story, but I converted it to a forum post since you'd like feedback from the community.
You have so much going on medically. I can see why it feels so overwhelming. I hope you get lots of input from people here in the HS community. While you wait, I wanted to make you aware of a sister community where you might find more specific help for kidney disease, Chronic-Kidney-Disease.net. You'll find lots of great resources there for managing kidney disease and slowing progression.
All those diagnoses sound challenging, but they might be easier to manage if you step back and take a hard look at the types of management they require and how they might be related.
For instance, kidney problems often occur as an effect of untreated Hashimoto’s disease. When you get your vitamin D levels up and your Hashimoto's disease under control, you might find that your kidney disease becomes much easier to manage. Are you seeing an endocrinologist? If not, it's super important to find one for your Hashimoto's.
Your vitamin D deficiency might also be contributing to your osteoporosis since you need vitamin D to absorb calcium. So simply resolving your vitamin D deficiency can play a big part in managing everything else. Who knows? Maybe Hashimoto’s and your vitamin D deficiency contributed to your HS flares and bringing them under control will help as well. Triggers for flares are different for everyone. The lack of vitamin D might be one of yours.
A good dermatologist is key to managing HS disease, so I'm glad you're seeing one. If this dermatologist doesn't understand HS disease, I hope you find another one who does. In the meantime, here is an article about home remedies that might help ease your flares: https://hsdisease.com/home-remedies.
I hope that by seeing a dermatologist and joining this community, you're on your way to living a fuller and less painful life. New diagnoses can be scary, but they can also be life changing in good ways. You've likely had many of these medical issues all along. Now you finally get an opportunity to address them and manage them.
Please keep us posted, especially about you dermatologist visit. We're here for you and I'l be thinking of you.
-Lori (Team Member)
