How A Trip to the Dermatologist Crushed My Treatment Dreams (Part 2)

Check out the Part 1 of this series How A Trip to the Dermatologist Crushed My Treatment Dreams.

The doctor rushed out of the room and left us waiting for another five minutes. When she came back, all of her questions sounded somewhat accusatory and like I had written my name on an imaginary list because this was the disease I wanted. She wanted to know what soap I was using and matter of factly suggested that I could use Hibiclens or Lever 2000 to help me. As if these were products that I should have already been privy to even though this was my first actual medical appointment about HS. The doctor made me feel as if I was a silly person who knew nothing and that my experience with HS did not matter.

Feeling like my disease did not matter

If you are an HS warrior, or someone who frequents dermatologists, I bet you can guess where this appointment went next. The doctor wanted to know if I had tried any oral antibiotics and which ones I had tried. Before this appointment, I was on two separate rounds of antibiotics but the only one I could remember at the moment was Doxycycline. I explained that neither antibiotic worked for me and that I did experience nausea with both drugs.

Lucky for me, the doctor explained that she preferred Doxycycline and that I should complete a two-month round of antibiotics to clear up my HS. I was also given a topical cream that did nothing for my wounds. We planned to schedule another appointment at the one-month mark to see if things had cleared up (they never did).

Enter the final straw that summed it up for me

If my memory serves correct, the doctor rushed out of the room for a second time all within a less than ten-minute timeframe. When she came back, my mom and I decided to ask about deodorant and what I could do during the “famously hot” weather we were experiencing. It’s funny because if the doctor had shown she didn’t really care earlier, it definitely came out in the last few minutes as it was obvious she was rushing us out to get the next person in. She scoffed, “Well, why aren’t you wearing deodorant?”. Well, maybe it is because I don’t feel comfortable using deodorant on open wounds that cover most of my underarm. I’m also now sure that some other professionals wouldn’t advise of this either. The doctor assured me that I could continue using deodorant and that I in fact should be using deodorant.

And there it was, all of my treatment hopes and dreams were crushed underneath the foot of a doctor who I feel never cared from the moment I walked into her exam room. I’m sharing this experience not to discourage anyone further about our healthcare system, but instead to hopefully bring light to an experience I know many of us face. When faced with doctors who show you that they do not care, try not to get discouraged about treatment as a whole. In life, we will be presented with many options and I have learned that it is up to us to consider the different options we have and choose what is best for our health.