A Quick Update!

Why hello! It’s been a while since I gave an update on my Hidradenitis Suppurativa so I thought I would take the time to explain what’s been going on with me and my lovely autoimmune disease!

So back in January of this year, I lost my insurance. Yay for turning 26, am I right? Because of having no insurance, I haven’t been able to see my good pal Dr. H for my flares. I did not think he would let uninsured patients be seen and that even if he did, it would cost an extreme amount of money that I wouldn’t be able to afford.

My flare got to be too painful

For the past few months, I’ve been getting a very tiresome groin flare that would surface and then go back under my skin. It would surface and then once again go back under the skin. It just kept doing this in a vicious cycle. It was annoying and I knew it was because I wasn’t able to get it lanced and drained at Dr. H’s.

Well last week, it just got to be too much. I couldn’t walk, sit, lay down, shower, or go to the bathroom without pain. This time, it wasn’t going back under the skin. That’s not exactly a fun way to live. The flare was located on the right inside of my groin and it was just excruciating. I would cry in the shower and I would cry having to try and pick an outfit to wear and I would cry on my way to work and I would cry during work. It was not swell.

I waved my white flag and called Dr. H’s office. I explained the situation on how I haven’t been able to come to the office since December (that was the last time I got lanced and drained since I lost my insurance that next month) and I asked if they were able to see me even though I don’t have insurance. I also asked if there was a payment plan option. The receptionist said that I would be able to pay out of pocket and she would try and find out how much the in-office procedure would cost. About an hour later, she called me back, told me how much it would be, and said I can come in the next day if I was available. After looking online and seeing how much a procedure like that can cost, they severely tried to get the lowest possible cost for me and I am so grateful for that. Mike, my boyfriend, was able to help me pay too so luckily, it really was not that much of a bank-breaking transaction.

Finally draining the flare

Dr. H did his thing the next day. He lanced, drained, and packed the flare, and put me on antibiotics. He said there was a lot of inflammation under the skin because of how long it was taking place. I was truly so happy to have finally been seen.

The next night after the procedure was not the best. Most of the time the packing will fall out on its own. This time, however, it did not. That bad boy was not budging and it was causing the wound to be even more painful. Mike helped me soak the packing gauze with warm water to make it easier to pull out. Pardon my French, but I was losing my sh*t the entire time. I was hysterical. I was sweating. I was in pain. I wanted to just give up and go to bed. Every time we pulled on the gauze, it just hurt so bad and I wasn’t sure how deep it was in. Finally, after 30 minutes of hysterics, we got it out and I quickly put on bacitracin and clean gauze.

Now a week later, the hole in my upper leg is closing nicely and not draining too much. I still put bacitracin and gauze on to keep it clean and absorb any moisture.

Wow, remember when I said this was going to be a quick update? My bad, folks. I really hope to get insurance through work soon. I’m a full-time librarian so hopefully, it’s in the foreseeable future.

Thanks for listening to my ramblings. Next time, I promise it’ll be quick!