Living

Developing hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), at around 11 years old meant there were little to no opportunities for me to date or experience intimacy. Either because I was so insecure I...

I often am thankful I exist in this time and space as opposed to years and centuries past, because I have so many clothing choices as opposed to people in...

In case you missed it, check out Part 1 of this series! Realistically, I couldn’t blame all of my struggles on my circumstances because I also didn’t have good habits...

If you’re reading this article right now, then you or someone you know already knows this to be true: HS can be debilitating and incredibly hard to manage. At least...

When I was first diagnosed with hidradenitis suppurativa, I felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness. Anyone who has been diagnosed with HS has probably gone down the same rabbit hole...

I worry. It’s just who I am as a person. I worry about things that happened 10 years ago, and I worry about things that happened 10 minutes ago. It...

In case you missed it, check out Part 1 of this series! I felt myself starting to ramble on about some of the physical restraints HS has on the body...

You’d think I was about to tell my boyfriend I had a sixth toe or something going by how nervous I was to talk to him about my HS. For...

The burden I carry as a hidradenitis suppurativa patient (HS) is not light, it is dark. It's as if Dante's Inferno and the book of Revelations had a baby, and...

Art is a great way to distract yourself from the pain. It also is a great way to document your Hidradenitis Suppurativa journey. Your style of art might change whether...

Hidradenitis suppurativa can be caused by many different things. Some people might flare from stress, anxiety, depression, or a hormonal imbalance, while others might flare from certain foods or beverages...

I’ve got a couple of things that make me really want to jump in a pool. One of my co-morbidities to hidradenitis suppurativa is ankylosing spondylitis, and because it affects...

You either hate or love therapy. Some days, it’s both. I have been in therapy off and on for 9 years, and recently, I found that therapy can be a...

In case you missed it, check out Part 1 of this series! Deciding to talk to my supervisor about my HS symptoms terrified me to no end. Don’t get me...

I remember the first time my supervisor asked me why I always walked funny. It wasn’t in a disrespectful way or anything, but I definitely remember feeling a little self-conscious...

I’m frustrated. I’m angry. I’m thoroughly annoyed. I don’t know how many times this needs to be said, but let me shout it out loud for the people in the...

One of my most favorite morning regimes is to head out for a run in the park. As I inhale the crisp warm air and watch the freshly cut green...

In case you missed it, check out Part 1 of this series! I previously shared how taking breaks and swimming are two strategies I use to treat my mental health...

In case you missed it, check out Part 1 of this series! The following weeks felt very different. I noticed that I was more present in class because I wasn’t...

I’m standing in the checkout and I’m loaded up with the usual: self-adhesive gauze pads, additional gauze pads, foam tape, 3 bottles of peroxide, one bottle of rubbing alcohol. Is...