HS Flared, I Panicked, ChatGPT Delivered

After a much-needed vacation, I was expecting to come home relaxed and refreshed. Instead, I walked through my front door and straight into one of the worst HS flare-ups I’ve had in a while. If you live with hidradenitis suppurativa, you know how quickly things can go from “I’m fine” to “Why is everything on fire?” One minute I was reminiscing about Arizona views and empowering hikes and, the next, I was dealing with a full-blown flare-up from hell.

I asked for flare help on a whim

I've lived with HS for nearly 25 years, so I'm no stranger to the myriad of ways that I can address my symptoms - most of which have had little success. Despite having a pretty solid self-care routine, this flare caught me off guard. I was low on energy, low on patience, and not in the mood to sift through the internet for ideas. So, on a whim, I opened up ChatGPT and typed out my situation - symptoms, products I already had at home, what time of day the discomfort was worst, everything.

To my surprise, it helped.

AI recommended products and helped me find them

ChatGPT walked me through what I could do using what I already had, suggesting which products might be most useful for specific symptoms, and when to use them. It even recommended a few over-the-counter options I hadn’t tried yet, and some that I had forgotten about, along with where I could buy them locally or online (a lifesaver when you're too sore to make extra trips). Within a few hours, I had a delivery at my doorstep from my local pharmacy with a new stash of supplies. I'm someone who agonizes over "this or that" when buying a new product, and having ChatGPT help me make those choices based on availability near me significantly lightened the mental burden.

A new action plan for my HS disease symptoms

But the best part - it helped me create a visual, printable chart to organize my self-care routine based on what symptoms I was experiencing and what time of day they were flaring. Morning swelling, midday pain, evening drainage - each had its own plan of action. Having it all laid out made things feel more manageable and a lot less overwhelming.

Honestly, even though it was the worst flare I’ve had in years, I was able to manage it more quickly, easily, and effectively than some of my milder ones.

AI is one more tool in the kit

Let’s be clear: ChatGPT isn’t a doctor and shouldn’t replace medical advice. Always check in with your healthcare provider. But let’s be honest: HS is tough, and we need all the support we can get. Whether it’s helping to organize your routine, brainstorming self-care strategies, or making sense of what’s already in your cabinet, AI can be a surprisingly useful tool. ChatGPT won’t write prescriptions, but it can help you feel a little more in control when your skin is waging a war. Living with HS often means relying on trial and error, creativity, and community. For me, AI was just one more tool in the kit - something that helped bring structure and calm to a chaotic flare.

Managing HS isn’t easy, but any resource that brings a little clarity and calm to the chaos is worth considering.