Uh Oh....Flare Up!

My very first Hidradenitis Suppurativa flare-up started as an ingrown hair (or so I thought) under my right armpit.  It appeared right after I shaved and I thought I could simply pluck the hair from the area of irritation. I plucked it, but unfortunately the flare-up progressively got worse and continued to grow.  If you have read my HS story, I was able to treat it with some oral antibiotics and a clindamycin gel.  I have also completely changed my diet and continue to follow this diet religiously.  I have been very blessed to not have another flare up.

Learning about HS, I have found that not only can it be triggered by certain foods, it can also be triggered by heat, stress and hormones.  I very recently stopped taking my birth control pill because I am now 36 years old and did not want to risk all the side effects.  I was very nervous coming off of my pill (and still am) because I do not want my hormones to go out of whack and I get a huge flare-up.  I drink a spearmint tea daily because I was told it can help balance hormone levels.  I have also been going through a rough time with my dog.  We found out that he has lymphoma and we have had a lot of ups and downs with him.  So, I have had quite a bit of stress (sadness) mixed in with some hormonal changes.

Needless to say, the other morning I shaved under my left armpit and I found a little red sore spot and saw a little hair coming out of this spot.  It looked exactly like my first HS flare-up.  Due to my previous experience, I decided to leave it alone and not try to pluck this hair.  I immediately took 50mg Zinc, 450mg Turmeric, 1000mg vitamin C, and used my clindamycin gel.  I use my clindamycin gel daily as a preventive measure; however, I was using it morning and night during my "scare".  I also made some parsley tea.  These are all things that I believe have helped me stay flare-up free since January 2013.  

While I cannot say 100% that this was HS or simply an ingrown hair, I can happily report it healed right up in a couple of days.  I strongly believe there are little things we can do to help if a flare-up starts.  First and foremost is to make sure you have a healthy, balanced diet.  It is absolutely imperative to avoid certain foods.  Second, is to make sure you know your body.  Find out what works for you and what doesn't.  Educate yourself on what has worked for HS sufferers.  Some people swear by taking zinc others depend on diet and natural remedies.  We have learned that what works for some HS sufferers may or may not work for others, but it is worth trying and finding out if it is right for you.

These are just a few things that have worked for me.  See my other tips for additional HS information and recipes for what I call my HS Superfoods.