Last week we went to urgent care because our babies cheeks had two main eczema spots (seemingly irritated from drool on cheeks rubbing against a sleep sack) that began to weep after trying a few at home remedies. The urgent care doc prescribed a steroid (Des) and mupirocin topical antibacterial ointment. We were applying both as directed and coming up on five days and there was some improvement especially with the antibacterial, some redness as we continued to use the steroid and yet seemingly increased eczema appearing higher on the cheek.
A rash started on baby’s torso so I called our primary care to be seen and the pediatrician changed the steroid that we were applying to the two main sites at the bottom of the cheek to hydrocortisone saying the original one prescribed was too strong and not recommended. She also advised to lubricate with some cream or Vaseline.
That night we applied the hydrocortisone to the two main sites and some eucerine baby eczema cream to the rest of his face and body.
BAM-TOTAL INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE on face and body. By midnight that night baby’s face was swollen, pimply, red, and warm. I think the colloidal oatmeal is a trigger for his skin as this whole thing really blew up after first applying Tubby Todd ointment which caused increase irritation at the two main sites on his cheeks.
I went into pediatric ER that next morning and they told us to stop the steroid and started an oral antibiotic. They suggested giving the skin a break from anything but also apply Vaseline and topical antibacterial, yet we’ve waited 24 hours after the ER visit before we applied anything else to the skin.
We do see improvement within 20 minutes of the oral antibiotic but when we applied Vaseline, the skin on his face just seems to increase in pimples and redness.
The two main sites seems like their healing but it’s hard to look at because it’s not all the great looking—like when you really bust up your skin on a fall and the yellow pus/scab begins to form. There’s an eczema rash all over his arms right now. ER docs say the body rash is unrelated—that it looks viral??
We’ve gotten a few different forms of information and instructions from urgent care, our peds clinic, and the ER. It’s so hard watching my baby in pain, to be itching his face, and the tumultuous turns for these two intense sites on his cheeks.
My last resort is hoping and praying the oral meds kick this out. We’re day 2 of 7.
All this to say, I am gluten, dairy, soy, and egg free. This rash has intensified over the last two weeks and I’m losing my strength and it’s hard to feel like this is going to end or heal and I’ll be able to see my baby’s skin clear again.

Hello,
I could really use some advice, because I’m not too sure what to do at this point in treatment and feeling a bit hopeless.
Quick backstory, I’m a 23 M about 175 pounds. My acne was never bad, but I suffered from constant whiteheads, inflammed bumps, and the occasional cyst since 15. I truly fit the “recurrent and unresponsive to other treatments” reason for prescribing Accutane. I started in December 2023 and dosage (mg) to date has been 40:60:80:80:80:60. The drop from 80 to 60 is why I’m posting.
The Accutane worked instantly at 40; within a week all my acne disappeared and I didn’t get another pimple until halfway through 60. It was magical. Of course I had dry skin, lips, eyes, but nothing even close to outweighing the benefits or what I had heard from others’ experiences. First month on 80 was when everything changed. I got 3 cysts in a matter of a month, facial skin got extremely dry, rashes on hands and arms, skin started peeling off toes and bleeding (especially when working out), back pain, nose bleeds, beard hairs/follicles bleeding etc — the works. I kept pushing but eventually enough was enough and I reached out to my dermatologist who prescribed me a month of Prednisone. I had never taken a steroid in my life up to that point, but instantly 95% of the side effects subsided and all inflammation from the cysts disappeared.
Fast forward to last month, I ran out of my Prednisone and most side effects came back, and even more intense. But to my surprise, after my first time shaving my beard (I use straight razor, 2 blade, shaving cream, with grain, once weekly) I got the worst razor burn and bumps. I tried OTC Hydrocortisone and Aloe, but it didn’t work. I gave it a week, but no relief. I reached out to my dermatologist who prescribed Triamcinolone Acetate (topical steroid cream). Again, weeks of application and some relief, but still noticeable irritation.
What’s bothering me now, is my beard is so painful. I try to let it grow and not touch it, and it’s almost as if Eczema is occurring underneath and the beard hairs feel like needles; but if I do shave, the “Eczema” subsides but the bumps become more obvious (pictures 24 hours ago).
I feel like a shell of myself. My acne is flawless. I haven’t had a pimple in months and it’s obvious the medicine has done a fantastic job.. but possibly too well.
Any advice? I plan to reach out to my dermatologist tomorrow. I want to quit the Accutane early, but I’m scared of relapsing. I’m tracked for 9 months and have almost completed 6. The decrease to 60 was my request, and I don’t know when/if I’ll see a difference in the side effects. I can handle almost all the side effects throw my way so far, but the beard crossed the line.

Hi! I'm a 28yo cis female and I have been diagnosed with a nickel allergy as a kid. I also was diagnosed with eczema, but I almost never have flare-ups now. It tends to only act up in the middle of winter, when the heat is on. Or if I go into chlorinated pool a few days in a row.
A few months ago, I started getting these little bubbles on my hands. I went to the doctor and they said it was Dyshidrotic eczema. It really hurts, and it's very uncomfortable. I tried the cream that they gave me, use the whole bottle. It ended up stopping, but it keeps coming back. I continue to have flare-ups constantly.
I saw someone mentioned nickel allergy in relation to Dyshidrotic eczema, and what I found was very surprising. I fit a lot of the symptomatic behavior for SNAS / Systemic nickel allergy syndrome. I have been having a lot of migraines, I'm dizzy with constant fatigue.I'm having the rashes break out on my hands, and sometimes on the bottom of my feetI've been having a lot of gastrointestinal issues over the past few years and I've always had them since I was a kid but they're worse now. I've also recently had diarrhea more often, which is strange considering I'm on methadone.(It's an opiate for heroin addiction recovery)Which typically causes constipation issues.
I have lowered my dose from 100 mg to 45 in the past year and a half, because I'm trying to get off. So I thought that that was why my symptoms have been getting worse, but now I'm wondering if maybe that's just why my symptoms are more noticeable and maybe they're actually related to SNAS.
I also wanted to add the context, that I am a vegetarian. That tries to eat a primarily vegan diet. So most of the things that I eat, have a high nickel content. Such as soy, beans, nuts, seeds, oats,etc. So I'm really concerned about that... I mean what the hell am I even supposed to eat? I'm going to be making another appointment with my nutritionist. But before that comes up, I just want to know if there's anything I can do to try to mitigate this issue. As well as I want to know if people think that this could actually be what's wrong with me. I've been trying to figure out why my health has been so wacky, honestly since I was a teenager. It would be mind blowing to me to figure out that it's simply this.
I feel kind of dumb too, because I didn't know that nickel was in food? I knew that there was metals in food. But I wasn't aware that nickel could be in food. I honestly thought that it was just in jewelry. Since that's how I figured out I was allergic originally, and then I went to the allergist and they confirmed it. I went to the allergist because it really was that bad of a reaction. Where my whole neck basically almost like blew up it felt I went to the allergies, because it really was that bad of a reaction. Where my whole neck basically was engulfed in a red rash.
So my question are ...
Could it be SNAS? and what can I do to help ? How do I make the itchy feeling more bearable?
My hands honestly are starting to get pretty screwed up, and I try not to itch them. But sometimes they do in and they end up getting sores. It's so gross tbh,I feel embarrassed and started wearing gloves in public. Not to mention all the other health issues, so any help would be greatly appreciated. 💞
edit:typos

Measurements: Loose 36.25 Snug 35.5 Tight 32.75 Standing 43 Leaning 47.25 Laying 45.25
I have found ABTF (two, actually! A Gaia and a Gorsenia, both 36FF) and 110% they’re unlined seamed bras. Nevertheless I’ve spent the last several years working from home and wearing low support super comfy seamless sports bras because why not. I started a new in office job two weeks ago and began wearing my nice underwire bras again. I wouldn’t say it’s as comfortable as my sports bras, but I can’t complain about the comfort overall — except that when I take my bra off at the end of the day, I’m EXTREMELY itchy where the seams are, across the front of my breasts.
I have crazy sensitive skin and, because I’m a dope and have no self control, I scratched them a ton and that led to a flare up of eczema… on my breasts. Thankfully it doesn’t bother me much except when I change out of clothes or when I’m showering but it is mind bendingly itchy when I do, and it also looks shocking.
I need to work with my dermatologist to get it under control, but I also want to look into bras without seamed cups (unlined, lightly lined, molded) — however I know it will be very hard to find any that fit my shape well. Mostly unseamed cups just end up pushing the wire down because they are not deep enough for my projected breasts, and I get sweaty skin on skin contact at the IMF.
Anyone have a particularly deep-cup unseamed bra in mind?
I tried stuffing a couple pads from an old swimsuit down into the bra today to “shield” my skin from the seams, but they just slowly made their way up and out the top of the cups (thank goodness I was wearing a big sweater to work lol I noticed at some point when I went to the bathroom that they were just… loose inside my shirt) But some solution along these lines might be viable. I’d prefer not to wear a whole camisole under my bra because that sounds like a sensory nightmare for one, and also I run hot.
It’s worth noting: No, it’s not a reaction to the fabric, laundry soap, etc. These are bras I’ve worn before for shorter periods of time without issue, and I have a history of breaking out in eczema in an area where I have scratched a bad itch (mosquito bites, poison ivy, etc.) It is also not a yeast rash. If anything, I’ve been very happily much LESS sweaty in and about the breasts now that I’ve been wearing underwire bras that fit well and keep things lifted and separated.

Hi all, wondering if anyone has experienced this. Ever since I started getting tattoos, a couple times a year I'll get sudden rash flareups only on tattooed skin. Thing is, it'll just be 1 or 2 tats at a time, and in very defined areas of those tattoos. I only recently realized the rashes match the symptoms of eczema perfectly, but why does it only show up where I have ink? And only certain spots? For example, right now I have rashes on just shaded pink areas of one tat, and the gray shaded areas of another.
Is there anything I can do about it? Is this worth seeing a doctor over? I haven't managed to find anything that helps a lot with the itching other than Rx steroid cream. But now that I know it's probably eczema, I can seek out lotions meant for it.

So I went to urgent care around March 23rd and told doctor I was experiencing itching that was intense overnight and told him I think I got scabies either from a cruise or mice at home. (I moved out) I have made a previous post about this. He sent me home with permethrin only and scheduled me to see my primary. I saw my primary about a week after and told him the same story but he made a big deal to not see me after getting some photos taken of my hands and feet by a medical assistant. He gave me ivermectin and more permethrin. He told me first he had to get approved by a dermatologist and the dermatologist said yes to prescribe it to me. I took it for two weeks 7 pills one week and 7 pills next. It has helped clear the rash on my forearm. However I was still getting those blisters on my hands and feet. After taking those pills I had requested more ivermectin because I was still feeling crawling and itchiness and the bumps were still showing up but now peeling and it would hurt to walk and my feet were swelling pretty bad and have asked to see a dermatologist in person. He gave me another 4 week dosage of ivermectin until I saw this dermatologist… well as you can see from the photos my hands have cleared up significantly but I’m still dealing with crawling three days after taking ivermectin every time. I saw the dermatologist yesterday and he told me I don’t have scabies. I feel like he didn’t see me at my worst peak cuz he checked between my toes and of course it’s all cleared up now compared to two months ago and he scraped my skin and told me it was negative (he mentioned how it’s 85% accurate) he pulled out the anxiety and stress card and said maybe it’s a form of psoriasis and eczema and put me on prednisone and clobetasol propionate and took me off ivermectin and permethrin. I told him why was ivermectin helping then? And he failed to answer the question and said he’s seen a lot of scabie patients and mine looks nothing like it. And if ivermectin didn’t take away the crawling that it isn’t scabies and if my family isn’t contaminated then it isn’t scabies. And yadayada. I mentioned how I felt this on my face and scalp and all over my body (still am after those ivermectin treatments) and said oh he feels that too like dismissing me as it being normal. Idk but I don’t trust him and he told me that I should try this new medication and that he knows that I’m gonna be feeling these crawling and think I still have scabies but it’ll go away and blah blah, but I’m just scared I’m gonna get those blisters again. And pimple looking things. And I failed to show him photos because he kept dismissing me and it was pissing me off trying to advocate for myself and I just feel so lost idk what to do. Ivermectin was slowly working. :( I moved out of the rat infested place and idk anymore, I’m still feeling bug crawls on my neck back and armpits and creasing of elbows :( is this really not scabies? Why was ivermectin working then. Someone please explain this to me :(

After over one year of a terrible eczema outbreak that went from my eyelids, lips, and face all the way down to my knees, and kept getting worse and worse, I am finally almost clear.
Offering this as a few months ago in January, I literally wanted to rip my skin off. This forum was so helpful in just venting and knowing it was not just happening to me.
Here’s what I did. I hope it will help others.
I think the flareup was kicked off, by an extremely stressful period in my life. I did not at first realize it was eczema, especially on my face and used other products. Which aggravated it. When I finally figured it out, I went to dermatologist who prescribed various steroids.
Steroids help for a while, but after a couple of weeks, I would stop and the eczema would come raging back.
In November and December of last year it got much worse. It also started to look different and show up in even more places. I couldn’t sleep bc of the itching and the lack of sleep made it worse. I started feeling sick all the time, was exhausted, and completely demoralized. Instead of little patchy flakes, I was covered with welty red rashes that looked horrifying, and were itchy with no respite. Nothing seemed to work, including steroids. Some of the patches were weeping, and I felt like a monster from a movie.
In late January my GP suggested seeing an allergist/immunologist who suggested bleach baths. Instead of doing the bleach bath, I used hypochlorous spray and it was nothing short of miraculous. I didn’t even need steroids anymore. It stopped the itching almost instantaneously. They also did a patch test for allergens. Which came back with five things, one of which was in my shampoo. They also prescribed Opzelura as instead of steroids.
I switched to all super hypoallergenic products for everything that touches my skin - shampoo, conditioner, laundry detergent. I would spray the welts 3 to 5 times a day with a hypochlorous spray. I moisturized 2 to 3 times a day with hypoallergenic eczema moisturizer, usually cerave. I also used Opzelara typically two times a day.
After two months of this, I saw a lot of improvement. But still some occasional new patches, I contacted the doctor who said to up the Opzelura to three times a day and moisturize as much as possible.
Now, two more months later, I am almost entirely clear. I only use hypochlorous spray now maybe 2 to 3 times a week if I have an itchy new patch. The welts are gone. The facial eczema is finally gone. It does feel like it could potentially come back, and I’m going to continue with all of the super hypoallergenic products. I haven’t used steroids at all since I saw this new doctor. Opzelura has helped enormously, although I feel like the hypochlorous and switching products were also equally effective.
While I’m a little on the edge of feeling like I could have another flareup, after one year of feeling like I am not covered with welts makes me almost tearful with joy.
Offering this to this community because I was so miserable. And I know how it feels. Stick with it. The regimen and not touching anything to your body that’s not hypoallergenic kind of sucks but it does work. Some of the products are not the cheapest on the market for sure, but it is well worth it to feel like I can live in my own skin.
If you can, get a patch test to identify allergens that might have developed. I asked a couple of other doctors and they said it’s pretty common to develop allergies in midlife. Your immune system starts to wear down and stress also does contribute. I also have an auto immune disorder which contributes further. Knowing this is an allergy which can be treated was also somewhat empowering.
Stick with it, try different things, and know there can be some relief after a while. This forum had unbelievably great advice. I quit seeing dermatologists because I got more effective solutions from the internet.
I hope this helps someone.

I think one of the reasons I'm making this post is because I need to feel that I'm not alone, to feel that others are going through the same thing as me and that in the end there is hope, even if at the moment I don't have much of it.
I lived in the apartment that made me ill for 7 years. My symptoms started about 1 year after I moved. I was always sick. But the final straw came when I got bronchitis. I had bronchitis and an infection in my wisdom tooth. I waited before going to the dentist because I didn't want to infect him with my bronchitis. I took antibiotics for my bronchitis and then for my tooth, and that's when everything went down hill. I woke up one morning a few days after my last antibiotics and my throat was swollen to the max, I had a fever, i was dizzy (i thought i was going insane my mental state was so weird.), i couldn't breathe properly, my shoulder and chest were so stiff i couldn't move properly, i couldn't speak, think, articulate. i was so fucking tired. i had spams and couldn't sleep. I start having weird rashes on my body. My digestive system was a wreck, i couldn't digest any food. I'm sure i'm forgetting some symptoms now but it was hell on earth. I don't know how i managed to survive this period.
Thankfully, the pandemic happened. I was working in a restaurant\bar, and it closed down. In Canada, the gouvernement was giving money to people in my situation and it saved me. I started seeing a nathuropath. It really helped but didn't eradicate my health problems. I gave up coffee and alcohol. At the time, she mentioned mold, but I didn't take her seriously. She asked me if there was mold in my house but i brushed it off. I didn't want to believe that my problem could be caused by that. I wanted a medical diagnosis. But the thing is that none of the doctors that i saw through the years took me seriously. I've been gaslighted in so many different ways. I might write another reddit post just about that.
My opinion changed one winter morning when a large ball of water appeared on my ceiling. It was leaking. After that, i started connecting the dots. It wasn't the first time it had happened. For 2 winters in a row, the same thing had happened and my landlord had just fixed the ceiling without trying to understand why it was doing that. Shortly after that, i started seeing someone and he'd come to my place all the time, we never went to his (he's my boyfriend now hihi). Over the course of 1 year, he began to be sick all the time. he often coughed and said Ah, it's nothing, there's a lot of dust at my job (now he doesn't have that anymore and he still works at the same job). I also realized that there was a smell in my house. Often my mother or friends would tell me, but I always thought it was normal. After all that, it all made sense.
Fast foward to today, I moved in with my boyfriend. I still have symptoms. I learned that I have arthritis in my jaw. That I have TMJ. I'm going to have an ultrasound of my thyroid for a second time because they found a suspicious nodule. The symptoms that I still have: rosacea, rashes on my face that look like fungal acne and other that look like eczema. I'm extremely dehydrated (I lose my eyelashes and hair a lot), I have an iron deficiency and other deficiencies, i have hormones imbalance to the roof. I have invasive candidiasis that affect differents systems (genitals etc..) I have trouble thinking, and I have memory loss. But I think the symptom that distresses me most is my throat. It's always swollen. I have trouble speaking properly and it's worse when I'm tired. I've always liked the way I used to speak, I used to express myself well. I've done a lot of theater in my life and that was one of my strengths. I don't recognize myself anymore. I have trouble swallowing too.
I started taking betaine hcl yesterday and it helps a lot especially with my histamine intolerance symptoms. Since this summer, since I left the moldy appartment, some symptoms improved. For example, i no longer have numbness in my arms and legs and i don't feel hit by a car when i wake up. On the other hand, I had a return of symptoms this winter when I started working in a bookshop full of mold. The basement was disgusting next level moldy and we had to take or lunch breaks there :').
Btw sorry if i misspelled words, my native language is french and i write this in a hurry since i'm at work. I just felt like i needed to write this post and i hope it can help others. Feel free to ask me question.
I plan to start the diet this week-end. My nathuropath said its the only way. But before that, there is one phone call i need to do. I saw some weird signs of mold the other day in my bathroom...and my nathuropath said i need to do the diet in a mold free environment. If someone has a take on that i'm all ears. But in the meantime, im gonna have to call an inspector. Wish me luck, i need it.
Lots of love and healing energies to you all and thank you for reading me <3

I (33) got an anti-eyebrow piercing when I was 18 years old. I didn't have any issues with the piercing healing or "settling into place" and it didn't seem to start growing out either during the years I had it. Still I decided to take the jewellery off for good when I was 24-26.
I have atopic skin with eczema and acne, with a tendency for rashes due to a medicine and allergies, which is also why I have to use different lotions on my face. I also have a bit higher-than-normal tendency for (skin related) infections and slow healing. I've noticed throughout years that the skin where the jewellery used to be sometimes gets "clogged" with what I imagine is skin grease, lotion and/or dead skin cells and sometimes leads to the skin getting irritated. Rarely has it gotten infected or otherwise in a condition of a bigger problem but it has happened. I recently checked with a ~1.2mm piercing if there was a tunnel or just pockets on the "entrances", and I did get it through with some wiggling.
I'm worried that the scar tunnel/pockets from the piercing is now just collecting stuff and might become an issue more often. Question that I have is: Should I consult a piercer to open the tunnel as if a scarrification (I don't know if they'd even do that), put a piercing jewellery back hoping it would grow out or take my partner's offer of consulting a plastic surgeon etc to cut open the tunnel? Or should I settle on poking and keeping the tunnel more loose to get the dirt out easier? (I don't mind if cutting it open leaves a scar, it's already a scar of sorts) Hope this wasn't too long, any advice is appreciated!

I promised myself I would make an update if I my hands ever cleared up, so here goes:
Background: I (30F) started getting intensely itchy blisters on my right hand a little over 2 years ago. At first I thought it was a rash from renting ski equipment, but antifungals didn't clear it up. Eventually I realized it was likely DE. (I moved to a very dry climate about a year before the blisters appeared, so I figured eczema made sense.) I tried a bunch of different things: tons of lotion, different hand soaps, topical steroids, even a couple of tanning bed sessions. Bleach baths were the only thing that seemed to help, but they only provided temporary relief.
The blisters were INTENSELY itchy. They typically started on one finger (my right ring finger or index finger) and then slowly spread to the other fingers on my right hand. Heat/sweating always made the itching much worse. Occasionally I would get a slight rash at the outer corners of my eyes as well. The discomfort made it challenging to be productive and enjoy my life as usual, and I found myself getting a bit depressed.
I eventually did some sleuthing on this sub and found out about nickel allergies. I cut out nickel from my diet and saw a DRASTIC improvement. As long as I avoided whole grains, nuts, peas, and beans (and also, weirdly, raw carrots), my hands were fine. I was excited and relieved to have found something that worked. However, as time went on, I worried about the long-term impact of cutting out all of these seemingly healthy foods--and, annoyingly, the eczema would reappear any time I ate too much nickel. Plus, I had been able to eat nickel-rich foods with no issues my whole life, and it seemed weird that my body was reacting so strongly to them all the sudden. So, I kept searching for answers.
From the beginning, I had suspected the DE was being caused by my hand soap, due to the localized nature of the rash on my right hand. But I'd tried so many different soaps! I tried Softsoap, Mrs. Meyer's, Dove (the Sensitive Skin Bar), and Vanicream. So it couldn't be my soap, right??
Yeah, it was the soap.
In a moment of desperation (after eating a nickel-rich meal and feeling the itching start up again), I started using my dish soap (Planet Dishwashing Liquid) to wash my hands, and within two days, the eczema was gone. GONE. After some additional trial and error, I figured out that I'm likely allergic to cocamidopropyl betaine. Once I cut out all products with the ingredient, my skin cleared up completely. It turns out that cocamidopropyl betaine is in in almost all soaps (as well as shampoos, face washes, etc.), and annoyingly, it seems to be even more prevalent in "gentle" and "hypoallergenic" products. It's in both Dove and Vanicream.
It has been 3 months now, and the blisters are completely gone. The only time they flare is when I use hand soaps I haven't vetted (usually at restaurants, gyms, friends' houses, etc.). But they quiet down super quickly now, and never get to that intensely itchy stage. I've reincorporated all nickel-rich foods back into my diet, and still, the blisters have stayed away. I'm still not sure why the nickel thing helped (maybe it was just irritating my already irritated skin further?), but regardless, I'm very pleased to have found the real culprit.
If you suspect you may have some sort of contact allergy, I'd highly recommend doing some trial and error with your products, especially your hand soap, and/or getting patch testing done
tl;dr: After seeing improvement with cutting out nickel from my diet, I realized that the real culprit was an ingredient in my hand soap: cocamidopropyl betaine.

Hi everyone, I just wanted to share my experience bc I think it will maybe help some people. I treated my scabies with two rounds (with 7 days apart) of premetrine and ivermectine SIMULTANEOUSLY. This was something the dermatologist recommended. Maybe this is worth mentioning, but luckily I live in a European country where healthcare is really accessible. If you can get your hands on both ivermectine AND premetrine, I’d highly recommend that.
I caught scabies in December 2023 and I’m cured now. I took my first treatment in the beginning of April 2024. I went to the GP two times before I got diagnosed with it. They didn’t know what it was. Probably because my rash looked very different than the ‘regular’ rash you get from scabies — I’m also black, which could play a factor in that. This is already one thing I learned: RASH LOOKS DIFFERENT ON EVERYBODY! I was constantly comparing my rash to others when I didn’t know if the treatment worked or not — was I cured? Did I get infected again? Your mind plays so many tricks on you.
I got so scared when I read a lot of horror stories about scabies on here and on different sites. I thought about all the doom scenarios and thought I might not be cured and I almost convinced myself I needed another round of treatment, because I got some rash again after the treatment. I went to the dermatologist again yesterday (after the GP referred me to them bc the GP didn’t know what my condition could be) to ask for a check up after 2 weeks of my last treatment, because I was getting some new rash. She checked my whole body and said that she didn’t see anything :). I was very happy and today was the first day I slept without itching! It was very weird, because after the treatment it felt like the itching only increased. The dermatologist told me that was probably because my mind was driving me insane. Also, I’m prone to eczema and dry skin, that could explain why I was so itchy after the treatment with premetrine. Dry skin is also something that affects a lot of brown and black people, keep that in mind.
Another thing about reading online about scabies that scarred the living shit out of me, is that the fuckers could be IN your hair and that they would definitely be in your braids or dreadlocks. I have dreadlocks. I was so scared so after the treatment, I vacuum cleaned my locs (lol) and used tea tree oil to wash them. When I spoke to my dermatologist today, she told me that it was highly unlikely that they would be on my head or in my hair.
In conclusion, I just wanted to tell you all that you should not compare your scabies ‘journey’ with someone else’s online. If I didn’t speak to my dermatologist yesterday, I’d probably use another round of treatment. And maybe after that, another one. Online, I read a story of someone who used 10 (!) rounds of permetrine. Wtf. That’s really bad for your skin and you will probably get more itching. If you followed all the steps thoroughly (washing clothes, bedsheets, stuff in sealed bags, following the steps on the medication sheet etc) it’s highly likely you are cured. DO NOT DRIVE YOURSELF CRAZY! Give it some time (it’s totally normal to have 4-6 weeks of itching after the treatment) and just trust yourself. YOU WILL CONQUER THIS!
And extra tip is to take photos of your rash before, during and after the treatment to see if it clears up or not. Also take photos of new spots after the treatment so you know the exact date of when it popped up. If the treatment worked, you’ll see the new rash will clear up in a few days.
If you have questions or need emotional support, just PM me :). I know that’s it’s like to have this and it’s not fun at all.

Last night in therapy, my husband told me that sleeping with someone else (we are in a closed relationship, so this would be considered 'cheating' in my book) would be 'great in theory, but he doesn't know because he hasn't tried it'.
This stemmed from an open conversation we were having about loyalty + faithfulness. He crossed the line a couple of times in the early stages of our relationship that I unfortunately have had a difficult time ever forgiving or completely rebuilding the trust from. This has led insecurities to fester and build over the course of our relationship (within myself). Our therapist asked if we were each able to provide reassurance that we were loyal to each other and took turns. I said absolutely, yes. I am loyal + faithful, and I am not interested in or looking for anyone else. I only want my husband. He said he didn't want to hurt me, but that he doesn't know if he wants to be with someone else. He doesn't know if he wants to have sex with someone else and is not 'actively looking' to be with someone else, but has technically been faithful and loyal because he hasn't had sex with anyone else while we've been together.
I have had a fear for a long time that if I don't have enough sex with him, he will stray. There have been complaints about my sex drive before. He has a wandering eye, and I get insecure when he checks out other women in front of me. And when we discussed this in therapy, the therapist indicated that while he may not find it to be a big problem to him, sensitivity to your partner and what may hurt them can go a long way towards reestablishing connection + libido. He said that it was a 'weird hill for me to die on' because I don't understand what it's like to have the biological sex drive of a male, and he's not going to turn off being attracted to others. Our therapist corrected him and informed him that women also can have high libido, even into later years of life.
We recently had an argument where he spitefully accused me of not having a sex drive. I do, but it has been impacted a bit since in the last few years, I've lost a sibling (self-inflicted), lost a relationship with my mother, battled my own addiction, and have extensively tried to deal with an auto-immune disorder that popped up a little under a year ago that has given me severe eczema rashes all over my entire body, including my genitals. He later said he was just lashing out and didn't mean to put me down for it, but the hurt was still there.
He has understandably had his own fair share of struggles with me not ever fully trusting him, of me not forgiving him, of me having insecurities + fears based around faithfulness, and the countless discussions + arguments that have stemmed from these issues. We are both exhausted and hypersensitive to these issues at this point.
I'm trying not to shame him for his sexuality or hold him back from what he wants. He says he still wants to be with me. We have literally SO much in common and share so much together and have a really close bond + relationship; it's impossible to imagine separating my best friend and partner in life. But I am trying to determine my boundaries (family trauma has made this difficult), and I think this is one. At least, monogamy is what I want. And it would be great to feel as if my husband only wants me.
Right now, I can't imagine ever healing from the hurt of my best friend telling me that sleeping with someone else 'sounds great in theory'. (side note: earlier in the relationship, when I found he was messaging another woman - all innocent stuff, but still - I asked if he wanted an open relationship - that devolved into another mess where we almost separated, and that ended up with him saying that 'he was trying to get the best of both worlds, but ended up almost losing everything for it'. We did not end up opening up the relationship) I don't know how to ever trust that he won't be 'actively looking'. I don't know how to feel secure within myself and the relationship when I know he's fantasizing about others, when he has this 'biological' attraction to so many other women. That he can't promise loyalty or faithfulness.
I guess, I'm wondering at this point, what part of these thoughts, urges, etc are natural and 'biological'? Do other people feel this way, too? Is that normal? Is there enough here to still salvage / save in some way? How do you balance a relationship with two people with such different ideas / sexuality / viewpoints / preferences? Does anyone out there have any perspective + advice they are willing to share? Please ask any questions for additional context.
We will continue marriage counseling at the very least. And I definitely want to have additional conversations to try to understand him more. Our therapist told me to just let that sit for a bit and reflect, and gave me a referral for an individual therapist. She also indicated that we can get more into determining an agreement or boundaries on our sex life / sexuality. It's just difficult for me to see how I can ever feel good about how he feels or ever feel safe + secure in the relationship again?
I can't help but feel kind of liberated by knowing these things now, but also feel deeply hurt. I feel kind of vindicated by knowing that these things weren't just in my head this whole time. Knowing that the issue wasn't fully about me and my insecurities and what I'm 'making up in my head'. I think these things have maybe been my intuition, and that's why I haven't ever been able to fully rebuild trust: because he himself can't promise that I can trust him. It's kind of been a confidence boost that maybe I can trust myself and my feelings. But this doesn't do much to mend the hurt. And I just don't know how to make sense of it all. Any advice appreciated, thank you.
Tl;dr husband said that sleeping with someone else 'sounds great in theory' but isn't 'actively looking'. He said he loves me and wants to be with me. But I have a hard time building trust or knowing how to handle a relationship where two people have such different views on sexuality and loyalty. How do I handle this?

I had my first surgery (double incision, no nipples) on January 5th and immediately developed a hematoma on my left side. Exactly three weeks later on January 26th, I had another surgery, this time for an emergency infection on my right side (a complication that has a <1% rate). During those weeks, I was checking this subreddit a lot to see if there was anything similar and for any ideas on what to do. I figure that my experience might be helpful for people.
Here are some things I wish I had known to do.

1. First of all, make sure that you have the right support in place for if you run into a <1% complication.

Everyone I met on the surgical team was very optimistic about my surgery and said repeatedly that the chances of any complications were very low because I was young and healthy. I believed them and did not prepare myself for the mental reality of having to basically throw away 2 months of my life due to a rare complication. I have never wanted breasts from the moment I started developing them, but had I known that I would have such a rough recovery I would have opted against the surgery and dealt with the low level dysphoria (about a 3/10 on the average day, spiking to 7/10 occasionally) for the rest of my life. This is not to say that I am unhappy with the outcome; indeed, the surgery completely took care of my chest dysphoria. I just personally wish that someone had walked me through what the rare complications could be like, how long it would likely impair my functioning, and asked me to weigh that against my dysphoria. Instead, everyone I talked to, including my friends (2 of which were medical students), basically told me that the less than 1% chance wouldn’t happen. Unfortunately for me, it did happen. So just remember that rare complications happen to someone and try to set yourself up to catch any problems immediately as they arise.
If you have any mental hang ups about asking for help like I do, it’s really important that you ignore that feeling and “bother” people. I put things off because I felt guilty about taking time out of my sister’s day to go to appointments and I was worried that I was asking stupid questions to the surgical team. Due to my history of overreacting about small health issues, I felt embarrassed and decided to bank on being part of the 99% that do not need emergency surgeries. Don’t do that. Buy a thermometer and a pulse oximeter so you also have concrete points of reference for when you feel off. For a pulse oximeter, I got the ChoiceMMed since it has good reviews on Amazon.
Try to handle any health problems you’re aware of before your surgery. I suspected I had sleep apnea, but didn’t manage to get my results from my sleep test before my surgery. If I had done it months ago and gotten a mouthguard it would’ve made sleeping post-op easier.
Prioritize your surgical appointments above any other routine appointments. I didn’t do this and missed a chance I had to potentially treat the infection earlier.

1. Be prepared to send a lot of messages to your surgical team and to call the help line.

Related to the paragraph above. My surgical team had a portal online where you could send messages. Get help taking photos and send them in with the message before you call the help line so that they can see them. In the early days of recovery it also helps to take photos every day in the same position so that you can easily compare and reference how much swelling there is. Take off your binder when you take photos. It’s not very useful if they can’t see the actual incision site, and I made this error in the beginning.

1. If you’re prescribed Oxycodone, ask to also be prescribed Zofran and take that before. Don’t take Oxycodone on an empty stomach.

After my surgery on January 5th I felt fine and without nausea. I went home and took Tylenol and Ibuprofen. Then 9 hours after my surgery I took Oxycodone and spent hell in nausea. I didn’t realize what was happening to me and thought maybe it was delayed effects of the anesthesia, so I kept taking Oxycodone and abiding by the suggested dosage schedule. It was nearly impossible to get up and I couldn’t walk more than a few steps from all the nausea. My sister called the help line and got me prescribed Zofran, but what really helped was stopping the damn Oxycodone. Unfortunately, being nauseous during this time also made my hematoma harder to handle because I missed the window for aspiration (more on this later). Nausea on Oxycodone happens to quite a few people — one of the nurses working with me in the ER right before my hospitalization and second surgery also told me that when she had tried Oxycodone she basically blacked out.
I was already extremely wary of Oxycodone after my second surgery on January 26th, but the pain wouldn’t go away and the nurses told me they could only give me Oxy since they already gave me Tylenol. I told them that it made me super nauseous, so they gave me a Zofran and reassured me that there was also anti-nausea medication in my IV. Well, none of that was enough. I started feeling nauseous again, though thanks to being in a hospital they could give me other anti-nausea stuff. I puked twice. The nurse taking care of me in the hospital told me that you should absolutely never take Oxycodone on an empty stomach — that’s the biggest cause of nausea with this medication. I still don’t want to try this medication ever again, but if I do I will heed her advice. Don’t take Oxycodone on an empty stomach. If nurses try to give you Oxycodone and you haven’t eaten anything ask them for a snack first at least.

1. Strip your drains at least 3 times a day.

The handout they gave me only said once a day, but after the emergency surgery they told me I should have been doing it at least 3 times a day (you can even do 5 times a day). It’s very important to get rid of any clots in there; not stripping it enough may have contributed to me getting a hematoma on my left side. It was also very hard for me to strip my drains myself, so my sister had to help me. I also suggest watching a YouTube video on how to strip them if the nurse doesn’t demonstrate for you after your surgery (mine didn’t). Make sure that you’re stripping it with the binder off and reaching as close to the entry point you can get. It’s hard to do because it takes more force than you’d expect. You might want to apply pressure on the drain at the top against your skin while your support person figures out how to strip them without yanking it out of you or slipping and hitting you in the side.

1. If you know you’re allergic to adhesives, ask for something different rather than surgical tape.

There’s about 1% of people who get a rash from surgical tape. If you have eczema like I do, it’s far more likely. I’ve had bad reactions to band-aids I left on for longer than a few days, so I felt like this was a complication that might happen to me. Regardless, I had never had surgery before. After 10 days, I had a lot of red bumps that first appeared on my stomach and then continued to spread. Anti-itch cream, steroid cream, and Benadryl did nothing. I was told to take the strips off. I took one off the left side by myself, but the process made me feel so nauseous I couldn’t do the other side. The nurses are much better at taking them off and have special solutions so I would actually recommend waiting for your post-op. Regardless, by the time of my appointment the bumps on the left side looked better than the right. I was marked as having an allergy to 2-Octyl Cyanoacrylate (Dermabond), which is apparently what they use on the strips to make them stick.
After my second surgery I had the misfortune of developing more red bumps, this time starting on my chest and spreading up and down. The cause for this one was harder to tell since we had avoided the adhesive strips this time (opting for Xeroform, but they told me to stop using that too just in case). Possible culprits: the antiseptic they wash you with before they start the surgery that causes the orange residue; the leftover tape on my sides holding the drains down; antibiotics I was put on for my infection (first Bactrim, then Augmentin, then back to Bactrim after they confirmed my bacteria cultures). They cleared me to wash early to try to get the antiseptic off, but I didn’t take multiple showers since showering with two drains (they put my right one back in after the second surgery) was taxing after a hospitalization. They gave me Hydroxyzine that I was taking 4 times a day (and feeling very tired due to it) but it wasn’t doing anything on its own, so eventually I got taken off of antibiotics early. They told me that they had already gotten the infection out during the surgery and the antibiotics were just for safety.
Things I have learned from this: In terms of OTC, Benadryl is apparently stronger than Loratadine. Also, creams apparently don’t work on rashes when they’re in the early stage of popping up, so you’ll need a strong antihistamine.

1. Get another binder or multiple ace bandages (the wider the better). Binders that go over the shoulders offer more support.

The binder they put on me after surgery both times was from EaB Medical. This binder only goes around the chest and not over the shoulders, though they do have straps that you can attach to them. I really recommend using the straps if you have this binder since it keeps it from slipping down. Having good compression is really important in the early days. You can also use ace bandages but it can be hard to tell how tightly to bind them, and they tend to stretch out after washing. Either way, you should plan on having more than 1 binder / bandages so you can swap them and wash them. Due to my situation I ended up binding for 9 weeks.
I tried to get a binder from Underworks, but the small was too small for me and the medium was slightly too large. If you want to buy from them you may want to ask them how exactly their sizing works. After my second surgery I was a 33” circumference but couldn’t make the sizing work. If you can spend the money, it’s probably a good idea to get the $100+ ones from Marena. Maybe if I had had a binder that went over the shoulders it would’ve helped get more of the fluid out from my first hematoma.

1. If you notice swelling with a lot of fluid, get seen within the next day or just go to the ER.

Hematomas are more common than you would think (way more common than infection). Anywhere from something like 5~30% since there are no real comprehensive estimations. If you can push against your skin and feel fluid jiggling in there it needs to be removed. If it’s accompanied by a lot of bruising it’s a hematoma. In my case, I developed disproportionate swelling on the left side after my first surgery that just kept increasing for 3 days. It was even bruising above the binder they gave me. I wasn’t using the straps for the binder at the time, so the only feedback I got from the nurse hotline when I called was that the binder was slipping and I should pull it up.
The reason why the nurse hotline didn’t really help me was because I didn’t take photos with the binder off (partly due to the terrible nausea I was dealing with from Oxycodone). The other reason is that my first surgery was on a Friday and the surgical team was off during the weekend. If I had taken off my binder for the photos and the nurse had actually gotten ahold of the plastics team, they probably would have told me to go get it drained.
My first post-op was 4 days later, so I thought I could just wait until then. That was wrong. Despite putting out 50cc and then 55cc in the drain on the left side during the first two days, by the third day it had dropped to 5cc. Either due to not stripping the drains enough, having compression that wasn’t comprehensive enough, or just being super duper unlucky, the hematoma decided to coagulate. At my post-op, I was told that because it had solidified it couldn’t be aspirated, and thus I would have to have the drain in for “as long as possible” and that I would be dealing with this zombie-looking dried blood-filled boob (like the size of a tennis ball) for at least 3 months and it would likely take 6 months to resolve itself. There was literally nothing that could be done. Or so I was told, but during my second surgery they took the opportunity to also figure out how to aspirate it, so it disappeared and healed faster than the right side.
In short, if you are swelling with a lot of fluid you need to be seen as soon as possible before it coagulates or becomes infected. You can tell because it will be way too big and will move like liquid is in there (before it coagulates). You may have to aspirate multiple times, but I didn’t have to deal with that in my situation. But I’m also the only person I know who had the whole thing coagulate.

1. Fevers can be cyclical. Chills are when you can’t stop shaking.

I did not know this. I also did not have a thermometer because my family is lax about health. All I knew is that I started to feel so cold I couldn’t stop shaking and do anything but lie in bed for 2-3 hours warming myself up, and then I would feel so hot that I had to get out of bed. This was fever and a fluctuating temperature. This was also my first signs of infection on my right side and I didn’t know it. No one in my family knew fevers don’t have to be constant. If this happens to you, call your hotline right away. The shaking is different from normal shivering; it feels more violent and you can’t will yourself to stop the way you can stop smaller shivers.

1. If there’s a lot of redness and the area continues to increase in size it’s probably an infection.

I thought I only had my left hematoma to worry about. Well, I started experiencing the chills and fever but I didn’t know what it was. My right side was looking pretty good in comparison to my left. After the drain on that side was removed though, it started to swell. And it swelled much, much slower than my left side. It also had a spreading redness (no bruising). After a few days, pus was coming out the drain hole on the right side and it wasn’t closing. I didn’t realize for sure if it was pus or not because it didn’t smell, and even the surgical team wasn’t sure. I sent photos of the area and they told me it might just be the normal amounts of swelling that happen after the drain is removed and that the pus might not actually be pus if I didn’t have other symptoms (I did. I had a fever, but didn’t realize it). I was also unlucky enough that my next post-op appointment had been 2 weeks after the last instead of the usual 1 week, due to the doctor being out. They had offered me the chance to see another doctor that week to make up for it, but I said no (this was before it started swelling). After I sent pictures in, they offered for me to come in something like the same day to aspirate the liquid, but it was literally at the same time slot I had scheduled a phone call with my PCP to renew some of my prescriptions and I didn’t want to keep bothering my sister with a surprise visit so I said no. This was the wrong move. See point 7. Always get the fluid removed. And don’t skip weeks in post-op appointments in the early stages.
I went to urgent care instead and they confirmed it was an infection and then gave me antibiotics (Bactrim). It seemed to help initially, but after a few days on that my right incision suddenly started spewing pus. The pus still didn’t smell, but the volume was continuous. I got told to go to the ER and had to have an emergency surgery.

1. Go slow on tapering pain medication, especially if you still have drains in.

I ended up being on pain medication for 6.5 weeks. I had seen some people say that they stopped needing painkillers as early as 2 weeks post-op, so I tried to taper with that in mind. I started out with 2400 mg Ibuprofen + 2000 mg Tylenol a day at staggered intervals after giving up on Oxycodone, and by post-op day 8 I managed to cut out Tylenol entirely. I tried to go further by decreasing Ibuprofen by about 600 mg a day, but on post-op day 9 I was hit with a searing 8/10 pain in the left side of my chest that felt like I was being stabbed.
I had been looking at intervals of 6 hours since that’s about the window of effectiveness for Ibuprofen, so when I survived taking only 300 mg in one 6 hour interval I thought that meant that I could do that for all 6 hour blocks after that. Well I guess pain medication also has a cumulative effect since that didn’t work. And then the pain started getting worse on my right side with the growing infection, so I ended up going back up to 2400 mg Ibuprofen + 2000 mg Tylenol until I was hospitalized.
At the hospital, they stopped giving me Ibuprofen since they were worried that it can thin the blood and therefore contribute to swelling. I was on 4000 mg Tylenol at the hospital and after, and they also gave me 300 mg of Gabapentin though I stopped it after 3 days in case it was contributing to my rash. (They also gave me Oxycodone again, but I ignored it and didn’t take it.) After I stopped taking Gabapentin, I decided to decrease 250 mg of Tylenol a day, and only if I felt that I wasn’t in too much discomfort (discomfort can easily turn into pain without medication).
There had been a spot in my left chest (where I had felt the stabbing pain) that hurt more than the rest of my chest ever since my first surgery on the 5th. I had thought that this was due to the hematoma on the left side, but it persisted even after the area had been aspirated, and I felt a hard lump in the location. I thought it might be a seroma, so I made an appointment with my post-op doctor. It turned out to be the drain; something about its positioning had really made things painful (and even more so when I had the hematoma). After it was removed the pain in that area decreased drastically and I was able to slowly transition off of Tylenol 250 mg a day.
My doctors kept underestimating the amount of time I would be dealing with pain (usually by a week+). Trust your sense of pain and go slow.

1. Make sure you’re hydrated and have had something to eat before getting your drains pulled.

I had to get my drains pulled 3 times, twice on the right since they put the drain back in after the second surgery, and once on the left. The first two times went without incident; didn’t even feel a thing. The third time, though, was really early in the morning, and as a late waker I didn’t have water or anything to eat. My blood pressure that day was low due to this, even though it had been normal in all my other appointments. After they pulled the right drain for the second time, I started feeling extremely nauseous. They gave me a damp, cool towel to put around my neck and laid me down at an angle that had my head below my shoulders until I felt better. So just be aware that this can happen if your blood pressure is low.
That about covers the things I wish I had done differently. Below are some other random useful tips that aren’t related to hematomas and infection. Hope any of this proves useful to someone else.
Miscellaneous tips:

1. My surgical team had a habit of just waiting for questions from me instead of offering me information. If you need questions to ask your surgeon for pre-op, here is a link to a google doc that had my questions. If your surgeon gives you a packet of information beforehand, some of this might already be answered.
2. My surgeon said to take “small sips of water” up to 4 hours before my surgery, but the anesthesiologist told me to drink more because it helps to be hydrated to get the IV in. So I woke up 4 hours before to chug water for this reason as I have small veins.
3. If you have worries about possibly having sleep apnea, it’s probably better to get intubated for the surgery so your throat can’t constrict around the tube. I have light sleep apnea when I lay on my back. Get tested before your surgery if you’re worried about it. If it’s significant you should figure out whether you need a machine (and which one you can tolerate, since CPAP tends to be too uncomfortable for most people) since you’ll be sleeping on your back for a while and the back is the worst position for sleep apnea.
4. They will ask you to take a pregnancy test before surgery to make sure you aren’t pregnant. If you are sure you aren’t pregnant, you should be able to say no and sign a form saying that you neglect to pee in a cup (or have blood taken for this). They didn’t tell me this the first time I had surgery, but the nurse I had with me the second time was really nice and let me know I didn’t actually have to do this. I personally am asexual and have never had sex, so obviously this test was a waste of time for me anyway.
5. If you have foot pain due to something like plantar fasciitis, get a small pillow to put under your legs (I often readjust where exactly I put it while sleeping) since you have to sleep on your back for a while. I often had to move the pillow up and down to take pressure off my heels. After about 7 weeks of this I had to just start sleeping with my heels hanging off the edge of the bed in addition to the small pillow.
6. Advocate for yourself in hospitals. The hospital I was at didn’t coordinate their blood draws and so I was stabbed something like 5 times in a single day, mostly for single tests. After I complained to the nurse and my surgeon, the blood draws were stopped entirely since the last results looked okay. I was told by the nurse that it tends to be haphazard for the first day, after which they usually figure things out enough to group blood test requests all at the start of the day for every day after. But I was already required to be poked in both arms to even get admitted, and I had done a blood test for my surgeon earlier that day to confirm I actually had an infection, so adding 3 more to that (for a total of 6, 5 in the hospital) was really just too much. You can refuse and you can probably demand that they group the tests earlier on.

So this may be a long story but I'm dealing with such a variety of issues and I need to know if anyone else got a mastocytosis/MCAS etc diagnosis after similar lifelong issues. As a kid I always had a stomach ache. My parents just assumed I was being dramatic or wanted out of school but I spent most days with stomach cramps, diarrhea, and nausea. I often was anxious as well which teachers and school nurse blamed as I got older. As a teen I dealt with random rashes, lactose intolerance, stomach problems constantly, anxiety, depression, what I just assumed was super sensitive skin and "reacting to random things" in the form of small bouts of hives and rashes. At 20 I started taking lactaid with dairy as consistently as possible, got treated for my anxiety and depression (SSRIs and SNRIs don't work, the depression went away seemingly on its own and Buspar treats my anxiety well now) At 21 I requested more in depth blood test that came back abnormal. I had high myelocytes and metamyelocytes as well as absolute those and high MPV. I ended up referred to a cancer center where they told me "I guess that's just how your blood is, get tested every 6 months to be sure it doesn't turn to cancer" and my medical records now indicate leukocytosis. Nothing ever came of this and my Dr actually didn't tell me this was on my records I discovered it myself. I was also diagnosed with costochondritus during that time by a different dr. At 22 I was still dealing with so much stomach pain, bloat, diarrhea/constipation, etc plus the rashes and eczema so I asked my Dr about gluten issues. I was brushed off until I dealt with GI bleeding and then they did a few allergy blood test and a lower scope all coming back negative. No celiacs, no intestinal damage/crohn's. I was told it's IBS or anxiety and to avoid stress and try the FODMAP diet. FODMAP didn't help, was extremely stressful for two weeks, and I ended up just cutting out gluten because it was clearly causing issues. I'm 23 now and have been completely gluten free for about six months, low dairy and using lactaid when I do eat it, and yet I still have suffered from random bouts of intense GI distress, skin issues, etc. most recently the past three days I've been dealing with a full body rash. My Dr said it was scarlatina but my strep came back negative. She gave me a 12 day course of hydroxyzine and prednisone. I asked her if it could be a wheat allergy or something previous testing has missed and she said she would look into what the GI had tested for and get back to me (didn't hear back yesterday hoping I do today sometime) This of course isn't a full medical history, I've also had recurrent ear infections and pain my whole life, have a secondary amenorrhea diagnosis, have dealt with random chest infections/bronchitis, etc... But thanks to all of that and being brushed off over and over my anxious brain worries if I ask about anything they will assume I've just been scrolling on tiktok too much and brush me off again. So I'm here, wondering if anyone has dealt with similar issues and ended up with a mast cell diagnosis? Or something different? Is there an answer to why I am 23 and can't hold a full time job, go out with friends, or live a normal full life? I don't even have the energy to read after a 5hr day of work (in a small bakery) anymore and it used to be one of my favorite hobbies as a teen. Or is it more likely it really all is a manifestation of anxiety and/or hypochondria??
If you read this far, thank you. I'm aware this could just be severe anxiety but my instincts tell me something is actually wrong, I'm just not sure what and my dr has no interest in exploring it to find out as I seem healthy enough to her.

For context, I'm 44F. I had my procedure done in Melbourne, Australia. Here's what I know now after 5 days post op...
Procedure: Rubber Band Ligation x 4 (enlarged internal haemerroids) + Flexible sigmoidoscopy (that turned into full colonoscopy) + Excision of 3 x anal skin tags ("bulky", "circumferential" - as described in surgeon's notes) closed with stitches
Costs (note: I have private health insurance): - GP appointment to get surgery referral: $90 / $40 back on medicare - Initial consult with colorectal surgeon $315 / $126 back on medicare - Surgeon's fees / co-pay: $500 out of pocket - Anaesthetist fees: $400 out of pocket - Medibank excess: $500 out of pocket - Pharmacy: $30.36 Tapentadol - 6 week follow up: ??? Assume another $315 / $126 back on medicare
I had this done on Friday 19th, I am 5 days post op. I can say right now I am more in discomfort than pain.
The dot points: - It was a day procedure, in at 1pm, out at 5pm. No bowel prep at home, but an enema at the hospital. The procedure was done in 30 minutes under both general and local anaesthesia.

• What no-one told me #1: Urinary retention after surgery is common, so expect it. It's something to do with the local anaesthesia and swelling. I could hardly pee a few drops when I got home. Try to relax, breathe through it, when the anaesthetic wears off, it gets better. And if you can't pee at all, go to the ER and get a catheter put in.
  
• What no-one told me #2: Post surgery "nappy rash" is my biggest challenge. The constant wetness from the weeping and bleeding of my wounds damages the surrounding skin, which feels raw and stings. This is the source of my pain. More than the wounds themselves. (The wounds only hurt if I accidentally touch them). Trying to keep the area clean and dry takes work. I have a mini bath after every poop, the warm water is soothing. I wash the area with soap free QV wash. I've tried Curash powder and Desitin zinc cream for the nappy rash. It gives short-lived relief as the wetness is so constant. I use pads in my underwear and change them 3-4 times a day.
  
• What no-one told me #3: Coughing and sneezing is scary post op. When it happens, I feel like I could pop a stitch. Farting is not so scary.
  
• Pooping: Mentally prepare yourself, if it's even possible. The first and second poop, I would classify as traumatic and painful. Avoid constipation at all costs. I became much more mindful of my diet after this. It gets better as time goes on, because you know what to expect. Pain level has gone down as poops have gotten softer. But the anticipation of pooping still gives me anxiety.
  
• Post-op diet: Soft foods. As much water as I can drink in a day. Metamucil 3 times a day. I take it each time I eat a meal. I think of it as poop insurance. I am eating/drinking; Up & Go's, ripe bananas, yoghurt (don't eat dairy if it constipates you), Nutri-Grain, greens powder shakes, vegetable soup (cooked carrot, mushrooms and celery), quick oats/porridge, salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumbers, olives, avocado), brown rice, miso soup, eggs (omelette), steamed fish, steamed veg. I am a bit scared of eating/digesting steak and chicken. I'm not ready for that yet. As a treat, I'll cut the crusts off some soft white bread and eat that with peanut butter or nutella. I'm also on an LDL cholesterol lowering diet, so I am not eating junk food - no fried food, no chips, no chocolate, no icecream, no lollies, no cake, no biscuits, no fast food, no soft drinks. (Also no alcohol, personal choice, not related to the op.)
  
• Painkillers: The strong pain killers they gave me were Tapentadol, which is an opioid. Opioids are constipating, the nurse told me to try to use them conservatively. The Tapentadol worked for two days without issue, but on day 3, made me nauseous and dizzy, so I stopped taking them. By this stage I was no longer in "pain" just "discomfort". I'm taking Panadol and Nurofen, as needed, instead.
  
• Swelling: My swelling seems to be the largest I have seen. I have not seen anything like it on reddit. I can't see my a-hole anymore. The swollen skin is the size of a grape between my butt cheeks. I'm approximating a 22mm oval. But I had 3 bulky, circumferential, anal skin tags cut out. Mine were not tiny long things on a stalk. Mine were wide-based with a lot of tissue, the whole circumference of my anus, as "circumferential" would suggest. The surgeon described my wound size as 'decent'. I feel like this is contributing to why my healing is how it is and not like others experience on here. Mine is not 5 days and I'm back at the gym. I seriously have no clue as to how long the weeping/bleeding will continue and I have no clue when the swelling will go down. One issue with the swelling is my butt cheeks "pinches/pulls" at the swollen tissue and sutures when I walk. This causes discomfort and makes me hesitant to walk even short distances.
  
• Work: I am extremely fortunate to work a fully remote, wfh, desk job. (This is how I am able to have mini baths during the day). Don't sit too long. I sit on a cushion, yet my ass still goes numb. Stand up or lay on the couch, just give your ass a break every hour or so from sitting, if you do a desk job like me.
  
• Sleep: Hasn't really been an issue, I've been sleeping on my side and going to bed early.
  
• Why did I have the procedure: My skin tags were unsightly. I don't wish anyone to have seen them. My a-hole looked like a little brain. Not pretty. My butt cheeks would "pull" the tissue and I would wipe forever after a BM. And to top it off, my husband likes butt stuff. I was super self conscious about it and had already lived like 2 decades with it. Pregnancy and labour made it worse. My husband had a haemerroidectomy done (with the same surgeon) two years ago. Husband was pleased with his results, so I decided it was time to do something about mine.
  
• Would I do it again, knowing what I know now: Probably not! I just can't imagine knowing this pain/discomfort/swelling/bleeding/weeping and putting myself through it. As it was, I didn't really have a long time to think this through. My initial consult was on the 12th and the surgery was booked for the 19th, which was the first available. I did not research post-op recovery at all, and if I did, I don't know if I would have gone through with it. But I am kinda glad I gave myself no choice but to get through it! My a-hole cannot look worse than it started, so anything will be an improvement.
  

Thanks for coming to my Ted talk 😂
Sorry for formatting, I'm posting on a mobile.

hello all, I (24F) have struggled with eczema my entire life, usually pretty mild so it hasn’t been much of a nuisance in my life thankfully. recently I’ve had this rash on my top lip that I thought was cold sores, I left it alone for a couple weeks and it kept scabbing up and falling off then new scabs formed so I started doing some research and now I’m almost positive it’s actually eczema. I also have woken up a couple times with swollen lips. I’m looking for second opinions! there’s a cluster of tiny bumps all across my top lip, no weeping or oozing, and my lip is constantly itchy. I’ve also got a stubborn case of angular chellitis that I’ve dealt with on and off my whole life as well.

Hello everyone,
I'm a [newly single] mom of a 2yo boy who was recently diagnosed with T1D. His diagnosis came after an ER visit and an urgent admission to the PICU as he was in severe diabetic ketoacidosis and nearing the coma stages. Prior to this, I had no idea something was....wrong [not sure if that's the right word]. He had no symptoms that really stood out. He had always been a great water drinker and wasn't losing any weight. His pediatrician never showed any concern about his growth chart.
The only thing that looking back now was a signal was that last December, he got a super stubborn diaper rash that wouldn't go away no matter what! Eventually, his pediatrician diagnosed it as a yeast rash and it cleared up after using Nystatin. A few wks before the ER visit, the rash came back. He saw his dermatologist [he's had skin issues/eczema since he was about 5 wks old] and even she didn't think it was anything but a yeast rash. I have a history of auto immune issues, so I truly wonder why nobody thought to do a simple finger stick.
My son is on the G6 and 2 different kinds of insulin. His dosing regimen has changed about 4 times since his diagnosis in early March. He's on a ratio now, but still running in the 300s and 400s. It's so frustrating, the early stages.
I've had some issues with the G6, which is so annoying because he absolutely HATES when it's time to apply the sensors. He literally SCREAMS bl0.0dy mrd3r. I tried one night to do it while he was asleep. BIG MISTAKE!! He cried for an hour.
Anyway, I know I'm probably rambling and all over the place, but that gives you an idea of where my head has been for the last few weeks. I feel guilty, I feel responsible, I feel stupid [all for many different reasons which are totally separate conversations], I feel kind of lost. So, I'm hoping that I can learn a lot from here as I try to navigate this new life.

(Ok...please know that this was years ago and I am a very different person now. I was 16 when this happened but the guilt still effects me to this day. I am not trying to justify this awful, awful thing I did. And to anyone who has skin cancer or knows someone with skin cancer, I sincerely apologise for using this serious condition for pity, you have my utmost respect and I can only try to understand the hardships you have gone through.)
Context, a few years ago I was diagnosed with servere psoriasis (entire body eczema), and because of this I had to change to a job that was more forgiving on my skin. It was very obvious, It was like having vitiligo, but instead of brown and white ptaches, it was white and red patches. Now, obviously I didn't have skin cancer and psorasis is a very different experience to skin cancer, but I was actaully in pain. If you have a strong stomach search "severe psorasis" and look at the images. I had those rashes, but EVERYWHERE! (p.s. I did actaully have cancer but for a brief amount of time, and it was a while before this and it wasn't skin cancer, it was lymphoma)
Everyone would politely ask what was wrong and I explained my situation. I think because people felt bad for me they would always ask if I needed anything, I had never had this amount of attention before and for the first time, it felt like people really cared about me. A couple months go by and my coworkers and I have become really close, however we got a new trainee and they were all over him and acted like they never even knew me. Now, I never really had any friends in school, so this was like my first experience with friendship, and this is where I mess up, BADLY.
I don't know why, but I got really jealous. They didn't seem to care about me anymore, so I made up the lie that my psorasis had turned into skin cancer (which I don't think is possible). I knew what i was doing and it makes me sick just thinking about it. I would constantly use it as an excuse to sit down for a few mins at work and no one had a problem with it, obviously, (another thing I missed, during this time I was severely overweight due to me being sedentary for most of the day because moving let alone exercising was too painful). This went on for months. It got more and more intense though, I started saying that my life expentency was 40 and I even cried at work and told people its because my life has no meaning when it was really becuase of the amount of guilt and shame I felt.
Fast foward to the present. This was years ago and I'm no longer friends with these people, I never told them the truth, we just had a falling out and It was probably because our friendship was built from lies. Every once in a while I'll think about this and I feel like I should be in a mental hospital, like, this is so fucked up. I used to lie a lot like this, i did some research and i definitely fit into the criteria of a compulsive liar. I don't lie like this anymore, in fact I'm pretty honest and will own up to most of my mistakes.
I don't know why I was like this, the only thing i can think of is that I have always had a rocky realtionship with my mum and I've always had this need to please her and get her attention, so i guess when my friends lost interest I just lost all sense of morals.
I know the answer to this question, but am I a terrible terrible person?