Excision of armpits

Skin, nail and hair health
1

Hiya

Ive suffered with this condition for about 8 years now (5 years undiagnosed) and have been at stage 3 for about 5 years.

After seing several different doctors/specialists/dermatologists, for 7 years with no results or help, i started seeing a surgeon in january of this year. I suffer with HS in multiple areas, both armpits were so bad that moving my arms was too painful, and they were both severely scarred and basically made me feel like a freak. I also have them in my groin and down both thighs which are so bad sometimes they make walking impossible. Ive also started to notice them popping up on and underneath my breasts. =( These are extremely painful and itchy and make wearing a bra extremely uncomfortable, and its not like i can walk around with out one on as i am too \"blessed\" in the chest area! Anyway, after 7 years of being force fed antibiotic after antibiotic i wasnt really expecting much from the surgeon, so i was thrilled when i walked in, showed him the areas and he replied with \"right were going to remove this and this and this\". After so long of nothing, i was thrilled that someone was going to do something about it! In april of this year i had my left armpit removed. He removed all the glands. The only way my surgery differs from other peoples is that my wound was left open, to granulate from the inside out. I had to have 2 months off work and the wound took a good 3 months to heal up properly. Now its healed properly and all im left with is one very small thin scar, which compared to the way my armpits were before is incredible!

I had my right armpit excised on the 23rd of August, so about 3 weeks ago, and once again the wound is open. Still havent managed to go back to work yet either as its far too painful.

Its hard to stay positive while im in recovery, with these 2 open wounds under my arm that smell really bad and have to be changed and cleaned out daily- an extremely painful task that my mum does for me as the nurses just hurt too much (eg, when i was in hospital, one of the nurses scrubbed my wound out to clean it, opening several raw nerve endings and leaving me in complete agony for a week).

The only thing worse than the pain of my wound at the minute is the pain im feeling when im walking - since having my armpits excised the rest of my \"areas\" have gone absolutely crazy. I currently have 5 abcesses th size of golfballs on my thighs and another 4 have appeared beneath my breasts =(

I am however pleased (very very extremely pleased!!!) to report that since my first operation on my left a/p i havent had anymore abcesses in that area at all!!!

The only downside at the moment is i keep having what i like to call \"Harry Potter Moments\" where my scar feels tight and painful and tingly.

Sometimes its incredibly hard to stay positive and sometimes i just cant manage to keep it together, i go nowhere without a hoodie or jumper, and dont really want to meet men anymore for fear they'll think im disgusting or that im infectious. Im 20 but i feel a lot older than that.

Anyway just wanted to share my story with you all, to let you know that there is some hope out there!

My legs and groin are getting done next- wish me luck!

And now its time for me to go and get some painkiller induced sleep -so bye for now and if you have any questions or anything please feel free to reply!

2

I read your experience of surgery for HS with interest . Having suffered with this condition for 25 years & just been diagnosed in July I too was so relieved to know that surgery was an option . Having just completed a ten week course of antibiotics I 'm currently awaiting surgery for underarm area. Unlike your operation however I am informed I will be having skin grafts when area is excised - I am rather alarmed to hear that your other \"areas\" have reacted adversely when you had your underarm surgery - From reading through various patient accounts of their surgery it does not appear to be a final solution! Do hope that your second surgery has been successful & that you now have relief in these areas.

3

hello

i glad that u found the op a sucess i also had my armpits operated on but now u am really suffering under my breast area and basically had enough

and they seem to be getting worse i am 2 years on from my op and still my scar feels tight and tingly and still quite nervous about touching it

but good luck to you and i really hope u heal ok i also had my scar left unopened and it isn't plesant

4

Hiya All

I had my underarms operated on in June, with the wound being left open to heal naturally, and I can honestly say that the only problems I have experienced, was my skin had some really bad reaction to the different plasters that are available for holding the dressing in place which was because the dressings had to be changed daily. However over the last week or so, I have been using a dressing called \"Mepilex\" with the occasional use of \"Cavilon\" which paints on a protected skin to the surrounding area. This seems to be working really well, I shower and remove the dressing, then allow it to dry with minimal touching before redressing it again. One arm has completely healed and the other should be ok in about 4/5wks. Hope this information is usefull.

5

i have just stumbled upon this website ive suffered from this disease for 10 years i am seeing a surgeon this week hopefully to have operation on my arms i only suffer the occasional outbreak in the groin area none under breasts i am really concerned that if i have op for armpits will it go really bad down below. Could anyone else share there experience after surgery? i wish i had found this years ago like many ive read this evening gp always said its because i have got greasy skin didny dae return as i was ashamed

6

Hi, I had my both my arms operated on in January of this year and they removed all the scarred area and the glands. Once healed I am now left with a perfect line scar which I think will fade eventually. I may now say that I no longer suffer any problems and have not had any other breakouts over the rest of my body. I hope that all goes well for you and that you have as good a result as I seem to have had.

Take Care

7

Wow, cutting your skin is a really big step... I feel for anyone who suffers from this disease/any disease. It has made me value life abit more, but when i'm full of pain i cant even think about anything but the pain.

I have scars in my armpits, you can jus see the little black dots where my hairs used to be, it looks really strange, i do have some hair though! yess!

8

i posted a little while ago to say i was seeing a surgeon shortly well ive had one of my arms done almost a week ago the gent was going to do both at once but on day of operation he changed his mind said because one side was infected so only got one done going tues to have bandage removed but have to say pain not to bad atall not even as bad as other arm which is infected at the moment gent managed to close the wound completely so fingers crossed all will be well hope this information helps other suffers. i will post again after dressing come off...........

9

Despite all the challenges I am reading about, I'm incredibly relieved to know that it's not just me who lives with the multiple affected areas, armpits, groin, thighs, under breast areas. I feel so bad for someone of 20 to be suffering, I know the what the pain is like and the effect it has physically and mentally. It affects so many areas of your life. I gave up on Dermatology some years back after years of trying various medications and seeing umpteen different doctors with no progress but a recent and very painful outbreak in both armpits forced me to go back and am waiting for a consultation. I am constantly looking for new dressing types as I am sensitive to the usual adherent dressings and tape and try to use them minimally and so am pleased to learn about cavilon which I will order tonight!! Dressings cost a fortune, sometimes I'm using 5 at any given time on different areas! Buy hey.

10

I'm 22 years old and went to a dermatologist for the first time yesterday and I've been diagnosed with HS. I'm terrified that it can get so serious. Been living with it since I was 14 but was too embarrased to tell anyone and seek help. I'm in my final semester of university and to receive this news, and how it can impact my life just sucks. I have so many plans and now I'm doubting every one of them. It doesn't help that the dermatologist didn't explain the condition properly, he just scared me, prescribed antibiotics, roaccutan and a birth control pill and sent me out the door without explaining the treatment. It was all over in 15 minutes! I'm so confused and not sure whether to consult another doctor before I take any of the medication or just trust this doctor since I've already given him my money.