Follow-up Appointment

Today was my follow-up with my dermatologist. I dreaded going because I knew today was the day that I had to tell him that I will not take Humira. I did so, and he proceeded to ask me how he could change my mind. He can’t.

1. I don’t do well with medication of any kind. I either have an allergic reaction, or I develop one of the side effects. Humira has too many possible side effects that are, in my opinion, worse than HS.
2. I have read, from more than one credible source, that following the auto-immune protocol and a paleo diet puts HS symptoms into remission. The dermatologist even agreed that the root cause is leaky gut and that doing these things will help.
3. I will not be coerced into becoming part of someone’s drug study.

He then told me that he supposed he could put me on 30 days of Doxycycline. I was beyond frustrated at this point. I had already said that I didn’t want any more medication and that the Cephalexin and Rifampin he’d just had me on to prepare me for the Humira had given me extreme nausea and abdominal pain. Furthermore, I had told him on my first visit that I’ve had Doxycycline a couple of times before and it is no longer effective on me. However, I think the worst thing is that he knows that HS is not bacterial and is still trying to prescribe antibiotics for it.

I want to give my way, the natural way, a try before I resort to any life-changing drugs. I don’t think that’s asking too much. I’ve only been on the elimination diet for two weeks, which isn’t enough to have seen many results and definitely not enough to have an idea of which foods are my triggers. So, I’m soldiering on.

I want to give a shout out to my neighbor, Sue. She stopped by the library to bring me a thank you gift for watching her pets while she was on vacation. She said she had baked some banana bread for me, but then she saw that I was no longer eating bread. So, she went to the grocery and got some blackberries, a cucumber, and an apple for me. She explained that it’s because blackberries are preventatives for cancer and auto-immune diseases, cucumbers are the best tasting green vegetables, and Fuji apples are her favorite. It is invaluable to have people who support you when you are trying to change your eating habits. Thank you, Sue!