#stompingoutsecretsuffering

"Health Coach Aims To Break Taboo Surrounding Painful Skin Disease", pick up a copy of The Tribune today or copy and paste the following link to read the story in the Health Section: http://www.tribune242.com/news/2015/jun/16/health-coach-aims-break-taboo-surrounding-painful-/lifestyle Many thanks to Tribune Features Reporter, Alesha Cadet for writing this story and helping us bring HS out in the open. Lives are being positively impacted, people are reaching out, we are banding together to combat this awful condition. Thank you to everyone for reading and forwarding the message on. A special thank you to all the persons living with HS who have contacted me. Our ultimate message is one of hope and healing! Awareness makes all the difference. #HidradenitisSuppurativa #Awarenesscontinues #outintheopen #grateful #puttinganendtoprivatepain #stompingoutsecretsuffering

The picture with me in the coral top was taken on March 22, 2013 and I remember the date clearly because it was at a farewell luncheon from my job at a law firm. The other picture was taken on June 11, 2014. I had decided to snap a selfie and then do a side by side collage to show the results of my weight loss efforts up to that point and the evidence was clear. However, the significance of June 11, 2014 is far more important that showcasing my new "slim down". That date, my friends and readers was a pivotal day in my life---- it was the day I WON. I was scheduled on that day to have my 12th surgery for excision of an abscess related to Hidradenitis Suppurativa. A few weeks prior I had met with my surgeon and I was tired, I was depressed, I was broken, I was afraid and get this, I was also stronger & more determined than I had been in all the years I had fought HS. We had carefully decided the surgery date and it was indicated that I would need around 6 months off from work to fully recover. It was then that out of my despair a hope emerged. I told my surgeon about the Whole30 & other lifestyle changes I had made and that I was confident that somehow the abscess would go away (it had to) and that I would no longer need the surgery. I asked him to give me his strongest antibiotic to fight the infection and I assured him that I would come back if I needed medical attention. So the battle ensued and raged as the weeks leading up to the surgery crept closer. I ate a super clean Whole30 Autoimmune Protocol Diet, took supplements, took the antibiotics, reduced my daily stressors and prayed fervently. Can I tell you that I won the battle? There was no trace of the abscess from that day to this one. Needless to say, I did not have that surgery. That was the first surgery date I had ever beaten. Join me today as I discuss my battles and eventual triumphs with Hidradenitis Suppurativa and my efforts to raise awareness of this disease/condition/illness on the radio talk show: JEFFREY with Jeff Lloyd on Star 106.5 and Cable Channel 5 at 4:30pm. #HidradenitisSuppurativa #AwarenessWeek #outintheopen #puttinganendtoprivatepain #stompingoutsecretsuffering

TODAY is the day!!!! "Be Blue" to raise awareness of Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) Hidradenitis Suppurativa commonly known as HS Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is described by Wikipedia as "a common (though rarely diagnosed), chronic skin disease characterized by clusters of abscesses or subcutaneous boil-like "infections" (oftentimes free of actual bacteria) that most commonly affects apocrine sweat gland bearing areas, such as the underarms, under the breasts, inner thighs, groin and buttocks. The disease is not contagious. There are indications that it is hereditary among certain ethnic groups and autoimmune in nature. Onset is most common in the late teens and early 20's. HS often goes undiagnosed for years due to embarrassment causing delay in seeking treatment. Due to the "invisible" nature of it, it is frequently misdiagnosed. HS is an orphan disease due to lack of publicity and sparse research efforts." Wear your blue proudly today and tag us in your pictures. Stay tuned for the updated version of this throwback picture! Use the hashtags #HidradenitisSuppurativa #AwarenessWeek #outintheopen #creatingawareness #spurringacalltoaction #puttinganendtoprivatepain #stompingoutsecretsuffering

In observance of Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) Awareness Week, tomorrow Wednesday June 10th, we are asking as many people as can to participate in our "Be Blue" Day to create and raise awareness of this awfully debilitating and horrendous chronic skin condition. I'M BLOWING THE WHISTLE, bringing HS out in the open. We are humbly requesting the public's support. Wear blue tomorrow and post your pics, tag us, and use the hashtags #HidradenitisSuppurativa #AwarenessWeek #BeBlue #outintheopen DM me for more information if you or anyone you know suffers from HS and would like to be a part of a support group, a safe space. #puttinganendtoprivatepain #stompingoutsecretsuffering #spurringacalltoaction #creatingawareness #gratitude #helpandhope #healing #wholeness #wellness

Join me during the week of June 8-15, 2015, as I observe "Hidradenitis Suppurativa Awareness Week", an initiative spearheaded by the Hidradenitis Suppurativa Trust in the UK and I am excited to create awareness in my local community and beyond of this awfully debilitating condition. Hidradenitis Suppurativa commonly known as HS Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is described by Wikipedia as "a common (though rarely diagnosed), chronic skin disease characterized by clusters of abscesses or subcutaneous boil-like "infections" (oftentimes free of actual bacteria) that most commonly affects apocrine sweat gland bearing areas, such as the underarms, under the breasts, inner thighs, groin and buttocks. The disease is not contagious. There are indications that it is hereditary among certain ethnic groups and autoimmune in nature. Onset is most common in the late teens and early 20's. HS often goes undiagnosed for years due to embarrassment causing delay in seeking treatment. Due to the "invisible" nature of it, it is frequently misdiagnosed. HS is an orphan disease due to lack of publicity and sparse research efforts." As many of you may be aware, my suffering with HS began in 2000 and went undiagnosed until I received a happenstance diagnosis in 2011 and by 2014 I had had 11 surgeries and procedures along with years of antibiotic use, private pain and secret suffering. That right there is the crux of why HS Awareness Week is so critically important in The Bahamas. Over these many years I did not know that other people in my community were experiencing the same symptoms as me and I had nowhere to turn and no one to talk to, no support and no help. The time has now come to bring HS #outintheopen. I stand at this juncture to blow the whistle on HS and over the next several days I will be posting about HS and the ways in which persons suffering with this condition and those who suspect that they have it can find support and explore amazing opportunities for healing and restoration. #HidradenitisSuppurativa #AwarenessWeek #June8-15 #outintheopen #support&solutions #puttinganendtoprivatepain #stompingoutsecretsuffering #creatingawareness #spurringacalltoaction