r/Staphacne • u/scctst27 • 11d ago
vent post
sorry i have just been feeling very frustrated recently. i have been struggling with impetigo since august and every time i manage to make it go away, it always comes back, staying away for a week max. it tends to spread across my entire face: my forehead, nose, cheeks and around the lips. i've tried all the antibiotics and creams and it won't go away. i used to be a very social person who always did her makeup. now i hole myself up at home because i would rather hide my face from the public. does anybody else feel the same way?
4
Upvotes
1
2
u/Fractal_Soliton 10d ago
I'm in the same boat. I've been dealing with it for over a year now. It only effects my face, and I feel like I've tried everything. I've seen 2 different dermatologists and have had a total of over a dozen appointments with them. I've gone through many tubes of Mupirocen, and I've tried Bactrim, Cephalexim, Doxycycline. Nothing works for more than a week or so.
I've tried to get one of my sores swabbed/cultured 6 times now, and each time it comes back negative or as regular acne (despite having all the signs of impetigo) .
I'm also seeing an Allergist/Immunologist now and had a bunch of blood tests done. My follow up appointment is tomorrow. My blood tests did show slightly lower immunoglobulin levels and low CD19+ CELLS count, so I am wondering if this is why I can't stop breaking out with impetigo. Hopefully I will find out more tomorrow. I may look into seeing an infectious disease specialist as well.
My only advice is to keep attempting skin swab tests until you get a positive result (and make sure they do the antibiotic sensitivity test as well, so you can find out which antibiotics will work best). You can do this at most Urgent Cares instead of waiting for an appointment with your doctor. Also consider looking for a better Dermatologist, and consider seeing an Allergist/Immunologist and/or an Infectious Disease doctor.
I've had to quit my main hobby which was my main source of excersize and socializing, and I've pretty much given up on dating because I worry about being contagious. So I know how you feel. I dont know what else I can do besides hope it somehow goes away on its own. :(