Gettin' it off my chest - I'm new here

April 23, 2002

I have been diagnosed with cea recently (12 months). For years I

battled acne, with no real conclusion. Now, I get the papules and

pustules associated with cea. I've always been a little red, but

never as bad as most cases I've seen. I'm a 27 yr old male, 5'11 " ,

195 lbs, in relatively good shape.

My problem is that my life revolves around my wife (who loves the

lake/beach/sun), good food (you know the bad stuff), and outdoor

sports (especially water). To date, all advice I have been given has

been to avoid the triggers. This basically meant that my life was

going to take a 180 degree turn.

I'm not going to accept that. I've been with a derm for a year who

just wants to give me minocycline and metro cream. This has done

very little, if anything, for my acne like symtpoms. I'm going to a

new guy today - a promising young derm who also teaches at Baylor in

Houston. I'm praying that he can find a way to head this off before

it gets worse.

I'm going to ask about a low dose accutane treatment. I also come

from a family of men who have chronic gastro problems, so I am going

to inquire about the link there.

Any advice is welcome. I refuse to let this beat me. I've spent 15

years with my head down - no more. Despite this, I've been very

successful in life, in love, and in profession. After reading these

posts, one resounding theme was the despair. I hope my condition

never gets to that point.

But for all those out there feeling down, what helped me was to look

at the good things in my life and be thankful. As for the bad

things, I will deal with them like most other problems in life - try

the logical things, and if that doesn't work, fight like hell.

Take care,

BigWoodward

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