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Day 129:

Wow, it's been a while since I last posted. Unfortunately, not much has changed, and in fact, may have gotten slightly worse. I'm really hoping that in the next month or so that everything clears up, but as of right now my hopes aren't too high. I've been on about 3 weeks of antibiotics in conjuction with my Accutane, and I just started another 10 days as well. I don't know why my cystic acne is so stubborn; I've already cut out as much dairy as I can, but it still sticks around. I found that the areas of my jaw just directly below my ears are probably the worst when it comes to cystic acne. My cheeks aren't too great either.

 

I just realised I'm wearing the same sweater as I when I last took my picture, so I guess I'll take another just to show progress (if any :/)
Thanks for reading.
 

Day 98:
Saw my derm twice in one week; the cysts came back around my jawline unfortunately, and have been a nuisance (as they always are). However, after being prescribed some antibiotics (Biaxin XL 1g/day, and Fucidin Cream), the cysts and any other acne have gone down quite a bit, even in just one week. All the acne on my forehead has basically disappeared, but unfortunately the stuff on the cheek/jawline takes a long time to heal.

 

I've found that getting a good 7-8 hours of sleep a night really helps with the healing process. I found that when I did get a good night of sleep, the cysts "went down" much more than when I didn't. Unfortunately with a university schedule, that can't always be done.

 

My derm has upped by weekly dosage to 500 mg/week now. To be honest, I don't feel like the Accutane has done as much as the antibiotics, other than reducing oil. Does it take this long to see any effects from Accutane?

 

Thanks for reading!
 

You're lucky your IB went by so fast; I'm still getting hit, and I started about 2 weeks before you.

Day 79:
Not much else new to report. All major cysts have basically disppeared, but I'm getting a fair amount of minor acne on my forehead and cheeks still. This is probably due to my terrible sleeping schedule, so I'm trying to fix that now. My next appoitnment will be in about a week and a half, so hopefully I see more results as I get closer to that date. I'll be starting my fourth month soon, so I'm really hoping that the clearing up will be drastic within the next month or two. I'm kind of sick of the blood tests, not to mention the dry lips. Apparently my eyes have been dryer as well, which doesn't help with contact lenses.

Anyways, thanks for reading, and yes, I know I don't look terrible enthused in my picture.

I think some slight muscle/bone pain is normal, but if it becomes unbearable, I would go to your derm for advice. Same for the depression thing, though aren't most people usually more agitated when they lack sleep?