Just wanted to let yall know that the predisone is miraculous. All the stuff under my jaw, and anything inflamed on my body has reduced anywhere from 60-100% OVERNIGHT! Sorry but that is just really exciting for me.

That is fantastic! So glad to hear it. :boogie:

Thanks for creepy stalker ninja love lol

No problem :shifty2:

Well heres my sad story. I had moderate acne on and off all through out middle school. Come freshman year I basically just cleared up, and stayed absolutely clear until sometime in sophmore year where it came back for round two. I would still categorize it as moderate then but worse than before so that spurred getting a derm, and an arrangement of a whole range of topicals complimented with Minocycline. After junior year I found a nice combo of duac and minocycline and senior year was wonderful. All the way through up to half way up through this past summer. Thats when my Derm suggested going off the minocycline, because i had been on it for 2 years straight, and it was probably a medically logical decision, but oh my oh my. As soon as the minocycline ran out I went from 99% clear to what you see in my first bank of pictures in less than a week. So I've been trying to deal with that every since.

Damn sounds like me and you were kind of in a similar situation there! Only you broke out after stopping oral antibioitcs... and I broke out after stopping the use of benzoyl peroxide on my face after 4 years (which is pretty much a topical antibiotic I suppose) and then taking penicillin soon after. Very strange indeed. Have you by chance gotten a some kind of swab culture of one of your lesions from your doc? There's a possibility that you could very well maybe have some kind of staph infection (I had one according to a clinic I went to).... or maybe even an overgrowth of yeast on your skin (since antibiotics kill off both good and bad bacteria, leaving room for yeast to go crazy on the skin.... espessially after a couple years of antibiotic use.) Sorry, rambling on here 😛 It's just strange though that both me and you went from pretty clear skin (well, in my case, I had some zits still), to very severe just a matter of a few or more days..

Oh yes I know the pain, and random fluids leaking at random times. Itching that feels like spiders crawling under your skin. Yes I've felt it all in the last 3 months, and the worst of it all is that the majority of my friends, and people I know back in Austin have absolutely no idea. The reunion that I'm fearing most is my old youth group. I was the guy that the young dudes connected to because I could bridge the gap between religion and life, and I was the guy that the young ladies listened to because ...... well because they thought I was hot lol. So on December 9 my very very good friend and youth minister wants me to come down to be the keynote speaker at a central texas retreat. Now I spent a good 2 years overcoming a paralyzing case of stage fright of public speaking. I don't know if I can go back to that same level after going to through this. We'll see ...

Eek the itching was the worst... and as for the random leaking of clear fluids... man that sucked so bad. I'd actually be sleeping at night and woke up in the morning with my face somewhat stuck to the pillow because the fluids weeped out of my skin actually got stuck to it! (Sorry, too much information :X) The thing I really like about you, along with everyone else who's read this log i'm sure, is your positive attitude about all this. I tried to keep my head up and stay positive when my skin got the way it did.. but instead, I ended up skipping the last 2 1/2 months of my senior year of high school (tutor came to my house though), decided to skip out on college, and became a complete hermit in my home. If only I had you're attitude....

Anyways, best of luck to you on the public speaking =] I'm sure by december, you'll see tons of improvement on your skin. As long as you keep up your great spirit, theres nothing really to worry about eh?

Take care =] (and sorry to make this such a long post! I tend to ramble on :shifty:)

Man, that third nipple is the coolest thing i ever seen

I love long posts Mandy please come ramble more often. Thanks for the psuedo-nipple love lol but its been deflated by the predisone i guess now its just a red spot. As for my YG people I know they will accept me no matter what I look like. I guess what I am afraid of is letting them down. They gave me this award for best Youth Leader of the year for my senior year, and in their little presentation speech they told me I show that a person can have amazing faith, and still be a normal person (have friends, deals with problems, be kinda sexy lol). I was really touched, and I just feel that I've lost a dimension as a Youth Leader. We'll just have to hope for the best, because I accepted the offer to be the key note speaker.

If i may ask what drove you away from christianity? You dont have to answer I was jw.

No I'm definitely still the same person inside, and I'm not that worried about the people that I had known before. Its all the new people that are going on their first retreat that I'm worried about. I used to be able to pull those kids attention before I talked, so that they would actually listen to what I have to say. It's the girls demographic that im most worried about. Last retreat I spoke at I had a gaggle of freshman girls that we're just enamored with me and hung on my every word. That naive immature crush made some of them who hadn't listened to the other speakers get the message that I was trying to impart. I'm not worried about being clear though more just being scarred, and red.

Also I wouldn't say super sexy though ... maybe worldly and wise. I feel like so much more of an adult because of this whole experience, and I think that will definitely show. Which could be a good or bad thing.

I'm debating whether or not to break the dirty man challenge though for that. It's on December 8, 9, 10 which is around when the challenge ends, but i think just a little short. What do you people think the high schoolers would respond to better Mountain man or clean cut? My beard is finally growing again so it should be decently sized on the sides by then and my hair will definitely be more out of control.

I know of I'm one of many, but thanks for the very funny and positive spin you put on accutane and all the things we "acne people" experience. It is refreshing to read your post and I will come back. I can sympathize with your talking about the child at church. I've had several children (since I teach preschool) ask me if I have chicken pox. But, this is also coming from people who pick their noses and eat food off the floor, so take it as you will!! Hope that accutane cures you! If anyone deserves it, you do! I'm almost two months in and still just breaking out. Here's to hoping!! Oh and I'm a fellow catholic too, so I'm liking all your words of wisdom. Nice to hear of guys making it to mass on sunday. I'm a hard core catholic and I'm embarassed to say I've missed mass cause of my skin. Don't worry, this is not my only confession. Keep positive!!

lol well the whole reason I took the bet and havent shaved is because of the cystiness that lies beneath. If I still have those (they are going away as of now) I don't expect to shave.

Just saw the New Pics man swellin definatly went down dramatically hope u clear up im rooting for u

Thanks abeazy! I went to the gym for the first time in a while and played bball for a couple hours. Today I am remembering rather painfully why i had stopped going lol. My arms and legs ache, and dont even get me started on my lower back. Its actually alot worse than what I had experienced before, but i'll chalk that up to my increase dosage.

I took my last prednisone this "morning" which means around 2 in the afternoon, hopefully its effects on the jawline stuff will be permanent. I was a little bummed that my 1st night results (which surpassed my wildest expectations) weren't follow up by similar results the rest of the week. I'd say 90% of the benifit that I got from prednisone was over that first night.

So yesterday I was asleep and I get this call from a friend of my roommates asking me to come pick up my roommate and a couple of his drunk friends from a party. Being the annoyingly nice person that I am I agreed. I get there and I practically had to wrestle one guy to get him to leave his half empty can of Natty Ice, because I wasn't getting in trouble for his ass. Made it back to my dorm without anybody throwing up in my car (Thank god), and had to practically drag my roommate up two flights of stairs and down the hallway to our room. I dumped him in his bed, and then went to go check on his friends and more importantly my car. Thats when this cop stops me in the parking lot, and of course from carrying my roommate I smell like i bathed in alcohol. I really am a calm cool and collected person, so it must be the accutane, or the fact that it was 3 o'clock like fifty degrees and I'm wearing flannel pajama bottoms, flip flops, and a popeye shirt, but I was very curt with the officer, and it definitely started to piss him off. He was trying to get me to do all these field sobriety tests, but i suck at coordination and balance anyways so I finally got him to breathalyze me which of course showed up straight zeroes, and he reluctantly let me go. So by the time I got back to my room i was so frustrated if there had been a bottle of Jack on my desk I would have knocked back a couple without hesitation. So I went from a good model student staying in on a friday night and going to bed at a decent hour to being a good friend and picking up people in need to being questioned by a police officer to needing a drink for the first time since I very difficultly gave up the habit 3 years ago. Bleh whoever said TGIF needs to walk in my shoes, and then we'll see what acronyms they come up with.

I would like to prelude this with the awkward confession that i made an account on this website for the sole purpose of writing this comment. I stumbled onto your log through the internet meandering that is so easy to get lost doing. i liked the name of your log so i clicked it and have been reading ever since. you are a humorous and intelligent young man and i am so glad that there are people like you out there.

that being said it seems like lately you have been discouraged. not necessarily with your acne treatment, that seems to be going wonderfully, but just in general. i just want you to know that you have made an impact on many people using something as impersonal as the internet. that is really saying something. but you have the evidence of that right in front of your eyes, so i guess i dont need to tell you that. let me just say that it's ok if you occasionally fall short of your ideals, and the way you try to live your life. i know firsthand how disappointing that can be, because this summer i moved to a new country to go to college and left my friends and family and life behind. i thought i was being brave and all but, well life hasnt quite been what i expected it to be. it's hard to keep the meaning behind the things we say i guess. and so i just wanted to sympathize and maybe make myself feel a little better too.

on a side note, i may be totally out in left field on this one. if i am just call it and i'll retract everything with a kickass apology.

as a female prone to crushing on mentor-types, i can guarantee to you that using that isn't the best way to reach the people you want to reach. i hope your messages were more along the lines of what you write in your log, and less about what you looked like. because the right words reach people, or more specifically the person who is supposed to be speaking through you will reach people, not your looks. and infatuated girls are too busy analyzing your actions towards them and fantasizing about you to actually get some of what your saying. anyway, focus more on being a real person (which you really seem to be able to do) rather than whether 15 year olds are still going to "omglikeyou" i guess all i'm saying is you never know how people are going to react, and sometimes things we think are weaknesses can be made to become our biggest strengths.

anyway, i will be raptly awaiting your next ever-entertaining post.

with admiration and comradeship,

a fan

ps. the butcher's wife? +10 awesome my friend.

"I never laid a hand on her."

Thanks abeazy! I went to the gym for the first time in a while and played bball for a couple hours. Today I am remembering rather painfully why i had stopped going lol. My arms and legs ache, and dont even get me started on my lower back. Its actually alot worse than what I had experienced before, but i'll chalk that up to my increase dosage.

I took my last prednisone this "morning" which means around 2 in the afternoon, hopefully its effects on the jawline stuff will be permanent. I was a little bummed that my 1st night results (which surpassed my wildest expectations) weren't follow up by similar results the rest of the week. I'd say 90% of the benifit that I got from prednisone was over that first night.

So yesterday I was asleep and I get this call from a friend of my roommates asking me to come pick up my roommate and a couple of his drunk friends from a party. Being the annoyingly nice person that I am I agreed. I get there and I practically had to wrestle one guy to get him to leave his half empty can of Natty Ice, because I wasn't getting in trouble for his ass. Made it back to my dorm without anybody throwing up in my car (Thank god), and had to practically drag my roommate up two flights of stairs and down the hallway to our room. I dumped him in his bed, and then went to go check on his friends and more importantly my car. Thats when this cop stops me in the parking lot, and of course from carrying my roommate I smell like i bathed in alcohol. I really am a calm cool and collected person, so it must be the accutane, or the fact that it was 3 o'clock like fifty degrees and I'm wearing flannel pajama bottoms, flip flops, and a popeye shirt, but I was very curt with the officer, and it definitely started to piss him off. He was trying to get me to do all these field sobriety tests, but i suck at coordination and balance anyways so I finally got him to breathalyze me which of course showed up straight zeroes, and he reluctantly let me go. So by the time I got back to my room i was so frustrated if there had been a bottle of Jack on my desk I would have knocked back a couple without hesitation. So I went from a good model student staying in on a friday night and going to bed at a decent hour to being a good friend and picking up people in need to being questioned by a police officer to needing a drink for the first time since I very difficultly gave up the habit 3 years ago. Bleh whoever said TGIF needs to walk in my shoes, and then we'll see what acronyms they come up with.

that quote is super long...but i just wanted to say thats funny u take the meds at 2pm because my derm thinks i take mine in the AM..as in 9am..but obiously i dont wake up til like 12 or sometimes even later (lazy). and that sucks about the cop, ive been a DD for my friends a lot (we're all underage, mind u) of times and thankfully ive never been pulled over or had any problems with cops....nice PJs though haha

Just wondering did you find my log randomly wandering the internet? or randomly wandering this site specifically. I would find it kinda wierd if my log just came up randomly in a google search lol

Alright now on to the good stuff with the hearty meat and vegetables. First of all there are definitely many times that I fall short of my ideals, and its certainly always disappointing. But as long as I have those ideals and as I strive to meet them I dont ever consider it a failure. I don't mean to seem discouraged, I don't feel discouraged I'm just getting anxious with this retreat coming up. I've always been anxious for months before speaking because of my stage fright, and this acne situation only serves to exasperate it.

I'm going to call you on your other statement, but I don't need an apology because I think I've made it as clear as i could have. My message has never been dependant on looks, or anything superficial. All I was trying to say was this. There was this group of girls. That gave wouldn't hear a word that any other speaker said, but because they we're attracted to me i guess they at least heard my message, and if you can get someone to hear that message then it is possible for that message affect a change in their life. All i was trying to say in one of my previous posts is now I feel that its possible that the effect will be reversed, and that my looks will increase the amount of people that wont give my message a chance, and the shame is that those are the ones that I want to hear it the most. But in truth I don't know what effect it will have, and that unknown only makes me more anxious.

So all in all I'm glad I have readers who appreciate me, and my struggle, and that care enough to try and help me when I'm down. Its a good feeling to know yall are out there. Buenos Noches mis amigos.

Hello there! I also have to confess that I sorta registered here to post in your log (: I have been a long time silent reader of acne.org but never posted too much.

I would just like to give you a simple thanks. I'll be reading your future posts for as long as you continue to update this log (:

Lol well I'm glad you peoples joined up, and I hope you start sharing your wisdom all around the org.

I have bad news peoples. I think I'm going through a second IB from the raised dosage. I got brand spanking new cysts on my cheeks, and any deflation of my neck cysts has been erased and then some. I woke up this morning to carnage. My face was stuck to my pillow in multiple places strong enough that I lifted my my head and the pillow stayed on. The collar of the shirt i was wearing is now a burgandy, or maybe a crimson because of blood, and stuff was still oozing down my neck when I woke up.

I'm instigating a new system to cease my picking and squeezing habit. Everytime I do it I put a rubber band on my wrist. For every rubber band I have to run a suicide at the rec center. This will definitely stop me from picking because I DESPISE running (I'm a lazy bum). The downside is I already have 3 today and I've only been awake for an hour and a half lol. The plus side I'll get back into shape, because I am woeful out of shape I found out when I went to play basketball the other day.

I watched Stand and Deliver for the first time in a long time yesterday, and I as happy to see Edward James Olmos rocking the house with a comb over and noticable acne scars. My favorite parts in that movie are when he uses that hispanic gangster voice and threatens people with bodily harm. Coming from him thats priceless.

Song of the Week

I almost forgot it was monday. This week's song is Catherine Feeny's "Mr. Blue"

The great Mr. Feeny from Boy Meets World show team up with Catherine and they should be the leaders of the free world. Mr. Feeny could dispense vital life lessons over the fence of the White House, and Catherine could overload our visual and auditory senses with her Angelicness.

Quote of the Day (Back after a brief hiatus)

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on the end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots was perfectly made and never leaked. The other pot had a crack in it and by the time the water bearer reached his master's house it had leaked much of it's water and was only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you." "Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?" "I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again the pot apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."

Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But if we will allow it, God will use our flaws to grace his table. In God's great economy, nothing goes to waste. Don't be afraid of your flaws. Acknowledge them, and you too can be the cause of beauty. Know that in our weakness we find our strength.

a suicide is a running drill. On a basketball court there are 5 major lines (exluding the three point line for survival purposes. Baseline, free throw, midcourt, far free throw, far baseline. A suicide is this without stopping under 30 seconds or it doesnt count:

1) Baseline to free throw and back

2) Baseline to Midcourt and back

3) Baseline to far free throw and back

4) Baseline to Baseline

One isnt bad but when you stack them up back to back without stopping it gets horrible. Right now I have 3, and since I would I'm horribly out of shape and would die if I tried to do mine back to back for now I'll do them one at a time, but I'm only giving myself a week of this leniancy.

Its going to be horrible. I keep wanting to put it off, but the longer I do the more I can rack up. Typing on the comp keeps my hands decently occupied though.

I survived ... barely. It wouldn't have been so bad, but I had to do the 4th one 3 times because i kept not making it under 30 seconds. Oh and 10,000 views WOOHOO! Thanks for reading peoples.

You're popular, RC.

It sounds like the new breakout is pretty miserable. I'd call your doctor to see if there's something else he can also prescribe right now. Perhaps even an antibiotic for short term. Ouch, I feel for you!

Icing the spots will help the pain and inflammation, too. Don't put the ice directly on the lesions as that would be too cold, but cover the ice with a washcloth or dishtowel or something. A nice long warm shower with water running directly over your face will feel good too and possibly soothe the cysts as well. Half an hour after the long warm shower, then you could ice the spots. Combo of heat and cold might help.

Do whatever you have to to remind yourself not to pick! If you have to post an image of yourself, with fresh pick marks, on your mirror. Also, the website stoppickingonme is very helpful for those of us who are (or were) pickers.

Hello again Just wanted to stop by with a little advice... since i've been through this all (including my pillow getting stuck to my face on quite a few occasions.) I agree with Wynne about asking your derm to possibly put you on a short antibiotic course. That's what actually really helped me out in the first place. At first, my derm put me on prednisone for 6 days. That was great because it brought down a lot of inflammation and I got enough confidence to leave my house and see a couple friends for a day. After I was done with prednisone though, all the inflammation came back pretty fast, if not worse. Finally, my derm decided to put me on 200 mg of Minocyclin for 1 month before I started accutane. Minocycline itself cleared me up TOOOONS and took down the inflammation of any other zits I had on my face (which is ironic considering penicillin, which is obviously another antibiotic, is what wrecked havok on my face in the first place). I'd say my face looked 97% better the day I started accutane all because of the minocycline. Accutane has been taking care of everything else

As for picking... oh man... before my face got bad, I was pretty "OCD" about NEVER touching my face (except to wash it)... so picking was just out of the question for me. When my face got large weeping boils and other strange lesions all over though.... it was like my face was a magnet for my fingers and I couldn't stop squeezing/picking/scratching/etc. I kind of got a sick pleasure from doing it Finally, whenever I got the urge, I'd tell myself that I can either pick and let my face get all infected/scarred up.. or I could not pick and let my face heal faster and prevent infections and further spreading of my acne. Then I'd go do something that would take my mind off my face, like watch Super troopers or Pulp Fiction. It was hard at first, but then I never got another urge to pick again and my skin started healing faster. I'm sure the rubber band thing should help as well.

But yeah, totalllllly ask your derm to put you on a short course of antibiotics. I bet it will help a ton. And if you have any infections on your face from picking, i should clear it right up If he doesn't, maybe try eating garlic or taking odorless garlic supplements.. I found out recently it's a natural antibiotic.

Peace

(Damn myself to hell for making such long replies.. I really don't mean to lol!)

Well I'm kinda weary of antibiotics (ESPECIALLY Minocycline) since they are basically the reason that I am suffering so badly in the first place. Is the prednisone a 1 time shot thing, because i wouldn't mind another round of that.

JenMyMy - It felt good if you equate feeling good to the inabilty to breathe, and lightheadedness followed by acute nausea.

Nah prednisone you can do again i'm sure.... I just hear its not that safe to do long term.. (plus, you aren't a girl so you don't have to worry about the excess hair side effect that women can eventually get ) Another short course should totally be fine..

Prednisome worked wonders for my inflammation at first as well.

When I asked for a second round when I upped my dose, my derm didn't want to do that because she said first of all, it's not good to use repeatedly, and second of all, it can actually cause acne as a side effect.

I'm probably (most likely) not the first person to say this, but you're an AMAZING person! It's optimistic people like you that makes my journey a whole lot more bearable - Fight on!

I registered for an account on here after finding your blog too - good job racking up the members for acne.org!

I started taking accutane 4 days ago and I already have some of the side effects (chapped lips, joint/muscle pain, nosebleed, and a sweeeet break out) so I did a google search to find out if it really happens that fast. Holy crap this stuff is potent! Your blog has been extremely helpful, thank you.

I'm 28 year old and have had acne of varying degrees since I was 12. I also have problems with seb derm (if you have oily skin that seems "dry and flakey", you probably have this instead!) and cold sores on my cheeks (somehow a nerve managed to get infected). I can control the flaking with prescription nizoral, and the cold sores are behaving since I started taking the once-daily Valtrex. It's normally prescribed for genital herpes, and after 6 months I still get a little embarrassed going to the pharmacy for my refill (remember the look of pity you got from the lady at the pharmacy? I know it well, haha). My husband is great about it though, he says now we can run along the beach and play tennis like in the commercials.

Oddly enough, I find that people seem to be more attracted to and comfortable around me when my skin is more broken out. Maybe it's because our personalities shine through more when there's not a pleasant facade distracting people from noticing. I think if the acne had anything to do with forming your personality then you're awesome to be thankful for it!

Yikes that's a long post. Anyway, here's to the tane experiment and hoping for the best.

~T

I'm 19 ... whoopty doo lamest birthday everrrrrrrrrrrr