New Hope!

[Drew]

Alright so I went to the doctor with the feeling that they weren't going to know what they were talking about, but I couldn't be any happier to be wrong.

The doctor spoke to me about the different things it "could" be, including rosacea, but I couldn't help but notice that rosacea wasn't at all what she most suspected. She kept mentioning the fact that I live in a hot, humid enviroment and that fungus can start an infection leading to various skin conditions... so she gave me 3 medications to try. 2 of which would help any sort of fungus or infection, if that were the case... and doxicycline for the obvious.

She told me not to take them at the same time... take the first 2 for a few and see whats happening, and if their making it worse or nothing at all than to discontinue and start the trials on the doxicycline.

WELL.... I couldn't have been happier when I looked in the mirror only a few hours after the first application of the cream and noticed that the redness was already disapearing, and the raw... raised look to it was subsiding. Now, just about 36- 40 hours later... The redness is almost completely gone and my skin has never looked smoother!

Here's the medication I was prescribed:

Fluconazole: Take 2 the first day , and one a day after day 1. ( Pill )
Clotrimazole: Apply the affects areas twice daily. ( Cream... supposed to be like Lotrimin )
Doxicycline: I don't know , haven't taken it yet.

I have been taking the Fluconazole and Clotrimazole for the past day and a half and the results are amazing. My flareups always disapeared after some time... but NEVER has it gone from as bad as it was , to damn near invisible in under 2 days!

I will never doubt a doctor or anyone else again before giving them a chance. I could be getting ahead of myself... but nothing has ever been this affective.... and the fact that these medicines aren't normally prescribed for Rosacea ( atleast I don't think so ).... maybe I don't have Rosacea.... or maybe I'm one of the few that don't need much to keep it under control...

I DON'T CARE!! I'm so happy at these results and I had to come tell you'll about it. I'll be going to school tomorrow and its been so long since I could live my life without worrying about my face. My confidence is back, in everything I do I have more fun... I can speak to people without the stress over how my face appears to them.

In the fight between me and Rosacea.... Rosacea was winning by a landslide. It controls my life , it decides what I do each day. And here recently... it's been trying to decide my future. I almost dropped out of highschool because of this...

I thank God for the relief even if it's temporary... I've never been happier.

I don't want to get my hopes too high , or get too ahead of myself only to be let down... but I'm sure you'll can understand what I'm feeling right now. Thank you so much for your support Artist. Just what you said gave me hope and really raised my spirits. Thank you.

*Drew

[Drew]

It's day 4! The results are getting better and better. The coloration between the "T zone" and the non affected portions of my face are growing closer and closer, almost to the point of consistency. This is the best my face has looked in as long as I can remember. I'm so thankful for this forum, and for its members... I came here multiple times daily looking for support , help , information. Even though I wasn't a registered member yet, I have already gained so much from this board.

I don't know what else to say. I noted my medications up in the previous post... I hope to God that maybe the same treatment will help someone else ... nothing would make me any happier.

May God bless you all ,

*Drew

[Artist]

Drew: That is awesome! Sounds like it was a fungal infection. I hope the meds cure it and you never have a problem with it again. YAY!

Just to be sure, though, do any of the creams you are using contain cortsione (steroid)?

Artist

[Drew]

I'm not sure what very many of these ingredients are... so I'll just list em lol.

Straight from the print on the tube:

Medication Name: Clotrimazole ( Cream ) USP, 1%

Each gram contains: 10 mg or clotrimazole in a vanishing cream base of sorbitan monostearate, polysorbate 60, cetyl esters wax, cetostearyl alcohol, 2-octyldodecanol, purified water, and benzyl alcohol ( 1% ) as a preservative.

If you want the details on the pill I was prescribed, let me know =).

*Drew

[Artist]

Looks like a plain old anti-fungal. So, I guess you are "in the clear"!

Artist

[Drew]

I sure hope so. But theres one thing that I just don't understand.

I've been dealing with this for roughly 3 to 4 years... Can infections really be that persistent? It would go away , and than come back... always in the same spot , with the same look.

I've done hours and hours of research on rosacea ( that was my very first doctor's diagnosis... and he didn't say it "might be" , or "could be".... he actually told me it WAS. ) and well , it matched the symptoms EXACTLY.... right down to what triggered it. Even the pictures resembled it.

I don't know... I remember praying for a break... a couple days of relief every time it got bad.... This is so much more than I could have expected , all I had to do was keep going and let God take care of it.

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Quick Question:

Could the cream I'm using clear up Rosacea? I don't want to completely rule that out and get my hopes up. I've been dealing with this for so long its literally become a part of my life... controlling everything I do.

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Sept. 28, '08'
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Update:

I've been testing my new medication... I've been deliberately trying to trigger a flare-up. Yesterday I stayed outside in the sun ( I live in Florida ) all day long... I went swimming for a while ( ALWAYS used to cause a bad flare up ) .... I went fishing for several hours ( got a little sun burn there.... always bothered me BADLY ) .... And I went crabbing last night for a couple hours , and usually the humidity at night causes irratation ( not quite a flare-up though )....

I've done like 5 of my big-time triggers in one day.... and here I am today ... just a little pink on the cheecks and the nose ( can't quite rule out sun burn ).

I suggest that nobody rule out this possibility for them. My case so closely matched Rosacea I nearly told the doctor she had no idea what she was talking about trying to give me something for fungus... Just try it.

God bless you all , I will continue to keep all of you in my prayers. Noone deserves to have to live with these things.

*Drew

[Drew]

Can anyone answer this please? It's really bothering me.

Quick Question:

Could the cream I'm using clear up Rosacea? I don't want to completely rule that out and get my hopes up. I've been dealing with this for so long its literally become a part of my life... controlling everything I do.

[Artist]

No, I don't think antifungals work very well on true rosacea. They may help if the rosacea is complicated by seborrheic dermatitis, which does happen sometimes. So, if you do have rosacea it could be that it was made much worse by the fungal issue and now it's just very mild with that complication cleared away. Either way, it sounds like you are much, much better off than before

Cheers!

Artist

[skeecher78]

What are your dosages for each, (i.e. milligrams for the fluconazole and the strength of the clotrimazole)? Thanks, Skeech

[yamahamoto250]

I wonder if I have that as well because it usually says you get rosacea in your 30's and up and I got the redness when I was 15 and im only 18 now.