How do i accept i have rosacea

[royS]

for the first time in my life i was starting to enjoy life and live , i had my career ,finished education, and controlled my thoughts and felling so i wont get depressed , then all of a sudden out of no where i started getting severe red face and was diagnosed with rosacea, its been 5 months of hell and i have locked my self home , cant see my friends and cant go out to find new friends even , family does not seem to care , lost my girlfriend and I am very alone , feel like my life is kind of over and the rest would be only pain and shame and loneliness , i know i sound stupid with when alto of people suffering from various diseases but deep down i cant accept it , I look at all my family, extended family , friends , their family , family friends and nobody has any condition close to this so i ask my self why me, i am really trying and i dont know why i can not accept rosacea i guess my question is how do i accept this , sometimes i wonder that if they would tell me i will die next month would i suffer this much ? if you think time is needed to accept this , how much time do you think i am tired,I am tired of crying ,

[LoisAnne]

First of all, you do not sound "stupid" to express your feelings of helplessness and loneliness as a result of Rosacea. It may not be as serious to others as cancer or other diseases but for you it is a big deal and you feel it has wrecked your life. I am sure many people on this forum can fully sympathize with your despair. It has changed your life. What you must do now is get your life back and be stronger than the rosacea. You can learn a lot if you browse through the posts on this forum. I think you will find many people as desperate as you who thought their life was over but who have gotten better, learned to cope and have found that life does go on and they can enjoy it.

First you must find a doctor who will help you control the rosacea. You said you were diagnosed but you did not say if you are being treated. You need to try antibiotics, you need to find mild cleansers for your skin (I like Cetaphil facial cleanser) and you should try topical medications as well. Metrogel (or the generic, metronidazole) seems to be beneficial for many. FInacea if you have red bumps.

But, you need more than medicine for your body and face. You need to get some counseling and emotional help. Can you see a therapist to help you through this? Reach out to your friends and family again. I don't think they broke off the relationship with you, I think you withdrew from them. Being alone, at home, is the worst thing you can do. Get out into the world again and find something to enjoy. You mentioned a career, are you still working? Do some volunteering....help others who are having a hard time. I know it is hard because you think everyone is starring at you....well, let them stare. If they ask questions, name your condition and say it is really a bummer but you are trying to deal with it. The worst thing you can do is to stay home and become a recluse.

We all have felt your pain, some more than others, and we will all be pulling for you to improve both your rosacea and your ability to cope with it. Keep us posted!

LoisAnne

[fanny]

Hi
All that Lois Anne wrote is right on. Rosacea can be controlled so concentrate on that. Also you must get some kind of therapy/counselling because that will help you deal with this condition mentally.
You have a problem, there are solutions please use the tools available to you.
Take care
Fanny

[royS]

Thank you for your warm replies , no i barely kept my career for now, left most of my friends because i know they will not understand and i cant keep up with them too since my life is changed now so i think its easier if i go my separate way, one thing that i dont understand is this thing comes out of no where with sting , burn and massive redness and after 5-6 days it goes away without using any steroid or antibiotic then 4 days my face is almost clear then it comes back, i ve been using moisturizer so it came back less often now i am scared of taking shower bacause it came back after shower (used only warm watter) but in the morning it almost cleared off, so is that how rosacea suppose to react, would it get worth by time and age? ,it just comes and goes? i searched every where but no where said anything about the duration of flareups and remissions

its really hard to get used to this for me when people staring at you with discuss , when your dreams goes away in split second , when i have to check my self in the mirror 20 times a day.i was going to UK to continue my education but right before leaving this thing showed up.

I am trying to go to therapy and get volunteer job in a hospital as well ,

thank you for support ,also do you know how can i find people like my self in Toronto where i live, i feel like this thing brought massive loneliness to me

[royS]

also is it really worth it living the rest of life with this pain on your face,i look at other forums and people still battling with this after so many years , i do want to know if its worth it

[LoisAnne]

I am hoping that someone from Canada can answer your question about a support group or other rosacea sufferers near Toronto. Also, I know that you think and feel that people are staring at you "in disgust" but they are not. They may be curious or interested but in reality they are probably not thinking about your face nearly as much as you think they are. People tend to be so self centered much of the time that they are thinking about themselves, even when talking to you. (is that cynical, or what?).

What I really want to say is to warn you NEVER to use a steroid on your face! That can cause more harm than help. I occasionally will use a tiny dot of a steroid on a single papule (red bump) but would never put it on my whole face, or even a small area. And yes, rosacea can be heartbreakingly inconsistent. Watch what you are eating and see if you can find any "triggers" that make it worse. Chocolate will do it for me. Have a red bump right on the end of my nose at the moment because I enjoyed a brownie a couple of days ago.

There is a new topical out for the redness of rosacea and you can follow David as he follows it. That may prove helpful to you. Since I don't get redness I have not been paying a lot of attention, but it is Mirvaso, or something similar. It is a prescription so you will need a doctor in order to get it.

Best wishes,
LoisAnne

[royS]

Hi Fanny and Louis Ann

Are you guys able to tell me if rosacea.org is correct , 48 % that had rosacea disappear after 9 years, can it be possible, is it wrong to have hope that i can be cured even after 9 years
Also do you guys see or hear a lot of people than no longer has rosacea

[LoisAnne]

I don't know if that percentage is correct, maybe someone with more experience can tell you. Frankly, I don't think Rosacea is ever cured, but it can be controlled. So, you could hope to control it after 9 years if you got the proper treatment. Also, new products come out now and then, like the Mirvaso that I mentioned in my previous post. Did you look into that product? I hope it is helping people who suffer from the flushing and burning.

LoisAnne

[fanny]

Hi
Rosacea can be controlled, there can be a lot of missteps on the way. For me, oral antibiotics was the answer, I spent a small fortune on OTC remedies, a complete waste of money, I learnt not to believe the hype. Topical antibiotics also can be helpful also finacea.
Keep your chin up
Fanny