Another Day Another Check Up

Today was another check up with my Doctor and the first I've had since my dose was upped to 80 a day. My dermatologist had all good things to say about my results. My dermatologist Tara said that my results are not typical, by this mouth most people would still be experiencing the initial breakout. The initial breakout can sometimes cause the acne to be worse than  before you started Accutane. I was lucky enough to only experience a mild initial breakout (compared to others). I am wishful thinking in saying maybe it was just because my acne was so bad to start with. I am starting my third month and this is the month almost everyone reports seeing the most results from Accutane so I am extremely excited to see what the future holds for me. I asked my Derm. what kind of makeup is best for my skin and she said hypoallergenic  makeups like Almay, and Bareminerals. Now lets talk about my side effects or as I like to call them the bad news. Currently the worst side effect is my chap lips, and it remains the worst side effect. The pain is horrible and I find it hard to focus on anything else throughout my day except the pain. My lips crack a lot and people of course feel the need to tell me about how chap my lips are. (I am starting to think know matter what people will always point out your flaws) I also experience a lot of nose bleeds, and this is because I have a lot of dryness inside my nose. Rubbing Aquaphor inside your nose is suppose to help reduce the nosebleeds, but I cannot seem to bring myself to do it. It is important to avoid allergy medications if you experience nosebleeds on Accutane because it can actually worsen your them. I also have joint pain this is normal although I am not sure the reasons why. I have a rash that is covering my arms, it has gone away a lot after switching soaps, but I now need to take more drastic actions and change my laundry soap to something that is not scented. I swear the only downside to Accutane is all the money it is costing me, between Doctors appointments and switching products, refills, gas to get to the doctors it has become excessive. I am not done yet either I started saving because pretty soon my insurance will crap out and I will start having to pay out of pocket for my appointments that adds up to $110 every doctor visit and I have a doctor visit once a month. My dermatologist is almost sure I will be one of the lucky ones to only need a five month treatment so I will only need to pay a few appointments out of pocket.

Day 35 Picture Update

      





















My results are unreal the confidence I have in myself has grown so much. I put up a picture of me in my day to day life. You can see I am actually happy to take pictures, and the acne that is left on my face can easily be covered up with make-up. I use mineral liquid foundation to help with my day time dryness. I also use a mineral powered to help as my sunscreen and cover up the little acne that I have left. My results have been so great I cannot wait to see what my future with Accutane has to hold. I feel so much better about myself and almost daily people come to me and tell me how great I look. Most of the side effects I had are gone. The biggest one that will not got away is the dry lips, I just always keep Aquaphor on hand to rub on my lips. Aquaphor is better because I can also rub it on the skin around my lips that tends to get very dry and painful. I also really hate the bloody runny noses I keep having to deal with. I would deal with all these symptoms and more for the results I have had so far. I will check back in a few days to update on how the side effects are going with my new dose.

1st Checkup

 

Yesterday was my first checkup with my Dermatologist since starting Accutane. I noticed a big flaw in the Ipledge system, it told me to get my blood work taken entirely to early. So now I have to get my blood work redone. My Dermatologist says just to wait till after I see her to get my blood work done. She also told me to wait to fill out my ipledge questions till after her office calls to verify that they have updated the system. My dose on Accutane is being bumped up to 80 a day (one 40 pill twice daily). This is apparently normal, Doctors like to start Accutane patients off on a low dose to try to alleviate some of the side effect (or make it so they do not all hit you at once). I also have officially begun the "IB" (Initial Breakout) process. I was informed that patients who do not breakout during the first month are more likely to breakout during the second. The IB is much different from any breakout I have ever had. This break out is all over my face and it happens completely over night, lucky for me a night I was on vacation. I also noticed little patches of dry skin all over my arms, and they are red patches. I have been told the first few months are the hardest because of all the changes you start to go through, I just hope I am not going through all this for nothing.

The Side Effects

The side effects are slowly starting to subside, although they do not fully vanish. The headaches and tiredness are really all that is hitting me, but the dryness is enough to kill you. I am learning to adjust my life around Accutane and the side effects. I had to switch shampoo and condition to try to help my dry itchy scalp. I switch to the Dove 2 in 1 ultra moisturizer and still use a conditioner on top of that. I still itch a lot though. That is still not the worst the chap lips are killer, and the peeling on my face is out of control. I googled the best thing to use and it seemed everyone is saying Cetaphil is a great cleanser for your skin. It is soap free and meant to be sensitive, and it can double as a lotion. The lotion most people seem to flock to is Aquaphor for overnight dryness, although I feel very greasy using this product. I also purchased Blistex for complete moisture for my chap lips although I have to constantly reapply. The biggest thing I have learned is I can under no condition leave the house without chap stick, even backup chap stick. My lips are very dry to a point it becomes painful. I have never had so much chap stick on hand in my entire life but I cannot go through that pain. I have a Dermatologist appointment on the 28th so I will post back then when my Doctor tells me more.

Day 10 Picture Update

Day 5

Today is day 5 and I am definitely noticing some side effects. I am just going to give a quick list of my side effects  below and update more later on day 7.

*Heartburn-  I have noticed this strange heartburn or a strange acid feeling in my stomach/ chest and its almost non-stop. It is not enough to slow me down, but it surely does aggravate me.

*Nausea- I notice just slight nausea and it comes and goes. I notice it more when I am laying down.

     Fatigue- This happens almost within the hour after taking the medication. I usually take a nap but wake up still feeling very sleepy.

Chap lips-  This seems to be a complaint from everyone, the lips become dry and chapped.

Moody- My moods been very cranky I am very snappy and easily annoyed and this is very much out of character for me. (I am also under a lot of stress right now though).

The only thing I have not noticed is my skin clearing up. I have however noticed a small breakout around my nose and that is odd because my nose happened to be the one place I never really broke out.

Day 1

Today is day 1, and it is about time. Day one is the most confusing day of all so far due to not really being sure of what is going on. First I checked my ipledge account and had to answer a series of questions, including a mini quiz on Accutane. The question are incredibly stupid, and everything your Doctor talked to you about the first day you made the Accutane choice. After that I received a call from my Doctor saying my blood work all came back normal and my prescription will be called into my pharmacy of choice within the hour. I have been waiting so long I almost thought that the prescription still would not be ready for a few more days. To my surprise within the hour my prescription was ready to be picked up. I first ate a slice piece of whole wheat bread with peanut butter. I chose peanut butter because Accutane is fat soluble
(soluble in nonpolar substances, such as ether, chloroform, and oils. Fat-soluble compounds are often insoluble in water) peanut butter is a great nutritional fat and would better help the Accutane in my system. Almost imediataely after taking my first pill I was sleeping like a baby. This happens to be a side effect, but lets face it I am also on spring break so sleeping was in my near future and I might have been searching for an excuse. I did have a slight headache that has not really gone away yet, but again I am not really sure I could just be making myself notice side effects. I will check back in a few days and give a fill in on how I am feeling. Till then Cheers to hopefully clear skin in my future.

So Close but So Far

Today I got my blood work done, this is a sure sign I am close to starting Accutane. This is the last leg before that actually prescription is written. This is also considered my second pregnancy test. The blood work should be back to my doctor within 24 to 48 hours. Now with that said this is a Thursday, and that means I most likely will not hear anything further until the weekend is over. I am so close to starting but yet I am so far away. The excitement and nervousness is killing me, and I cannot wait to just start already. I am not sure what happens next or even how I know my script is ready for pick up, but as soon as I know more I will post the details. This has been the longest 30 days of my entire life just waiting around until the next doctors appointment. I will say people around me have noticed my skin clearing up (or so they say). I have not noticed but most likely this is just the birth control. Trust me my acne is still there on my face, just waiting to torture me when I look in the mirror.

Officially Ipledge Registered

Today I got my letter in the mail that has my Ipledge password and account number on it. This means I am officially registered with Ipledge. The Ipledge system is a program the government put in place for the prevention of pregnancy while on Accutane. Accutane is known to cause birth defects so it is very important that you do not get pregnant while using Accutane. Ipledge is a way of having control over woman getting pregnant, it requires two forms of birth control. My two selected birth control options are the pill and make latex condoms. Most dermatologist will not even consider prescribing you Accutane unless you are on the pill, abstinence is not an accepted form of birth control for them. On top of using the two forms of birth control you are also required to have a pregnancy test every month before you can refill your prescription.Your doctor must summit your result into the Ipledge system. After you have taken your pregnancy test and been submitted into the system you have exactly 7 days to pick up your prescription before you are booted from the system and have to start all over again with the process. Only doctors and pharmacies that are registered with Ipledge can prescribe or fill the prescriptions. So my official date for my next pregnancy test and the start of my Accutane is now March 3rd.

Starting Process

The starting process for Accutane is kind of a long one. I first had to find a Dermatologist that would prescribe Accutane because not all of them will due to the amount of paper work involved. When I went to see my Dermatologist I took a bag full of my previous prescriptions, and a note from my previous Dermatologist (she sent me to another Dermatologist because she did not prescribe Accutane). Most if not all people will  have to have already been prescribed prescription acne medication before Accutane will be considered.  I had to plead my case to this Dermatologist to even be prescribe Accutane because of all issues surrounding this product. After my new Dermatologist approved me for Accutane I had to basically sign my life away, and sit through a 30 minute lecture on the possible side effects of Accutane. Before you can begin Accutane you have to be registered with Ipledge for 30 days, have 2 pregnancy test, and be on birth control for 30 days, and have your blood work done. I am currently on the 30 Ipledge wait at the moment, but I am counting down the days till the process begins. I recently started my birth control which in the past caused me to have more skin issues and this makes me pretty nervous. After you begin the Accutane process you have to have monthly blood work and pregnancy test before you can pick up your prescription. I will update weekly once I am actually on the Accutane but for now here is what i am starting with. I only have acne on my cheeks, but it is enough to drive me completely insane. Here is to the start of the Accutane process, and hopefully happy clear days to come.

About Me and This Blog

 About Me and This Blog

 My name is Danielle and I am 25 years old. I have been dealing with acne for about 4 years now possibly longer. I have literally tried everything possible to get clear skin. If someone told me to run around the world once naked with a munchkin on my back to cure my acne, I would probably do it. I recently was Accutane approved and I wanted to share the Accutane process with others. I decided the best place to do it would be with a blog. I will upload pictures (and trust me that is hard for me) and record progress with weekly updates. I will include all the negatives I experience, and positives. Accutane has been shown in such a negative light, but my Dermatologist seems hopeful this is the cure for me.  I would like anyone who is experiencing acne to know I understand what you are going through. I have never been so sad in my life with how I look. Every time I look in the mirror I wish I was someone else. Every time a person feels the need to come talk to me about my skin with there crappy opinions I want to scream and hide. Every time I see a pretty girl with perfect skin I cannot help but think she is looking at the hideous monster I have grown to be with all this acne. I appreciate all comments but please remember I am going through this and it is hard.