O.K. I understand now. Folliclitis of the scalp is always referred to another doctor. It's happening to me. The first doctor I visited was my family practitioner. He wanted blood tests right away! He wanted to rule out diabetes and thyroid dysfunction. He would not give me a referral to a dermatologist until I give them blood. O.K. did that. I go to the dermatologist and instead of a doctor I have a PA. I felt lucky because she was a SHE and communication would be much better. She treated me for several visits. She took hair with root samples, then a punch biopsy, found a staph infection and the diagnosis of folliculitis. Referred me to a Neurologist, a nerve specialist. She gave me antibiotics and a pill to deaden the nerve endings. The pill for deadening the nerve endings made my hands and toes numb. I stopped taking it. The antibiotics made me sick. The Neurologist referred me back to the dermatologist PA after giving me electrical shocks to the nerves in my right arm and right leg. I declined the next step of his procedure, needles in my muscles. I called into the dermatology office and they wanted to see me right away. I went in, fever and chills and they again took a punch biopsy and blood and changed my antibiotics. Within five days they called to say "come into the office". It was late in the day and no other "patients" were there only staff.
They told me they were referring me out to someone who could help me, that I needed an MRI of my head, and a team of doctors. "Would you like to go to Mayo or Emory Clinic. Being really frightened I chose Mayo. Three weeks later Mayo called me. I couldn't go down to Jacksonville, Florida. We had no extra funds for a visit there. Just recently my husband phoned Emory Clinic and following all procedures gleaned an appointment for me. With hope in my heart for a cure we drove two and a half hours at 6:00 A.M. only to have this doctor tell me that I needed to be referred to a "shrink," " to get to the root of this head picking problem, because your scalp is perfectly normal".
My scalp is anything but normal!!!!! I have an infection of the hair follicle!!!!! How do I get rid of this infection, bacteria, virus, etc.etc.etc. WHAT THE HELL IS IT?????
This dermatologist was trying to convince me that what my hand and fingers are clearing off of my poor aching head and scalp is all in my mind. That I really have a normal scalp, but I think I have folliclitis...regardless of the lab's report.
This morning I had an AHAA moment! Oh, I get it. The diagnosis is folliclitis, that is not treated by a dermatologist. He doesn't know how to stop it, so they give you referrals elsewhere. Which means folks the AMA has no answer for folliclitis. All they can say is "stop touching your head", it will go away? NOT!!
What happens if you don't constantly clean your head of the stuff oozing up through every hair hold is a doming affect. The blisters continue to blister and pop, laying a sheet of ooze on sections of hair, layer after layer after layer after layer and then a dome between the real scalp and your hair rises up off your head! Not to mention all the tiny oil channels filling up with puss or infection creating lots of pain and discomfort, under the dome. Itching that can not be scratched. Burning that can be stopped. It's awful. That's what I did while I was going to the first dermatologist. Not touching my head except to feel it, I couldn't believe what I was feeling either. The last biopsy they took was of the dome, not of my pure little real scalp. Acute Folliclitis.
When I didn't go to the Mayo Clinic, I did go to Dr. Annie Liu. My acupuncturist. She gave me treatments for hair and skin and a recipe for an herbal decoction that would kill staph infection which I had that was causing me fever and fatigue. When I started using the Chinese formula for 3 Yellow Cleanser it began dissolving the dome, clearing my scalp of that "stuff". Dr Liu told me not to wash my hair too much because the bacteria would grow more. Change my pillow cases and sheets each day.
I did that for a while when my good friend, Lay Midwife Sarahn Henderson told me that I should use old fashioned Pine Tar soap to wash my hair every other day. Thank Goddess for this piece of information. I ordered off the Internet and I have been washing every night with this soap to keep the infection down. Then I apply the 3 yellow cleanser with cotton balls to the most infected areas of my scalp then blow dry my hair. So far it keeps all of this stuff on my scalp in check.
I will continue to try to find the cure because I know all of you out there with this folliclitis are having the same problem that I am. When I find the cure I will LET YOU KNOW! I LOVE YOU.
