Hello, I am UK based also.
When I say self diagnosed, I mean I have not actually been diagnosed but I know it can only be HS but I only actually realised last week and found out what HS was by searching the internet. My gp is pretty useless as wa smy previous and over the last couple of years this has got much worse, the past 6 months really bad and I am only seeing a surgeon next week after really having a go at my GP and insisting on nothing else. So I am just readinbg through everything I can now about HS and trying to put things into place as I can. I found out after searching yesterday that the surgeon I see next week specialises in upper gastroentrology so I am unsure as to what he is going to make of my groin / testicles, lol, but we will see. I have a feeling he is the wrong surgeon for me to see but it has been arranged for 7 weeks now so if he knows nothing I guess he will refer me to someone who does.
It is good to hear that the surgery has been succesful in the areas you have it besides the scarring, but you may be "lucky" (sorry to say that word to you, but maybe humour is part of the relief of this forum) as many many others I read about seem to have the HS back in same area after surgery. I am possibly thinking things are worse than they are but after reading about stage 1, 2, and 3 I think mine may be at stage 3 as it certainly seems to be exactly the same as I read about so I am particulary interested in other peoples surgery. I may be wrong however as I do not really know how long I have had HS although I figure it has been bad for 2 years and now I am getting abcesses frequently, flare ups maybe twice a month and each time I am getting multiple abcesses behind each other upto 5 at a time and big, golf ball size and bigger. I also have 2 areas with constant weeping from holes in my skin. This has been like this for possibly 6 months, my GP is clueless to say the least and just does not seem to want to know me and when I mentioned HS to him this week he was very dismissive and just said mention it to the surgeon but he did not seem to take it seriously, I think he gets peed off as soon as I mention doing my own research....but what else can you do after years of pointless antibiotics that don't do anything but make you ill?

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I am quite upbeat about it all, it is good to find this forum, it is good to be able to recognise the problem even if it is still to be diagnosed professionally. It is good to have people like yourself to be able to spout off at and ramble on...........it certainly feels like it helps when you know other people understand what you are saying. I intend to keep people posted what happens after my visit, I have started a diary as i think it is important from now on as everythign seems so random and difficult to place exact time son what has previously happened.
I just hope I do not bore everyone with these posts, it certainly helps me to write.
Good luck and take care monkey....
John