The doctor now prescribes cloderm (clocortolone pivalate) and wants to see me in 6-8 weeks.
The first time I visited, the only explanation she gave me was an old vitiligo pamphlet, i was the one asking all the questions. Today, she tells me that there is NO cure for vitiligo and that if I don't see improvement with this new treatment I should just let it be because it is really not that noticeable!
I came home, went online and found a new doctor listed in the NVF website, i have an appointment for friday.... I'm surprised that a dermatologist would just dismiss me and tell me to do nothing about a disease that can get progressively worse!... And most of what i've been reading online says that treatment is most successful in early/mild cases of vitiligo.. yet this doctor says that treatments are hit-and-miss and only work 50% of the time.
So i'm hoping the next doctor I see will be more thorough in his examination of my skin, and especially more compassionate.. this disease can be really scary and the last thing one needs is to have our hope of recovery crushed by a doctor telling us there is nothing we can do.
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I've had vitiligo for 17 years and have not seen a derm for...hang on, lemme count...14 years?
The first dermatologist I had was very kind and wanted to treat it aggressively. Perhaps too aggressively. I was only 9, so I was none too crazy about anything involving nitrogen freezing to abrase the skin on my hands and knees. Really sweet man, but his various treatments made me cry...repeatedly. He meant well, though. He was very green in the field of vitiligo, but was willing to try pretty much anything he found in a medical journal. I gave him an A for effort.
Fast forward a couple of years to this creeper who kept insisting that I disrobe so he could do a more "thorough examination". Dude, if I'm telling you everything you need to see is all ready visible, take my word for it :-) His response was similar- they were just beginning to experiment with different UV exposure treatments, and while he felt I was an excellent candidate for a study, he dismissed the theory behind the study as "hogwash" and gave me a prescription for the same cream I used when I was 9 that burned like hell. He told me not to get my hopes up too much.
He told me about there being no cure (which isn't a lie), but his overall attitude was the buzzkill for me. Long story short, I went home and sobbed for 6 hours straight. I think because derms tend to treat much less serious ailments, bedside manner can take a backseat. I think some of the newer, younger (not to be ageist) doctors have a bit more understanding of this disease because while scientifically we haven't gotten very far with vitiligo, we've come to understand SO much more about the psychological issues that come along with it. I feel more doctors understand the need to treat the vitiligo patient with the same tenderness they would a self conscious teenager with acne. They don't dismiss a shy 15 year-old with pimples, so why tell a 12 year old girl to, and I quote, "Buck up and learn to deal with it."
Now that I think about it, I'm actually getting more pissed off. That guy was a d*ck! I wonder if he's still practicing. I think I should send him some dog turds on rose stems and tell him that I'm "dealing with it" just fine.
Good luck with your next doctor! I'm seeing a new doc on Friday and am actually excited...as long as it doesn't turn out to be the same guy who kept wanting me to take my top off for no apparent reason (though that has great comedy potential- how often do you get to see a grown man get his ass kicked by a girl?)