Rosacea? MRSA update -

I wanted to post updates.  My face is MUCH better.  Much better.  In fact people who have seen me over the last months have commented on how my face is a MILLION times better.
I've got a series of photos below:
August (2 months post surgery and post appearance of what I thought was a sebaceous cyst).  In this time, the "cyst" burst and spread infection across my face.  Shortly after this, I was given augmentin by GP.  Then I took it upon myself to see a dermatologist who tested and confirmed her suspicions of MRSA.  I was then put on clindamycin.

I was putting all sorts of things to "speed recovery" some of which only burned my face:  iodine, garlic, creams...  This is October where I decided (not doctors) that I needed to see infectious doctor.  It also - while on clindamycin - spread to the left side of my face.  The ID prescribed doxycycline.  I spent 14 days on doxy. 

Here you can see the left side of my face was also affected at this point.  There were also more pustules starting to form.  This point is still somewhere in the round of doxycycline.  But even after doxy, I was left with pretty much what you see minus the pustules. 

Around, November I went to see another dermatologist who diagnosed me with Rosacea.  I asked - MRSA caused?  She did not know because there was nothing to sample  - only really red bumpy skin.  She sent me home with more doxy with a recommend that I return and plan on spending 3 months at least on doxy.  At this point I ended up spending approximately 6 weeks on doxy and about a week or so on augmentin and clyndaycin.  I was also somewhat fed up with the prognosis of a 50% chance of reoccurance.  I was trying colloidal silver, garlic, tumeric, Phenomenal... with no results.
And in December I experienced a reoccurance -  but this time on the bridge of my nose (new place on face).  Also you can see the redness remains with budding little pimples/pustules.

I burned it with iodine (which you can see), and then even worst out of sheer desperation - bleach.  Totally stupid.  I would not do that again.   Also, I tried DMSO with one final capsule of doxy (which literally cleared up pustules in 2-3 days, but didn't control new ones). 
In January - I began TCM - Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang, an acne formula, an herbal paste, and a cream.
Her my face is today.

Current protocol (not totally regular - and I can then feel an itch re-emerge or a new little blemish appear).  But for the most part my face is good.  I plan on sticking better to protocol - to completely rid face and then be able to be pill free.
1 - 10 Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang and 5 Acne caps 2x a day.  Herbal paste and blue herbal cream daily
2 - I notice if I take 1-2 grams of lypo-spheric vitamin C it is huge boost to face
3 - I also notice if I drink at least 8 oz of fresh carrot juice - again huge boost
4 - Avocado seems to cause blemishes to appear.  So guac - is always followed by new blemishes or small pustules.  Less and less - so I use it as a monthly test to see my own progress.  Eat guac and see what next day or two brings - helps me gauge level of how my body is doing.

Update as of August 22, 2014 - and response to comment below:

 

I am no longer on the TCM protocol.  While on the protocol I was taking Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang and Acne Tea.

BZYQT is made up of White atractylodes rhizome, bupleurum root, tangerine peel, jujube fruit, chinese angelica root, liquorice root, dried ginger root, astragalus root, ginseng root, cimicifuga rhizome. 

Acne Tea is made up of hedyotis herb, patrinia herb, phiopogon root, rehmannia root, and scrophularia root.  Both of these were made into capsules by my TCM. 

The topical cream and herbal paste - I do not know what is in them.  They only say cream and paste. 

My TCM is in New York.  If you want her contact info - I can email it to you - please email me at denise@healinghacker.com. 

Additionally, and of profound help I was taking 1-2 grams of lypo-C .

And most recently, which seems to have finally cleared up any small remaining blemish issues has been the addition of probiotics - specifically 4 adult scoops of  the 6 strain probiotic.

I also routinely - couple times a week - apply aloe to my face.  I have some plants that I open up leaves from and slather on before bed.  So it's not from a bottle or anything like that.

I can now, over 2 years later eat avocado without blemishes. 

Praise for Chinese Herbs

I have taken TCM medicine or Chinese Herbs - on and off.  I am not sure why the herbs did not help me more with the MRSA - except to say that really I thought the MRSA was just acne and stress breakouts on my face - and asked my herbalist to focus on my stomach - which she did amazingly.  Her herbs really helped ramp up my digestion and significantly reduced the acid reflux - even more than the purple pill.

I found this herbalist several years back, recommended by a friend of the family.  I had been having abnormal pap smears for about 5 years that were HPV positive.  The gyne felt that since my body hadn't cleared it in all that time, it was probably best to freeze the small area of my cervix that was causing the issue.   I wasn't in love with that idea - so I pushed for a couple months to figure out alternatives that might work. 

In the meantime, a friend had recommended an herbalist - Dr. Lisa -  she had seen.  I figured that I had nothing to lose and worst case scenario I'd do the freezing thing. 

This herbalist was/is set up in the back office of what looks almost like a gift shop.  Out in front is a glass display counter and a wall of small drawers with Chinese characters scribbled on tiny cards reminiscent of the old school card catalog.

After listening to my symptoms and diagnosis, feeling my pulse, and looking at my tongue ( a total of about 10 minutes max), she sent me home with packages of herbs that I was to boil for approx 2 hours and drink.  She said that after 2 months of this I could go back to the doctor and my cervix would be clear and normal.  Well I did what she said and now for 2 years, I have thankfully had - normal pap smears.

I could spend days there just watching Dr. Lisa's assistants prep and wrap herbal recipes.  Mixes of twigs, rocks, leaves, flowers.... you name it.   Basically a concoction of everything that covers the forest floor.   A couple months back I met a woman who was getting a preparation that contained ruby red dried curled beetle-like bugs.  I couldn't help myself - I had to ask what the tea was for.

She told me that she had been diagnosed with leukemia 6 weeks prior.  In the time between her diagnosis and treatment start, she had been drinking Dr. Lisa's teas - about 4 weeks.  When she returned to her doctor to follow up and start treatment - the doctor informed her... "well we don't know what happened, but we don't see the cancer anymore."  

Chinese herbs - all herbs - are a reminder to protect our planet.  These herbs are our medicine - and not to get all soap boxy - but when they are tainted with heavy metals and toxins because of environmental contaminants we are screwing ourselves on both ends.