How my journey with RP started!

May of 2021, the special month where mothers all over the world, celebrate.....Mother's Day!!!!! I wanted to do something spontaneous something fun, so I made a decision to get my left ear pierced. Specifically, the helix and tragus. I called the piercing shop nearby and scheduled an apt. I went to my piercing appointment May 6, 2021, and I was very excited. The end result was........PERFECT. I was happy with the outcome. But little did I know, months from now, May 6, would be the day I would regret the most within my entire life. That decision was the day that led to the start of my journey with RP. :-(

Six months later, November 2021, I noticed that on the left side of my neck, a lymph node was swollen. It peaked right through my skin and the lump did not feel natural. I immediately scheduled an appointment to discuss this with my Provider. On November 4, 2021, my doctor immediately noticed that my helix piercing was red. I did not recall noticing my ear red, but I do have to blame it on leaving my hair loose 99% of the time, which covered my ears. Even when I wore my hair in buns, I did not notice anything out of the ordinary with the piercings. My PCP suggested to remove the helix piercing and diagnosed me with an infection of the left ear cartilage. I was given an antibiotic, Cephalexin - 500 mg, to treat the infection. Unfortunately, it did not work. By Dec 20th there were no improvements, so then I was given Amoxicillin to help treat the infection. By December 28th, 2021, my ear was really red, swollen and itchy. In addition, two lumps developed on the cartilage. By December 29th, my PCP put in a referral to see ENT. 

Down below, you will see some photos. The first photo was my spontaneous fun outcome. The second photo is about a month later after getting the cartiledge piercing. The third photo is from November, when the infection started.