I started my period today. I realize that isn't monumental; however, it IS worth noting, because this is my first post-accutane cycle, and I had NO premenstrual acne or skin issues whatsoever. I still haven't had a pimple since I finished the meds a month ago.

I'm also freaking happy to have finally started my period. I haven't had one since MARCH. I was a bad Accutane user, because I didn't get on the pill, and instead chose to be extra careful with non-hormonal methods and deal with the consequences if those methods failed. Luckily, that wasn't an issue. I've always had very regular cycles, and have tracked my cycles for years with the fertility awareness method. A side effect of Accutane is that it can make your cycles irregular. It was VERY strange to go 114 days without a period. I finally ovulated a couple weeks ago and started today.

Another plus of this period is that it's been 30 days now since I stopped taking Accutane, which means no more risk of earless deformed babies. We're certainly not trying to get pregnant this month, but it's a relief to know that if it happened, we wouldn't have devastating consequences to deal with. I think that (not unsubstantial) risk kind of killed my sex drive over the last 6 months. It'll be nice to have that be a nonissue.

I haven't updated in awhile. Whoops. I went on a trip June 5th, and I forgot to pack my Accutane. I got home 4 days later, but I decided not to resume treatment. I made it 23 weeks, and I decided that I've had enough. My joints already feel 100% better, and I haven't had a single pimple in well over a month. I still have some light scarring, but I'm confident that the scars will continue to fade as time passes. I'll post some "after" pictures soon.

So yay for being done with Accutane!!

I had my final blood tests yesterday, and my last dermatologist appointment this morning. Yay! I still have one more month of treatment, but no more appointments.

Things are going great on the skin front. I still have some superficial scars, but no "crater" scars or anything. I told my doctor that I'm still having joint pain, so he decided to lower my dosage from 80mg to 60mg for the final month. I'll be taking two 40mg pills one day, then 1 pill the next. Truthfully, this is probably pretty close to how I've been taking the pills anyway, because half the time I forget to take my morning dose. I'm going to try to be more consistent this month.

The doctor's office called me a couple hours after the appointment to let me know the results of my bloodwork from yesterday. Apparently my triglycerides are high, which is an expected side effect of Accutane. They're not so high that they're taking me off treatment, but I'm happy that it's almost done. I'm also happy that I made it 5 months before getting my first high result.

Another thing I'm grateful for is health insurance. I hadn't really thought about it, but Accutane is EXPENSIVE. Here is the breakdown:

Dermatologist appointments: $54.25 x 7 appts = $379.75

Monthly bloodwork: varied x 7 months = $291.01

Generic Accutane (Sotret) x 6 months = $2228.13 (~$500/mo for 80mg, $219/mo for 20 mg)

Total cost of treatment: $2898.89

If I'd used a non-generic drug, I'm sure that price would be twice as high. I've paid $0 out of pocket, besides my monthly insurance premium of $120-something. It seems a little insane to have spent $3,000 on acne, but I don't regret it. It's hard to even remember how painful it was to look in the mirror and see so many blemishes. I hated it. If I hadn't been treated, I'm sure I would have ended up spending $3k on therapy for low self esteem :)

FOUR MORE WEEKS!

I went to the eye doctor today for my annual exam. The doctor said my left eye was a little bit worse than last year. I mentioned I was taking Accutane, since I know it can affect vision. When I said I was on Accutane, the doctor looked at me funny, and asked why I was taking it. That's when I realized that I needed to tell her my skin used to be really bad, but it's not anymore. I've officially reached the point where I used to have bad skin, but I just look normal now. Yay!!!

External validation is good.

Nothing new to report. My face has been clear this week, and my skin is continuing to improve, so yay :)

My only side effect lately (aside from stiffness) has been a constantly runny nose, like the kind you get when you cry or have something stuck in your eye. I'm positive that it's because of my eyes, actually. Either because my eyes are scratchy from being dry, which creates more tears, or because I'm on the last legs of my last pair of contacts, and I need to go get an exam. It's annoying, nonetheless, to be wiping my nose constantly. My nose has been getting irritated and a little raw as a result.

Six weeks to go!

I've officially lost count! Just went back and checked; it looks like I'm week 19.5. I'll admit it: I'm about ready for this Accutane stuff to be over with already. The last couple months have been rough with the joint pain. I feel like I'm 80 years old when I get out of bed in the morning. My body is just sore. I know that it's a common side effect, and that the pain will go away when I finish treatment, but...I'm just tired of it. Tired as in "considered skipping the 6th and final month of treatment" tired. That would be silly, though. I've stuck it out this long, and my skin looks so much better. I don't want to quit now and lose out on all of the benefits that the last month might provide.

I feel silly for whining now, when I've been fine for so long. I think that part of it is mental. I've been thinking more about babies, and Accutane is the antithesis of baby fever. We aren't going to start trying anytime super soon (not in 2008, at least), but it still kind of sucks to have that option completely removed.

Anyway, I know that I'll be READY to be done when I finish up in 6 weeks. Six more weeks. I can take it!

This month, the doctor tested my hormone levels (specifically, androgens (DHEA), FSH, and something else...LH, probably) to make sure I wasn't having hormonal issues that were fighting against the accutane. Anyway, I had the blood draw 10 days ago, and they finally got the lab results back today. My hormones are 100% normal. YAY! I didn't really expect them to be wacky, since I don't have any of the other typical side effects that accompany high androgens, like random facial hair or irregular cycles. I've always been paranoid, though, since it seems to run in the family.

7.5 weeks left til I'm D-O-N-E!

I went to the dermatologist this morning for my 4 month checkup. I know I say it all the time, but my skin has made a lot of improvement in the last month. I had 2 random pimples that showed up on the same day last week, but overall, my face looks a LOT better. It's probably my imagination, but my face seems fuzzier than it used to be. I'm sure it's always been that way, but I'm noticing it more now since I spend a lot of time staring at my skin up close :)

I've only got one more derm visit before I'm finished! Next month, I'll get my last prescription. Once I finish that in June, I'll get my final blood test, then I'm done. He doesn't make his patients do a follow-up blood test a month after treatment; he just reminded me to not get pregnant that month. He also assured me that the Accutane would be well out of my system by the end of the month following treatment, and I'll be fine to get pregnant after that. We're not planning to get pregnant until probably next year, but it was reassuring to know that it won't stay in my system long-term.

10 weeks left to go, I think. I'm pretty sure my derm is having me do 6 months of treatment. I forgot to ask, so I'm just assuming.

Things are going very well on 80mg. My only side effect has been joint pain. I feel like I'm 90 years old when I climb hobble out of bed in the morning. The achiness passes pretty quickly, though, so it's not a big deal.

My skin has improved dramatically this week. You can still see some scars, but my face feels soooo smooth. I love it!