Monday, March 26, 2007

Share your story fellow skillful sweaters!

The best cure for hyperhidrosis-related social anxiety is talking about it--sharing your story with others, hearing their stories, disclosing your feelings about the condition to family and friends. Post your story here and let's start talking!

15 comments:

Unknown said...

Hello Tiara. Its wonderful to have discovered a place to share experiences on this unseemingly debilitating condition which tends to rule or hinder many decisions in life.

I'm a 22yr old male and i've had the condition since early childhood. I managed to live and deal with it while i was young, and it was largely ignored.. that it until I hit those teenage years and that nice bundle of social anxiety hit. Fast forward a few years and its become a bit of a roadblock in all situations, particularly romantic ones. All it took was just remembering that I had the condition to trigger the deluge of sweat from my palms, and i'd avoid touching the significant other altogether.

While I haven't been able to successfully control it, it hasn't stopped me from doing the things I enjoy, dancing in particular!

Now you probably think its the worst thing imaginable, to bestow your clammy, sweaty bodily fluids upon some unsuspecting person who will recoil from your mutant grasp!

Fortunately, most people are far more accepting (or polite) than you think, especially at a place where you dance with up to 40+ people in one night.

You'll find that you'll be far too engrossed in following the steps correctly to worry about your sweaty hands, and eventually anxiety goes out the window. Plus to make matters easier, by the time the pace picks up, everyone on the dancefloor will be sweaty to some degree, and even the normal folks get it.

So don't let it rule your life! The condition still irritates me, and i'll be seeing a dermatologist soon or seek out surgery if that doesn't work, but in the mean time, i'm going to overcome that anxiety as much as possible.

Tiara said...

Hi Moe, good to hear from you and thanks for your encouraging words! Glad to hear you're out there dancing!

sylvian86@gmail.com said...

well to start with..gr8 blog, thnx!..its kinda comforting to know there r people arnd u who r sufferin from a similar disorder (in my case its a genetic disorder) My mom had this problem till her teens and it kinda self cured when she was 19..but unfortunately it wasnt the same scenario for me..turnin 22 in another couple of months i think iv had enough..the best of the doc's and all kinds of conventional therapies..nothing has worked so far..all this time durin my days in school/college i neva took this pretty seriously but the last one year right from time i entered the co-operate world..i find this as a hindrance to my social and professional life..however fortunately for me my colleagues hav been really supportive, but i always wonder for how long? lookin forward to hearing more from "U" people out there..is there really a cure for this?? Thnx for reading..

geraldine12 said...

hello there every1...finally i find a place where im not different!i also suffering from hyperhydrosis i know here i can be comfortable. I have palmar, plantar, and axilliary hyperhydrosis..how really great my condition is..i just want to get rid of my palmar and axilliary hyperhydrosis bcoz its really hard for me to socialize with other people especially now im only 16 turning 17,. of course i want to enjoy my teenage life but i think i can't. I cant even have a handshake and to tell you guys im really desperate now on how to get rid of this...i also dont know if i can continue my course because of this!...i am taking up Bachelor of Science in Nursing see! how can i how can i do my job if i have this condition i really feel that i am unlucky for having this excessive sweating..how can we cure this???thank you for your time reading...c",)

Tiara said...

Geraldine, so sorry to hear you are having a rough time. Please don't let your HH stop you from pursuing your dream. There are cures that don't necessarily involve surgery.

Have you been to see a dermatologist?

--Tiara

Anonymous said...

Hi Tiara,
I found your blog by browsing the internet.Just this week I decided that I had enough of my palmar hyperhydrosis,and I have an appointment to see a dermatologist this month.I hope they find some kind of treatment that could help me.I have suffer this condition since I was a teen,but now that I am almost 30 it seems to be getting worse.I just recently started a carrer on Real Estate and I have already lost many deals because clients see that I am insecure,especially when I am reluctant to shake hands.I am so glad that I found this blog,and that I can share my experiences with this conditions and read about others suffering from hyperhydrosis.

Keep Blogging!!Best of Luck

Anonymous said...

wow i thought i was the only one in the world with this embarrasing condition.i am 11 years old and have palmer(hand) and axhillary(underarm) hyperhidrosis.i was totally normal until i hit puberty last year.it is the most embarrasing,mortifying experience i have ever had to deal with.i went to the dermatologist about a month ago and she put me on a prescription called drysol.it didnt help in fact it may have gotten worse.my mom doesnt understand what im going through and said im just overreacting but it is nice to know that someone else has to deal with it too. i am going back to the derm. this week to get botox injections in my underarms supposidly it kills the nerves so i wont sweat.when i come home from school i look in the mirrir and see sweat marks come down to my elbows i always wear black because that is the only color i can wear that nobody sees. i am dreading gym class because the tee shirt we have to wear is bright red and i sweat through that in a second. even when it is 7 degrees outside i still sweat a LOT. i am less social because of it. i used to love sports but now i cant play without looking stupid and i have gained weight from that too and that doesnt help at all.I have been diagnosed clinically depressed and hh is a major contributor to it.I need as much support as possible but im just getting made fun of.if anybody has ANY sort of advice that you found helpful please dont hesitate to respond.

Tiara said...

Hi Emily, thanks for responding to my blog. I'm sorry to hear of your troubles at school. It sounds so familiar--I went through many of the same experiences. A few thoughts and questions:

1) How did you apply the Drysol and how long did you try using it? I remember for me it didn't work at first but over time--maybe 3 weeks if I remember correctly--it helped. I haven't used Drysol for years and to this day I sweat very little in my armpits. Which makes me wonder about Drysol, but that's another story! Check with your dermatologist to make sure you applied it correctly.

2) My mother reacted to my HH the same way--it's no big deal, just shake it off and go on. Which made me feel even worse. Even though I know that's how she was trying to be helpful. To help your mother get it more, I would write her a letter explaining how the HH is impacting you at school and contributing to your depression. That you are being teased by other kids. Ask for her help in finding a solution. Suggest that she visit www.sweathelp.org, which has a resources for parents of children with HH. That site would also be good for you to visit because there are a lot of resources for teens. I remember there was one teenage girl with HH who won her state beauty pageant.

3) One of the most helpful cures for my HH is to find ways to enjoy myself and to focus on others. What are some things that you might enjoy where your HH might now be such a big deal? Swimming team? Helping behind the scenes at a school theater production? Volunteering at an animal shelter? Those would appeal to me...what appeals to you? The older I get the more I realize that everyone is wrapped up in worrying what others think of them. I find that liberating because I realize that others are not thinking about me nearly as much as they think of themselves. My HH was a HUGE deal to me, but to others, it's not such a big deal.

4) If you love sports but are not playing now, no wonder you are feeling depressed! The body needs movement in other to function properly. Exercise is a treatment for depression. It is just as effective as medication, some experts say. The soul needs love and friendship. How can you get more movement and friendship in your life?

5) You need a defense against the kids who tease you. What are some good one-liners that would help deflect the teasing?

6) Is there a counselor you can see to get help with the HH and the teasing you are encountering? Counseling has been so helpful to me!

Keep us posted, Emily, on how you are doing. I will be thinking of you!

Love,
Tiara

Anonymous said...

Hi Tiara

I've had the hyperhidrosis issue my entire life. Exams papers would get soaked and anytime I was in a stressful meeting my hands would be totally wet.

At about age 50 I had found out what worked and what didn't.

1. Even the strongest antiperspirants did not work very well.
2. The machine that sends a current through your palms worked after 4 to 6 weeks but it had a huge negative effect. My hands were dry but my posterior was now the wet area and this was worse than the hand sweating.
3. I would never consider a nerve operation for fear that a repeat of #2 above would recur.

Here is what definitely solves the symptoms for me.

A. Every morning I take 1 5mg Ditropan pill and 1 .5mg Lorazepam.
The synergy of the two works beautifully. If it is extremely humid or hot I sometimes take a second Ditropan or another Lorazepan. Usually I don't. You don't want to take too many Ditropans because they cause severe dry mouth. One or two is no problem. The Ditropan does not really work without the Lorazepan.

B. I don't believe there is truly a reasonable cure for this condition. But if you can illuminate the symptoms then your life quality will be so much more improved.

Good Luck to you and all your readers,

KJ

Anonymous said...

Hi there,

I am a 33 year old girl and I have had a thoracic sympathectomy (I think this is what some of you guys have referred to as ETS) so I just thought I'd drop a line in case it's helpful. My hands have been my main issue though my feet are dire and the rest of me's not too dry either! I've spent years wearing boots all year round, dreading social occasions like weddings where I need to wear sandals, trying to discreetly wipe my moustache of sweat and, of course, trying to persuade family and friends how severe my problem is. The worst of all, though, has been shaking hands with strangers in job interviews etc. I absolutely dreaded interviews and such situations for that dreadful moment when I would have to shake hands. Disintegrated tissues filled every pocket! One low point was in a shop - the checkout assistant apologised that the bottle of wine I was paying for was leaking! I had to explain that the liquid running down it was actually from my hand - mortifying! My hands regularly used to drip on the underground so I had to search for places to hold on where I wouldn't drip onto people.

Six years ago I had the operation to stop my right hand sweating. It's the best thing I've ever done. I won't lie though, I was shocked at how weak I felt after the operation (they collapse your lung to reach the nerve) and I was off work for two weeks to recover. I was also shocked by the 'compensatory sweating'. Sweating between my boobs and down my back and elsewhere around my body has noticeably worsened. If this is an issue for you then it's something you've got to consider. For me though, I still feel that the benefits have outweighed the annoyance of compensatory sweating. Somehow now, I have the confidence to talk openly about my problem and I'm so much less self conscious about it. This was a big change for me as for years I tried whatever I could do avoid people knowing. It might also be age that reduces the embarrassment (I generally care alot less what people think of me than when I was in my teens and early twenties) but I can't underestimate the difference one dry hand has made to me - I would pretty much say it has been life changing. Oh yes, so, because I only had one hand done, I have one wet one and one dry one. Ex-boyfriends have been really rude about this but, when you meet someone who really cares about you, it just doesn't matter where you sweat - they love you, wet or dry, or a bit of both!

Any questions, I'll be happy to answer.
Julie.

Anonymous said...

Hi! I'm 16 years old and I haven't actually been diagnosed with anything because when I talk to my mom about it she thinks I am being dramatic. So I was hoping someone here could help me out.
Ever since I could remember I have always blushed easily. Too easily. People would make fun of me for it. It wasn't just my face, but my upper chest and upper arms as well. Sometimes I can feel my face burning and other times i can't, so people just point it out to me. I rarely wear my hair in a pony tail just in case i need to hide behind it. In addition, I sweat a lot. I use pretty strong deodorant but it doesn't work, I still get sweat stains. My palms are really cold and sweaty and if i touch something it ends up being covered in sweat. I don't really have a problem holding stuff though. I also sweat in my sleep. My feet do sweat too, but it isn't horrible, and i wear socks. I don't know. I avoid wearing some clothes because I get sweat stains in pretty much everything. I also don't want people to get the wrong impression if I suddenly blush when I see them. I don't know what to do, although writing all this out here already has helped a little.
Thanks for listening :)

peacemaker said...

I have been suffering this for 8-9years(btw Im 18).It was minor when i was 10 years old but it got worst when i turn 13/14.I hate it when my paper got wet when i was writing,hate it when afraid that people may know i have sweaty palms,hate it when i have to shake hands with people and hate it when i got a girlfriend and dont even dare to hold her hands.Life is unfair but i believe god has a reason for making us like that.Life is ours so we have to deal with it or let it drag us to hell.Anyway i wish to know which is more effective,perspirex / drysol?

Unknown said...

Hi,I dont want to reaveal my actual name, I will call myself Indian.I leave in India, Indian by birth. I do suffer from HH, I have tried anti-perspirants, medicine called pacitane which decreases all secretions and Iontophoresis. None of these have given me remarakable results. But when I did Iontophoresis for the first time, my palms were dry for few days.Now the big ROADBLOCK is, can ppl with HH marry? How will somebody without HH agree to marry us? Will we not pass on this problem to our kids ? Please help !!!

Anonymous said...

Hey,
My name is Rachel.Im 13 and have had my HH since 5th grade. Ughh. Horrible time then. I remember the exact moment. Our desks were in a shape of tables. So three people were facing oneway, and the others facing them. Just my luck. The people in front of me were all boys. Who were cute.! I was raising my hand, very obnoxiously because I knew the answer. Plus I wanted to be funny. I thought people were laughing at the way I was acting. Maybe some of them were. But just then, my friend across the table said something. I looked at my armpit. My turquoise shirt had a sweat stain under my armpit that was about the size of a softball. Just horrible. That was in the morning. I went home and of course told my mom. I wasnt using deoderant at the time, so my mom suggested that. I used it. And off to school the next morning. I was looking forward to telling all my friends that im using deoderant. Well. It didnt work. At all. I cant remember what I did the rest of the year, but whatever I did..it worked. No one said anything. But of course that was elementary. Where there was no bullies. The summer is just the same. doesnt matter the weather with my sweatglands. I could be freezing. And im sweating. Make sense? Didn't think so. By the way. I have All three. Palm sweat, Feet sweat, And armpit. Luckily im a cheerleader. We have special jackets that are rain proof. Also waterproof.! Its great. because its light, so not too hott. And I have an excuse, im a cheerleader, and "have lots of spirit". But that is actually one of the only jackets I can wear. I cant even wear big shirts. And its worse with big shirts, because the sweat drips. Once, I was crying, and my sweat dripped down my skin, It felt exactly like a teardrop from my armpit. Back too my cheerleading. The uniforms have no sleeves. Like a tanktop. And through my life; my colors have included black. Which is the more of the colors on the uniform. Expecially by my armpits. BUT. I want to be a flyer. And im really likely to be one next year. If you have no experience with cheerleading. A flyer is the one in the air. The bases are the ones lifting the flyer, and a backspot holds the ankles. The most comon stunt is the half. Which is where the bases hold the flyers feet right abover the chest. By the neck. and then a cradel is where you throw them in the air and catch them. As a way to get down from the stunt. The bases catch your body. BUT. The backspots hold there arms out straight. Your armpits land right on there arm. Im a base and ive had backspots tell me off to the side that the girl has sweaty armpits. And im like, woah. Girls are gonna talk about me this way. Its horrible, but I would do the same. Its not usual to see girls with sweaty armpits. I need to get through this. Because im reaslly out going and just recently wore only a red cami to a nice event expecting, the days over. I shouldve gotten most of it out, and its a cami. But it didnt work out that well. I got home and it was a lott. I was screaming for my friends while they got there trophys and holding my arms up. two of my ex's who are also my really close guyfriends were with me. And im sure saw. And were staying over at a guys house. And mightve been talking about it. Im seriously thinking about surgery. But couldnt you overheat? sweating releases heat right..? So im kind of scared. But i want to hold hands, wear tee shirts, and be able to dance whith a guy when im older. Without them feeling or seeing sweat. Any suggestions.? One of my ex boyfriends know, and my best friend knows. i'd like to keep it that way. And I can trust both of them. Help, anyone?

T said...

hello , well im 17 i had HH since i was a little kid, it never really bothered me when i was little but it started in my teenage years when i had to hold my girlfriends hand and to be able to toutch other people without feeling bad about it,
i was called a freak because of it and i dont really care i went to the doctor and accually told me that he can make a surgery on me to stop it but its in the back so i decided not to do it
i got to a point right now where its a part of my life that wil lalways stay there so i try to ive with it like b telling other people about it and make them know that it is not only me, well atleast i know that my illness is called some people dont even know its name ,
so if you feel like me dont get down about it, try making the best of
T :]