How hyperhidrosis affects your career: A moving first-person story

Has hyperhidrosis affected your career choices? It has certainly affected mine. I avoided careers with a lot of hand shaking such as sales and public relations, opting for jobs where I spend much of my time behind a computer. Though there are many enjoyable aspects of my work, I sometimes wonder what I might have become had I gotten treatment for hyperhidrosis at a younger age. For example, I might have tried out for sports teams had I not feared high-fiving others and shaking hands with opponents. I would have definitely done theater had I not feared lifting up my arms. And perhaps I would have tried student council and developed leadership skills at a young age.

I try not to dwell a lot on these lost opportunities, and I have grown a lot since my anxious days of high school. I write about them in hopes that younger people with hyperhidrosis might not inhibit their growth -- like a plant placed in too small of a pot, its tangled roots running out of room to grow.

I want to thank Steve Tribe for his moving first person essay, "I Can't Stop Sweating," recently published in The Guardian.  Mr. Tribe's ETS surgery stopped his palmar hyperhidrosis but triggered compensatory sweating in other parts of his body. He writes:

When I’m working in an office I always wear a jacket. People say things like “Aren’t you hot?” but it’s better than them asking me, “Why is your back so wet?” Now I work as a night controller in the construction industry, which means cooler weather and fewer people.

Mr. Tribe is involved in a British hyperhidrosis support group and set up a Facebook page about hyperhidrosis, now with over 2,000 members. I am grateful to him and others who have helped raise awareness of our condition.

Love,
Tiara

Iontophoresis Woes

Thanks to Caryn, author of the "Just a Little Sweat" blog, for sharing her experiences with iontophoresis. Though she had been using her iontophoresis machine regularly, the palmar and plantar sweating returned. She spoke with the head of the company, R.A. Fischer, that makes her hyperhidrosis machine (and mine too.) He offered some suggestions to help her use the device more effectively. For details, read her blog post: "Iontophoresis Trials." Thanks again, Caryn, for sharing such valuable information.

Love,
Tiara

Radio Show About ETS for Blushing

"This American Life," the amazing radio show produced by WBEZ in Chicago, recently aired a segment about one woman's decision whether to get endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS) surgery for excessive blushing. The surgery is also used as a last-resort treatment for hyperhidrosis, so I was thrilled that "This American Life" producer Sean Cole provided an in-depth look at its pros and cons in the show's episode #558, Game Face.  (To listen to the segment about ETS, scroll down to Act 4, "Frankly Miss Scarlet.")

ETS surgery, according the the International Hyperhidrosis Society, "frequently causes serious, irreversible compensatory sweating (excessive sweating on large areas of the body or all over) as well as other dibilitating effects such as extreme hypotension, arrhythmia, and heat intolerance." Thus, the surgery is not recommended by most physicians.

Elna Baker, an actor and professional storyteller, considered getting ETS surgery after a failed audition for a TV show. Network executives, noticing her red face and neck, said she looked too nervous on camera. She ultimately decided against getting the surgery. Her particular type of slower-onset excessive blushing could not be addressed by ETS because it is caused by her adrenal glands, not her sympathetic nerve.

Interestingly, it turns out that what helped Ms. Baker the most was simply telling people about her blushing. When she stopped trying to hide the blushing, she blushed less frequently. I wonder if this would help with hyperhidrosis. Sometimes my palms and feet sweat when I'm home and not at all anxious. But sometimes, when I've told friends about my condition, the sweating decreases.

Has anyone else experienced decreased sweating after telling others about their hyperhidrosis? Please share your experiences in the comments section.

Love,
Tiara