I have always considered hyperhidrosis an attack on my life. I've had it for as long as I can remember. It started with my hands. The sweat would pool so quickly when I would cup them together even with no exertion sometimes just from thinking about it. Naturally my feet would follow and I had the smelliest sneakers and that just follows you everywhere. Once puberty hit it spread to my armpits. In my eyes I was of no interest to anyone, not somebody that anyone wanted around. The social awkwardness that I felt I portrayed was too much for me and I became a recluse and introverted person.
I spent my late teens and my twenties trying to find a cure looking at every option from high-dose aluminum chloride to iontophoresis a process involving running low dose current to the affected areas, very time-consuming mind you, to ETS (Endoscopic Thoracic Sympathectomy), a very invasive way of surgically cutting specific ganglia that cause the excessive sweating but in response results in compensatory sweating of which I suffer to to this day. The first time I had ETS results were positive for my Palms however the left side of my forehead would sweat, the right side of my chest would sweat and my lower back would still sweat excessively. Oh and my feet still would sweat. The second time I had ETS was from a doctor in Brazil Who said he could resolve my compensatory sweating. This is the extent of where I was willing to go. I packed my bags and with my father headed for Brazil specifically Belo Horizonte of which we did not do a lot of sightseeing and tourism but spent most of my time recovering from the surgery of which there were complications including a hemothorax which gave me excruciating pain in my chest. It took a few years for my long to re-inflate completely. All these side effects I was willing to risk as I felt I could not live with hyperhidrosis anymore.
Although I can safely say I've never truly attempted suicide, suicidal thoughts were always in my mind when I was in the most vulnerable moments in my life. Today I still do suffer and especially such on humid summer days. I live in an area where humidity is quite common so really it's on me as to why I don't live in a colder climate, haha. My compensatory sweating consist of large pooling of sweat dripping from just above my navel all the way down to my toes circumferential front to back. To the point that I soak through pants and absolutely cannot wear them in the summer. From that same line up i don't sweat a drop! Maybe a few small beads when i eat spicey foods, but that's it.
I'm blessed to have a wife and kids that love me and I have been able to deal with this affliction with them in mind. As a Young Man I found it hard to find meaning on many levels but family has really put things into perspective. It's allowed me to prioritize and to accept hyperhidrosis rather than to wallow in it. I also find it's given me some advantages where I can see the good in people and be more sensitive to other people's problems.
Aside from hyperhidrosis I was born into a normal middle-class white family, I am of athletic build, assumably good-looking, possibly giving an impression that I have it all figured out. Given my experience those sort of things are only the shell of what a person has to offer.
Thank you for letting me share my story.
