[Harry]

Harry on March 26, 2016 at 10:06 pm #3941

Hello everyone,

I suffered from sweaty palms and sweaty feet but my sweaty palms are terrible! I decided to go for surgery to eradicate my problems once and for all. Had tried topical lotions but to no avail. So I found this forum while doing research on ETS. I had read about all the HORROR stories on the ETS, and I was really contemplating on the surgery.
I had so far visited 2 doctors. The one propose a surgery of burning of both T2 & T3. He claims only burning of T3 is not effective, and if he was to burn only one, he will burn only T2. But he say according to his standard operation protocol, he will still burn both T2 n 3. He agrees that one will not sweat above nipple line after surgery, but he did not received any complaints from patients regarding issues from doing that. The only issue is compensating sweating which will increase slightly in other areas.

The second doctor, on the other hand, propose only burning of T3. He claim by doing so, it will just stop sweating on the palms. No issue with sweating nipple line and above. This seem like a solution to the problems!
If anyone that have an operation with only burning of T3, Please share your own story so as to help me decide which one I will undergo through.

Many thanks in advance.

Harry

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[Shane]

Shane on March 31, 2016 at 8:30 am #3951

I've just had ETS surgery exactly 3 weeks ago. I grew up with sweaty palms and it really caused a lot of problems until 2 weeks ago. I am now 20. It was 3 months ago that I finally decided to have the procedure done and I must say I have no regrets. I woke up with dry hands immediately after the procedure, and I also found that my armpits had stopped sweating as well. I've developed some compensatory sweating from my upper thighs and lower back, but it only occurs when the weather is really hot or when I engage in physical exercise. The stitches have been removed yesterday and the site of the incision is still a bit painful, like a bruise, so I can't really engage in a strenuous physical activity yet, and the doctor told me to wait 1 more week and I should be at 100%.

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[Alvin L.]

Alvin L. on May 14, 2016 at 5:54 am #4094

“Are you OK?” I remember when my friends asked me this after my first sweat event. We were sitting on the bus to youth group camp and a couple cute girls sat by us (I was 13, so this was a nerve-wracking experience). That was the first time I remember feeling anxiety. And it definitely wasn’t the last. Cranial hyperhidrosis had entered my life, but I had no idea what it was at that time. I just knew something was wrong.
After learning that cranial hyperhidrosis was, in fact, a real condition, I went to a doctor who advertised a cure for “sweaty palms.” That’s when he told me about endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS) surgery.

To complete the surgery, the doctor gone into my chest cavity and slice the nerve lines around my rib cage that control the fight-or-flight nervous system. For hyperhidrosis sufferers, those nerves tend to be enlarged and trigger sweat when it’s unnecessary.

He went on to explain the potential side effects, but I was desperate for a solution. So I went for it and opted for the permanent solution. A decision I regret to this day.

I was dry for one week post-surgery. After that, what I thought was ghost sweat (the feeling of sweating) turned out to be the real thing. I began sweating on my chest, much worse than I had on my head before the surgery!
So naturally, I went back to the doctor, and that’ the first time he told me about the high likelihood of compensatory sweating, meaning other areas of my body sweat profusely in response to the surgery.
As each day passed, it only got worse. By the end of summer, I had to wear two to three undershirts to contain the bulk of the sweat.

The surgery also made my face super dry or oily, and acne appeared for the first time ever. Eventually, the effects trickled down to my hands, which also dried up badly. My metabolism was cut in half. My scalp dried out. Then I started to dramatically lose my hair.

Opting for the surgery was the biggest mistake of my life — an experience I wouldn’t wish upon anyone. But when you’re young, desperate and confused about what excessive sweating actually is, you just don’t question a doctor.

Obviously, I would never recommend ETS surgery for hyperhidrosis.

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[JR31]

JR31 on May 14, 2016 at 6:57 am #4103

My thoughts and feelings are pretty much exactly the same as Alvin's – I had ETS 17 years ago, and the last 14 years (after the initial honeymoon period) have been an horrendous nightmare. The side-effects are ten times worse than anything I ever went through with excessive hand and foot sweating, and if I could turn back time I would have stayed as far away as possible from surgery.
These procedures are barbaric when used for hyperhidrosis, and I just wish the supposed dermatologist that I saw had told me about the many non-surgical options such as iontophoresis, that without doubt is the route I would have gone down rather than surgery. But, I was fifteen, and as Alvin says, you are taught to ‘Listen to the doctor' when you're young, they're the ones with all the knowledge right?!

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[Joe]

Joe on February 4, 2017 at 8:08 am #4539

I don't recommend ETS surgery. I experienced a noticeable lack of energy and felt like my thought process was flawed when I undergo this surgery. It took three times longer to make a simple impulse purchase decision than it used to. The surgery also made my face super dry or oily, and acne appeared for the first time ever. My scalp dried out. Then I started to dramatically lose my hair. Search YouTube for “ETS Side Effects,” and you’ll get some real-life experiences. Be cautious of clicking on the ads, which are most likely pro-ETS.

The doctor clearly wasn’t telling me the whole picture. After reaching out to other patients, they were all furious with this doctor and the results of the procedure as well.

I suggest you to go to dermatologist instead.

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[bb23]

bb23 on May 14, 2018 at 7:37 am #5824

My mom is planning to have me undergo ETS Surgery and from what I have read here, I am now really afraid to undergo the treatment. Can you guys tell me what should I do? What other treatments for my excessive sweating will I tell my mother? I am looking for treatment with no side effects. I am 16 years old.

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[Rachel Perry]

Rachel Perry on July 19, 2018 at 3:12 am #6067

Don't do it. It should be illegal. I know people whose lives have been destroyed through this. Some of them are considering legal action.

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[ashley]

ashley on September 11, 2018 at 5:57 am #6490

I began sweating heavily all over my body. Unlike many, I sweat in my arm pits, hands, or feet. I am now approaching 30, and the problem has only gotten worse. If the temperature is above above 75, or humid, sweat runs down my chest and back, and soaks my shirt, and belt line. It's miserable, and has caused me to withdraw from most of my friendships, because I can't participate in many of the things we would like to do. I began the ETS surgery for months about and it has been somewhat helpful. Unfortunately, it's still not enough to make me feel comfortable doing things with friends, which is depressing.”

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[abby]

abby on September 11, 2018 at 5:58 am #6491

hai
“Hope this helps somebody. I've had severe night sweats for 2 years, since having an miradry treatment. my hyperhidrosis got worse. Tried a dozen treatments, mostly oral hormones, that didn't help at all. Then tried iontophoresis. It stopped the night sweats completely! But made me feel spaced out all day –not an acceptable trade-off. Finally tried ETS. It's been less than a week, but so far the severity of my sweats is drastically reduced and I've had no side effects! Good luck to us all.”

thanks…

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[-shamir]

-shamir on November 11, 2018 at 7:39 am #6768

Hi,
Wow, were certainly not alone. To all the young people who have commented, don't be ashamed or embarrassed it's obviously a common problem.(I know easy to say, hard to do). Just be honest about it and seek help from your parents or a trusted adult. Wish I had told my parents about it when I was a kid. (I’m too embarrassed). There are so many deodorants and antiperspirant that is available from the Chemist wit prescription. If that is a similar product doesn't help ask your parent or caregiver to take you to the doctor for him or her to help. Don't give up there are solutions to this common problem. Try first some simple remedies than going into surgeries Good Luck.

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[Grace]

Grace on June 7, 2019 at 9:14 am #7315

I had the procedure 10 years ago and other than the compensatory sweating on my back and stomach, which has reduced a lot, I had other side affects. Best decision ever was the surgery. I was warned – especially that spicy foods (my favorite) will cause me to sweat when I never did before.

Now I am curious to know if anyone has had what seems like never-ending back discomfort since their procedure?

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[Captain]

Captain on July 14, 2019 at 7:30 pm #7548

I am very sacred to go through the ETS surgery not because of the procedure but because of compensatory sweating after it! Straight after my session suddenly my hands stared becoming dry. I would say my palms are 80% dry all the time since but not my fingertips. I will do another two sessions tomorrow with direct current on my hands and see what happens. Also when I did my feet today I put a bit more water in as I said before they are about 80% dry but still there is a bit of sweat on the sides where the water level was.

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[Gavin]

Gavin on January 12, 2020 at 12:44 am #8370

“Are you okay?!” If you have hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating, this is the last thing you want to hear when sudden excessive sweating strikes. So I went to a doctor who advertised a cure for “sweaty palms.” Then he told me about endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS) surgery . He explained that people with hyperhidrosis have overactive nerves which trigger unnecessary sweating. He convinced me that the only way to stop the sweating was to destroy the nerves responsible for it.

After the surgery, I experienced ghost sweat. Ghost sweat is when you feel like you’re sweating but there’s no actual sweat. Then I actually started to sweat. I began sweating from a very defined area on my torso. I was as dry as a desert from the neck up, but swampy wet from my chest to my belly button. Then, I went back to the doctor to ask him what was wrong. That was when he told me about compensatory sweating, or when you sweat profusely from areas of your body previously unaffected by hyperhidrosis.

By the end of summer, I had to wear two to three undershirts to contain my chest and back sweat . Then, out of nowhere, the sweating appeared on my left shoulder blade. It became really worse.

Each time I went back to my doctor to report more sweat, he blamed it on the heat. I knew it was more than that since by the second time I returned, I was sweating through five shirts a day.

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[Berthold Rzany]

Berthold Rzany on December 27, 2020 at 1:48 am #11502

While endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS) offers a permanent option for palmar hyperhidrosis, the risk of compensatory sweating after the operation is a serious consideration. According to a doctor, the ideal patients for ETS are “people that have only purely hand sweating — nothing else.”

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[Justin Masson]

Justin Masson on April 19, 2021 at 3:00 am #13507

Endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS) is surgery used to treat sweating in the palms or face. The sympathetic nerves control sweating. The surgery cuts these nerves to the part of the body that sweats too much.

The surgery is usually done with the surgeon makes 2 or 3 tiny cuts (incisions) under one arm on the side where the excessive sweating occurs. Your lung on this side is deflated (collapsed) so that air does not move in and out of it during surgery. This gives the surgeon more room to work.
A tiny camera called an endoscope is inserted through one of the cuts into your chest. Video from the camera shows on a monitor in the operating room. The surgeon views the monitor while doing the surgery.
Other small tools are inserted through the other cuts.
Using these tools, the surgeon finds the nerves that control sweating in the problem area. These are cut, clipped, or destroyed.
Your lung on this side is inflated.
The cuts are closed with stitches (sutures).
A small drainage tube may be left in your chest for a day or so.
After doing this procedure on one side of your body, the surgeon may do the same on the other side. The surgery takes about 1 to 3 hours.

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[Mans Singh]

Mans Singh on May 29, 2022 at 7:28 pm #24961

Hi.
I have also been suffering from Hyperhidrosis and I've been constantly looking and searching for the best treatment aside from using antiperspirants and expensive undershirts to help me with this problem.
I have been reading reviews about Dermadry, Botox, Iontophoresis, etc. Though these treatments may only have short term effects, and may require you for 2nd or 3rd or more treatments, but these are safer options compared to ETS. I have read so many horrible stories of side effects and permanent nerve damages caused by ETS. They said that those who are saying positive results after ETS are still in their “honeymoon period”. This period can be as short as a few months to as long as several years.

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