A year ago, and this story would begin with one simple word: HELP. It was when my son first started having hyperhidrosis symptoms, and I had no idea what to do. I even had no idea what's happening to him, and was terrified that he is sick with some rare, dangerous disease.

 The Diagnosis

He seemed to be doing fine, apart from sweating dreadfully from his feet and underarms, so I stopped panicking and took him to the doctor. The first one said it's normal, that he's just a hyperactive kid and that's why he sweats more. This seemed fishy to me, and he was also an old pediatrician so I didn't trust his diagnosis that much. Then we went to another doctor, and this one knew about hyperhidrosis and mentioned it as a possible cause of excessive sweating right away. And later, after careful examination, the doctor confirmed that indeed, we are dealing with plantar and axillary hyperhidrosis.

 

I was at once relieved and crushed. Relieved, because hyperhidrosis wasn't a dangerous illness, and crushed, because it was something permanent, something that my son will have to learn how to live with.

Worries and Fears

He is still young – only 7 years old – so he doesn't quite understand yet what the problem is. He feels uncomfortable when he sweats, but he takes it all in stride. I suppose he is lucky not to have palmar hyperhidrosis – feet and underarms are hidden under clothes, after all. But, I know that a day will come (especially in teen years), when appearances will matter more to him, when life will become more complicated for him, and when excessive sweat will make all the difference.

Over the course of this year, I turned into a complete hyperhidrosis nerd. I am trying to read as much as I can about it, and learn as much as I can. When the moment comes, I want to be able to provide the best guidance for my son. I am already saving for the best iontophoresis machine out there, and when he is older, I hope this will help him get through puberty. And then, when he is an adult, there will be other options too…

Living with Hyperhidrosis

It really is painful when you find out that your child will have to deal with something like hyperhidrosis, and all I can hope is that I will be able to support him through this as much as I can (I'm a single mother), and that he will be strong enough to take it in stride even when he is older. Wish us luck.

– Ruth

Also Read:

Learning To Live With Hyperhidrosis Hyperhidrosis and Love (My Story) F.A.Q