Hyperhidrosis has fucked up my life

I've always sweated a bit extra more than other people my entire life, but when I became a teenager things just spiraled out of control.

I have no friends.

I've never had a girlfriend.

I didn't go to college.

I didn't do a goddamned thing in 2007. Or 2006. Or 2005.

My family thinks I have Asperger's because I avoid going out or social interaction or whatever, and whenever I tell them about hyperhidrosis they think it's all in my head.

jesus fucking christ

I just had to vent.
I bet this forum gets a bunch of threads like this.

It's depressing reading posts like 'Hang in there, we'll fine a cure one day' and other nonsense like that.

No, that's not going to happen.

My life is FUCKED. I had a lot of things going for me, everything, so help me God I could have made something of myself -- instead, I'm a 20 year old virgin living in his mother's basement, unsure of when he's going to move out or what he's going to do with his life.

I'm not sure what I want out of this thread. Not pity, maybe an acknowledgement, maybe a "I'm there with you man", but just the idea of someone else being in my predicament is depressing.

Great fuckin way to set off the new year...

You are right...having HH is a quick way to f**k up your entire life....but only if you let it :twisted:

What type of HH do you have?

What treatments have you tried?

Yep, might be best to tell us more about your problems and then maybe one of us can direct you to a possible treatment.

Sounds like you've had a bit of a panick attack - that's natural. I've wasted many a year seemingly going nowhere with this condition and woken up in a state of cold sweat (surprise surprise). Learnt a lot about my own HH recently and it's mainly due to a few forums like this that I'm starting to devise ways to cope and lead something of a normal life.

There are far worse conditions in the world than hyperhidrosis. There are people that can't walk, others than can't use any limb below their neck and yet they make it from day to day and that's not even the worst of it.

Personally I am thankful that I am still phyiscally able to do anything I want. Sure I will sweat a lot more than others but is it that big of a deal? The first time someone finds out may be a little embarassing but after that they will understand.

Even if you're scared to be embarassed from sweating you can do a pretty good job at hiding it. How are people that are paralized or with some type of defect going to hide their condition?

I will admit I wish I didn't have hyperhidrosis but I can still live my life and have fun. Certainly social sitiuations aren't as fun as they would be other wise (I suffer mostly from hand HH) but I can still go out and enjoy it.

Also you're putting too much pressure on yourself for what is "normal" in society. Don't compare yourself to others because honestly you're not. Live life how you want to not how others make you feel you should live it.

cadmonkey said:

What type of HH do you have?

What treatments have you tried?

Click to expand...

I mainly sweat around my face, which gets really embarrassing really quick.

I'm not aware of any long-term treatments so I haven't tried any.

WastedPotential said:

cadmonkey said:

What type of HH do you have?

What treatments have you tried?

Click to expand...

I mainly sweat around my face, which gets really embarrassing really quick.

I'm not aware of any long-term treatments so I haven't tried any.

Click to expand...

If you can afford it give secure wipes (from http://pharmacy.ca) a chance. They are generally considered one of the first lines of attack for facial HH. If you have any questions about the product the pharmacists there are helpful.

Thanks, I've been looking around the forum and have been interested.

Wouldn't they make the face red, though?

I no how you feel, my life used to be the same until i went to my doctors, i felt really embarrassed about it but he totally understood , he prescribed me to dryclor and ever since my seatings stopped, i only have it in my hands now which inst so bad yet i find having a girlfriend to be hard as they love holding hands >.<

as soon as i can get the £300 for an ionto machine (or i may try the hydrotin) i think everything will be ok, my life only started getting better after i went to the doctor, i felt like it was a miracle, you should stick around the forums and look at the thread with all the treatments, it could just save your life, most things can be bought on the internet but if u live in the uk, Canada or Europe you should be able to get the medicine for free or cheap

i wish all the best to you

WastedPotential said:

Thanks, I've been looking around the forum and have been interested.

Wouldn't they make the face red, though?

Click to expand...

Well I blush easily in normal situations and so the secure wipes don't effect me in that way. Go red when I'm the centre of attention and when I'm exercising.

It's still early days for me - probably only used a dozen or so, but I'll keep the forum updated if anything of note happens with them.

Depression and Anxiety don't have to be the end result of your frustration with Hyperhidrosis.

I totally understand where you're coming from. I'm sure 99% of the people on this forum do.

But take care and don't escalate the problem with self inflicted stress.

Read the forum, pick up tips and little by little you'll minimize the effects of your hyperhidrosis.

I'm sorry for your anguish.

Best of Luck! Know that ultimately everything WILL be okay.

G-d Bless!

fist I mean how bad is your HH? is it like on full throttle 90% of the time or just a little bit then sweats worse as you go out??

you can overcome it.

I understand where you're coming from, Hyperhidrosis sucks. It definitely has affected how I react in social situations too. But you really should not stress over something that you have no control over, and instead focus on the few 'solutions' that are available.

HH is an obstacle but it shouldn't stop you from accomplishing the goals that you have set for yourself. Not to compare my situation with yours, but in high school I was really big on becoming an artist. You can imagine how frustratingly difficult it was creating a fine pencil drawing when your hands are constantly dripping in sweat. But you find minor solutions to these problems such as resting your hand on a loose piece of paper.

Sure, people might think of you as strange, but forget them. Those people don't matter. You'll find people that accept your sweaty being. Other people have insecurities too.

If your situation means carrying around additional shirts, a towel, or wearing multiple layers, fine. Do whatever it is that you need.

And when it comes to girls and social interaction, it's sometimes difficult to avoid physical contact. My entire life has been a struggle to hide my condition in hopes of looking 'normal'. I've found that the best approach is to not really care what others think. If someone wants to judge you or make a joke about your condition, that just reveals their own ignorance.

You need to ignore those people because their opinions don't matter. The people who appreciate your character/personality will not care that you're sweating all the time. The people that will matter in your life will understand.

There are certain 'solutions' available. You just need to try what's available and see what works for you.

Best of luck!

I can also really relate to you and I am 47 years old!

This has also caused me countless embarrassing moments and awful times over the years, times when I just wanted the earth to swallow me up. But I am still here and, believe it or not, enjoying life for the most part whilst still enduring the crappy times this condition brings us.

Check out the top post by Pinker, there is massive amounts of info there thaty may help. I'm a facial/cranial HH sufferer and I know it sucks and is the first thing people see. But there are a range of medications out there that help, if not remove, the effects of this. Probanthine is my pill of choice and it works pretty well for me. There's many other choices that work better for others.

As far as girls go, well I have to say that in England I have never seen anyone sweat as much as i do on the face and head. But I have been married for 23 years to a lovely lady who generally doesn't give a toss about it. I also have 2 kids who think the same.

So I urge you to try and think more positively, recognising it is difficult, but take a few steps to improve your life and use us to help you when you find it difficult. Happy for you to PM me for more personal info.

Don't worry... I have been diagnosed with hyperhidrosis everywhere. when I am at home my underarms feet hands and back sweat and when i go out in the sun i sweat everywhere. I am yet to find someone who has as severe hyperhidrosis as me. I take 6 probanthine pills a day. I don't know what to do !

man.

it sucks that everyone else here has it.

but at the same time, such a relief that there are others out there...thanks for the kind words, guys.

I think if there's one good to come out of our predicaments, it's made us appreciate life more than what the normal person takes for granted.

These comments should be enough to restore at least a little faith and optimism

and I agree it makes me appreciate certain things a lot more.

Living Life With Hyperhidrosis

I think I began sweating in 1st grade, or at least that's when I first became conscious of it. Since then, I've been sweating everywhere 90% of my waking hours. I sweat profusely on my face, hands, feet, armpits, back, butt, and thighs. It begins from one many situations: slight to severe nervousness, hot feet from walking or just wearing shoes, hot hands, or hot temperatures (and in some cases just random).

Throughout my life, I've sweated on my papers (math was terrible), during presentations/public speaking I drip sweat from my head, face, and hands, my armpits completely soak through the shirt within a matter of minutes, and my back sweats through the shirt also.

I've tried Iontophoresis, Drysol (extremely bad irritation), and a couple oral medications that are also used for anxiety patients. None of them worked for me. I've been searching for a good solution for 10 years.

I'm 23 now and only a few months ago did I find a reasonable solution. A specialist in Hyperhidrosis prescribed me Robinol. It works by inhibiting the communication between the Sympathetic Nervous System and sweat glands. The first day I took it I almost cried because my girlfried could rub my hands for 5 minutes and I felt no sweat stimulation.

The good thing is that I still sweat when I work out and when it's really hot. It's usually still profuse when I do sweat, however, I think I can deal with it as long as I don't sweat in any other situation.

Despite such an extreme condition, throughout all of my life I've been able to be very successful in whatever I do (School, Sports, Job Searching, Socializing, and Girls). I don't want to discourage those who haven't, but rather give you hope. I used to feel depressed and upset about my hyperhidrosis just like you might. However, through determination, I've been able to overcome Hyperhidrosis. I've changed my attitude to accept the fact that, yes I have a condition that may others do not, yet it's just that, a condition. If I am a responsible, good person and a good friend, then nobody has any reason to dislike me or think differently of me because I sweat profusely. Just be who you are and show people you're not going to live life being nervous and self-conscious. Be confident in yourself and nobody will even notice your condition, and if they do, they'll see that it doesn't bother you and they'll think of you as a stronger person for it.

Live life and be happy, it's your choice and there's no reason not to

Interesting, is there any place to order it online? Or do you need a prescription? And is it costly?

WastedPotential said:

I've always sweated a bit extra more than other people my entire life, but when I became a teenager things just spiraled out of control.

I have no friends.

I've never had a girlfriend.

I didn't go to college.

I didn't do a goddamned thing in 2007. Or 2006. Or 2005.

My family thinks I have Asperger's because I avoid going out or social interaction or whatever, and whenever I tell them about hyperhidrosis they think it's all in my head.

jesus fucking christ

I just had to vent.
I bet this forum gets a bunch of threads like this.

It's depressing reading posts like 'Hang in there, we'll fine a cure one day' and other nonsense like that.

No, that's not going to happen.

My life is FUCKED. I had a lot of things going for me, everything, so help me God I could have made something of myself -- instead, I'm a 20 year old virgin living in his mother's basement, unsure of when he's going to move out or what he's going to do with his life.

I'm not sure what I want out of this thread. Not pity, maybe an acknowledgement, maybe a "I'm there with you man", but just the idea of someone else being in my predicament is depressing.

Great fuckin way to set off the new year...

Click to expand...

I know exactly what you mean about people thinking it's in your head. The few people I have told all say "Oh...well no one notices it, you just think they do, theres nothing wrong with you, you've just convinced yourself you're sweating all the time" despite the only reason no one notices massive sweat patches from every crevice in my body is because I dress in all black all day every day except work where I wear the baggiest shirt I can find.

It's just a bit of a slap in the face when you have the courage to tell someone and all they do is pass it off as something that's not real. I wish there was a way of making HH more public, so other people could understand it and accept it. Maybe then it wouldn't be such a problem for us.

Sweatypalms34

I have to say that was an inspirational post. I hope others can take heart at your sentiments.