Just want to share my 'excitement'

Almost no one in my life knows I have hyperhidrosis, and I just want to vent/talk about it to someone other than my husband who can only say 'It doesn't matter if you sweat, no one would care' blah blah normal talk from someone who has no idea the crippling effect HH causes to someone.

I've had axillary HH since I was 12 years old. (I'm 22 now) I wore black shirts all the time to hide it, which in turn made me look unapproachable, I had low marks in participation because I didn't want to raise my hand, etc.

I made a post here a long time ago about it, but I was able to be the first person in the city to try a thing called 'Sidelaze 800' to try and cure my HH back in June '12. (Normally it's used to tighten the skin under a chin)

I had the option of miraDry or this. miraDry was $1,500 more and a 12 hour drive, while Sidelaze was just a 3 hours drive.

I was told that 40% of people can get away with just one treatment with Sidelaze (while miraDry was a required two) so I decided to give it a try.

Before the treatment, my left armpit would leave a sweat ring of about a 3" circle, and my right would leave about 4"-5".

Here I am 7 months later. My left armpit only leaves about 1" long by 1/2" tall and my right leaves about 2" long by 1" tall.

Even though it was a LOT better, I was still crushed because I had purchased all these new colored shirts right before the procedure.

Since we're just starting out, I tried not to complain a lot because I know it took a lot of money to do this in the first place. But it wasn't long until my husband realized I wasn't wearing any of my new shirts.

He surprised me last month with a forwarded email of steps to do before a Sidelaze procedure, and that I had an appointment April 11th for a 'touch up'. The touch up is half the price of the original treatment, but it was doing the same thing over again to catch any of the living sweat glands left.

So, while I ended up spending almost as much as miraDry, we did save money gas and time wise.

Talking with the doctor that did it, he did say he was very surprised at how well it worked for me because I had such huge, dark sweat marks. He said he can say at about 90% sure that this second procedure will eliminate the sweating for good.

For anyone interested in what happens with the procedure; (possibly be warned if you have a very weak stomach)
First they set me up to a few machines to make sure all my vitals were good. He then does a local numbing to the armpit. (I'm awake the whole time. The IV hurt more than the procedure did xD) After that he cuts a small slit on the outside of my armpit. Then he sticks the laser rod in and he glides it under the skin. It sounds a lot worse than it really was. (I actually fell asleep towards the end) I will say the part I didn't like it sometimes you can hear weird sounds in your ears. It's almost like when you go underwater and someone hits two rocks together. While it WAS invasive, when I look now, you'd have to know where to look and you can see a very very small scar. I have cat scratch scars worse than them. It took a total of an hour to an hour and a half.

I'm just really excited for April to come to get this touch up. I'm also really glad to find something that works for me. No more ordering things online hoping it'd work just to be disappointed.

Anyways. Just wanted to share my story with people who get it. The little who know about it in my life don't understand the big deal. I think me wearing black all the time they don't realize how big and bad it is. This is Christmas to me and I'm having a hard time getting through each day waiting for it to be April.

I wish success on everyone who has to deal with any type of HH. <3

Thanks so much for sharing.

Missing--thank you for the details. I'm so glad you've had this much success, and hope April will make it complete. Keep us posted.

Good luck!

Well, I just returned and everything went well.

He decided to only do my right armpit since he said the left didn't seem to be sweating all that much. I noticed the last few weeks that it's stopped leaving any sort of mark. He said that conditions can improve all the way up to one year. Even my right went way down to about 1.5" long by 1/2" tall a few weeks back.

This round I think he didn't use enough numbing because I felt a lot of things. But I have a very high pain tolerance so I just bared through it even though he kept asking if it was uncomfortable. I was just excited and thankful to be getting it and didn't want to slow anything down. xD

This time it seemed like he new what he was doing a lot more than his first time with me. **Gore warning** He did have a hard time separating my skin though, but it's possible it's because I had done the procedure already.

I have to have a wrap on for 48 hours but I've done this part before. It feels like a stitch is caught in the wrap though because I feel it tug. I also have that feeling when you sleep all night on one shoulder.

I celebrated by going shopping immediately after. xD I bought a few colored shirts a few weeks back when I noticed that the sweating stopped showing in my left, and my right was responding to Klima. But more is awesome. ^-^

Anyways! Long story short (too late?), I think I can officially say I no longer have hyperhidrosis. :,D I haven't needed Klima for my left for a few weeks now and my right should be better than ever. We'll see in the next coming weeks. The first few weeks I remember it being worse because the glands are all dying off.

I really wish this procedure could be available for everyone suffering from hyperhidrosis. It really is an invisible handicap and I think it's horrible people have to go through it. Again to those who are still trying to find their cure; I wish you so much luck. <33