Steve has experienced hyperhidrosis since he was a baby.  His mother recalls him being a very warm child and his feet were always particularly clammy.  For many parents even today, these symptoms were just accepted.  There was no reason to be suspicious about the sweat, especially as none of the family experienced anything similar.

In childhood, Steve suffered predominantly with his hands and would carry handkerchiefs in his pockets so he could rub them dry when they started to sweat at school.  This gave Steve a sense of control in social situations at school and because he could wipe his hands dry, people didn’t highlight his sweat as much.  Although his close friends would often comment on his hands, luckily he didn’t experience any significant trouble with relationships.  He also suffered with his armpits and feet, but found that his palmar hyperhidrosis was the most difficult to live with.

When Steve was around 27 years of age, his mother was watching TV and came across a documentary on which hyperhidrosis was featured.  It was at this stage that she realised her son’s symptoms actually had a name.  She suggested Steve should get his condition diagnosed so he could get help for his hyperhidrosis.   Steve managed to get a referral to a dermatology clinic at one of the most prestigious units in London.

Steve was diagnosed with hyperhidrosis and the only treatment option presented to him was Endoscopic Transthoracic Surgery, ETS.  Steve was not trialled on any medications or offered any procedures such as iontophoresis or Botox, possibly due to the lack of medical options, licenses and technology at the time.  In discussing the operation, the surgeon discussed the possibility of compensatory sweating after the surgery.  Steve feels the significance of this side effect was ‘glossed over’ and that the conversation was over rather swiftly.  In a desperate attempt to regain some normality, Steve opted for the surgery.  Whilst the operation itself went smoothly, Steve experienced post-surgery complications and was wheeled back into the operating theatre – a worrying time for his family, an event that was totally unanticipated.  Thankfully, Steve made a full recovery.

Steve is often asked by hyperhidrosis sufferers on the internet how successful his surgery has been and if he would recommend this treatment.  Although Steve’s hands are now ‘cured’, he is experiencing a great deal of compensatory sweating.  This is mainly on his back, groin and the sweating on his feet still remains.  Steve has had to make a lot of changes to his lifestyle to help him cope with his compensatory sweating, noting that it often gets so severe that he ‘wishes the ground would open and swallow him up’.  He takes Oxybutynin to help calm down his sweating.  He keeps a spare shirt in the car in case his back sweats so much that he needs to change.  Steve has bought his own iontophoresis machine to help manage the sweating of his feet and finds that this works rather well, when used frequently enough.  Steve takes solace in the fact that he now has a GP who is very open, listens to his concerns and does everything he can to help.  Steve does a lot of research into post-ETS hyperhidrosis and helps his doctor find different solutions to his problematic hyperhidrosis.  With the help of his family, he continues to live an active life and refuses to allow his condition to get the better of him.

Steve uses Hyperhidrosis Support Group UK and his own internet forum to help other sufferers find help and this helps him to deal with his own condition.  He advises people to be honest about their hyperhidrosis and not to anticipate a bad reaction from others – they’re often very interested!  He also wants people to know that there are a range of treatments available now, unlike when he was treated, and that surgery should not be your only option.  Use the internet, forums, doctors, dermatologists and your family to research your condition and understand it properly before making treatment decisions.  He does not deter people from having surgery to treat their hyperhidrosis, although he does urge people to do their research and try everything else first – there are many treatments that you may find more effective.