Having ETS surgery on Wed.Apr.4th/12

[sally1919]

I am sooo scared as I am having the surgery on wednesday in Toronto, Canada, to stop the sweating in my hands as I am 35, had this condition in my hands, feet, & armpits since I was a little tiny girl. My life is very limited due to this condition & the embaressment that surrounds it. I was robbed of an education, as I had to drop out of University due to inability to do a lot of tasks, can't even handle a piece of papter, I just drip like a faucet, & I have severe anxiety issues, & panic attacks. So I couldn't handle school, grade school & high school were humiliating enough, & by my 20s the sweating was sooo much worse, I just couldn't function. So no education, attempted a few jobs but again, just do not feel comfortable in social situations so I am locked away in my apartment, rarely seeing sun-light. Severely depressed since my early 20s. I can barely afford groceries, or the cost of rent, I am stuck on government disability. so many of the treatments that are offered, I cannot afford even one session, & I heard of ETS back in the late 90s but I have read so many horror stories, I never even thought it would be something I would risk...but this is no life, my youth has passed me by, & I am alone, with my cats & dogs, who I can't even pet or groom at all most days due to my severe sweating & not working, I can't even afford their basic needs anymore. I need to go out and work & feel comfortable enough in my own skin to show my face in public, so I decided to take the risk & have this surgery. The surgery doesn't cost anything so it is the only option that is available for someone like me. Its either this or suicide, as this lonely, isolated existance is no longer tolerable for me. So I decided to post this & was hoping that atleast a few people could PLEASE post a few comments that would re-assure me that it isn't a death sentence, having this surgery, because I have only read negative stuff for years, and am so scared, all this talk about having to get pace makers people have posted, & not being able to show emotions after this type of surgery, it is just freaking me out. I am sitting here crying my eyes out & shaking like a leaf, I just wanna hear something positive PLEASE! I just feel so alone & so scared & so confused by all the negative stuff I have read. I don't know if I am making a huge mistake, all I know is that my life is no life when my hands leak like a faucet.
Another thing I am confused about is that I have never heard anywhere online about the SWELLING of Palmar Hyperhidrosis, even the surgeon I just met with, seemed confused by the swelling, I assumed it was just not mentioned online, but then when the surgeon said he had never heard of swelling, I was a bit confused by that. My hands pretty much drip anywhere between 12 to 24 hours a day, and usually after I wake up & once I've had a few hours of the sweating, all my fingers & the palm of my hand swell up like a balloon & it becomes very difficult to bend my fingers, it feels so uncomfortable..and the swelling remains until I finally fall asleep & once the sweating stops, it goes away, til the next day & so on? Is there others who have this as well? I don't get it. Why doesn't anyone else report this?
Thanks for your time,
Sally

[rajmta]

You did not mention what other treaments you tried before considering the surgery. It seems to me that your anxiety triggers sweating, so why dont you consult a Psychiatrist first? There are many non-surgical methods to mitigate anxiety.

Thanks,
Raj

[sally1919]

I've been seeing a psychiatrist regularly for 15 years. I suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder, which usually causes with it, severe Depression, Anxiety, Panic Attacks & I have been taking anti-depressants (SSRI's) for all this time, but stopped it finally back in 2011 as I found it didn't really help me anymore. Plus I am instead taking Cognitive & Dialectical Behavior Therapy (CBT/DBT) which is helping with managing/controlling the Personality Disorder, but not the physical side effects. I was on 60 tablets of Lorazepam per month for the past 5 years, also stopped that last year but only because my doctor didn't want me taking it anymore-thats when the hyperhidrosis came back with a vengeance. I found that taking 2 lorazepams a day not only took away my anxiety completely, but reduced my sweating by 75%. But since I have stopped taking it last year, I have been suffering, I live in a drench of sweat if that makes any sense. But there are no doctors that are helping me with the hyperhidrosis, my family doctor is an idiot, she doesn't help, I've asked her to refer me to a neurologist, I told her I read online that they can help with hyperhidrosis, but she refuses to refer me to one saying "I don't think a neurogist will help" -I have begged her many times, & have shown her printed documents that I took from online to show her, yet she still doesn't believe my documents that a neurologist can help She says most of the research is unreliable, that people say JUNK that isn't true online. I don't know why she is so ignorant & stupid. She's the one that pushed me to see the Thoracic Surgeon & keeps saying, if I want help then have the surgery, i won't give you meds! I can't find another family doctor, all the good ones no longer accept patients. My dermatologist tells me he wouldn't recommend "ETS" even for his DOG. Yet he won't give me medication either. I'm so frustrated & no longer feel I have any where to turn & with my lack of an income, I'm just suffering with no one to help me so the surgery is all I can think of doing at this point.

[sally1919]

And in answer to your question, Raj, the treatment I have tried, has been topical treatments that my dermatologist keeps giving that is rediculous because my condition is very severe & those things just slide on me & become drenched along with the sweat, I had tried Propantheline (sp?) & Benztropine (sp) years ago but they made me soo tired & there were other problems I don't even remember now so I gave up on them. Then when I started lorazepam, i found it helped so I didn't think to try anything else. And the only other thing my dermatologist keeps recomending is botox, but I don't have money, at all, so its impossible. I've heard of iontophoresis but I am not sure about the cost of that machine, if its affordable maybe can save up for it, but I haven't been told the price for it, and since it costs money, I assumed it would be out of my price range.

[rajmta]

Hi Sally,

If you have tried everything else, I recommend that you get only the T4 nerve clamped first and restart medication after surgery. If you are still not happy with the results, get re-operated to have your T3 clamped. Never get your T2 clamped. I'm confident that you will feel better soon. Don't worry.

I hope this info helps.
Raj.

[sally1919]

I called the surgeon & cancelled the appointment & said that I would re-schedule once I had researched the surgery better. Thank you for your advice Raj, I appreciate it very much.
Take Care,
Sally

[iDry]

Sally,

I don't know if you've done the surgery or not yet.
I am 20 and I am considering the surgery in a month or so.
Just like you, I have tried everything, even botox twice but nothing has actually helped. I also would like to tell you that I have the swelling thing also; my hands would just get like blowed and the feeling is frustrating and so bad.

As for the surgery, and as I've been researching for years, I think I can give you an advice about the surgery:
So there is this chain of Sympathetic Ganglia that is located behind your lungs. It is devided into different Ganglia that are responsible for giving nerves for different parts of the body.

The T-2 Sympathectomy is used to cure the facial hyperhydrosis and it is connected with most of the severe cases of complications after surgery.

For the Palms there are 2 choices:
1- To get the T-3 Ganglion cut or clamped, which will help elimenating the HH completely from your hands.
2- To get the T-4 Ganglion cut which will maybe reduce the sweating of your hands but still is connected with a high reccurance rate, but less Consempatory Sweating.

We have to accept something: There is no magical treatment for our HH with which we were born. But ETS can help people like us who are so much suffering, costing us though some more sweating in other parts of the body.

I think the T-3 sympathectomy is the most effective for Palmar Hyperhydrosis. while T-2 is the most dangerous. and some people who get T-3 AND T-3 cut are even making a worse decision.

Unfortunately I have noticed that dermatologists recomend BOTOX so that they earn money, while Surgeons reccomend The ETS also to earn money.

ETS has developed a lot and much more understanding is now available for HOW TO MAKE THIS PROSEDURE. I think I am lucky that I am 20 years old now and I was not 20 years old 15 or 20 or 40 years ago. Back then, The surgeons used to cut whatever they want with no understanding of the complications and why they happen.

I have taken my Decision: A T-3 Sympathectomy for Palmar Hyperhydrosis.