Surgery Success - 7 years later!

[wpg_girl]

I had the surgery in 2005 because I was finding the Drysol and plastic wrap weren't strong enough or very convenient. I had excessive sweating in my arm pits, hands, and feet. Botox wasn't around and I really wanted something more dramatic.

The surgery was extremely painful and the chest tubes were a nasty surprise when I woke up. I was in an intensive program at university at the time and had the surgery during my 2-week Christmas break. It took me about 6 months to get my strength back. In hindsight, I should have done it in the summer and taken a month off work.

The surgery was successful and I'm still dry. My hands were so warm that I could go outside in -30*C and they wouldn't get cold. A bit of frostbite though! My feet stayed bone dry for 2-3 weeks, so I went back on the Drysol and plastic wrap.

The side effects were surprising. The chest and back sweating is only when I'm anxious or hot. It looks pretty bad and I go through a lot of bras.

My feet are still sweaty, so I "cook" them once a week and use Summer Soles in all my dress shoes and sandals. My arm pits and hands do not sweat at all and I no longer use underarm deodorant. I don't stink, except my feet do if I don't keep my shoes clean enough.

I did get Horner's syndrome as a result of the surgery. My right eye is droopy. I use the Visine for Work 1-2X a day to keep it open. Right after the surgery, I couldn't get a proper photograph with flash taken. I don't know why - it was something to do with the flash not reflecting off my eye. Consequently, my university grad photos are horrid. I also have a bit of that facial sweating. It used to be triggered by eating anything and now it is only if I eat something salty, like a piece of cheese without any bread. So, now I eat very healthy, especially in public!

I am pleased with the results of this surgery despite the pain and my droopy eye. I don't mind that I still have to cook my feet - I was a mess before and didn't know how I would ever work in a professional environment. I am so much more confident and even went on to complete a Masters degree and met someone who I recently married. I never think twice about shaking hands with anyone anymore. I don't think twice about busting out the plastic wrap, socks, and Drysol once a week either!

I have 4 male siblings and I think 2 of them have a more minor version of what I had. One uses Drysol and is in a lot better shape than I was pre-surgery. I think the other just sweats on his head a lot.

I have noticed that I can't weight lift anything substantial anymore. I have absolutely no upper body strength. This might be because I'm a petite woman though I think it has more to do with the nerves being cut. I also have a hard time regulating my body temperature, especially if I need to "cook" my feet. My toes will get so cold and I will start shivering and will take ages to warm up. Has this happened to anyone else? I believe that I developed poor blood circulation in my lower body post-surgery - cold feet, thighs, and bum. This might be related to frost bite as I spend a lot of time outdoors and the winter here is quite cold.

I'm on the website to tell my story and hear from others who are post-ETS. It saved my life psychologically. I hope when I have kids, if they develop HH, that there will be more solutions available.

[dvorak0105]

Hey

I've not had this surgery at all, but I am looking into it being more of a possibility for me now. My hands and feet and underarms sweat realllllly excessively. My hands and feet especially bad.
Do you think everyone gets compensatory sweating like you do? That worries me the most, as I already get it a small amount on my lower back and to me the idea of having it on my chest or face is twice as worse as having it on my hands and feet now. Also does the droopy eye thing bother you? Is it common for people to get that after the surgery? it seems like such an invasive surgery, I'm really worried to get it. Im scared of the idea of having nerves cut when they are meant to be there!! It also sounds really painful! How come it took you 6 months to recover? And not being able to lift heavy things anymore sounds a bit worrying! I guess I'm definitely picking out all the negatives!!

I'd be up for knowing if anything changes for you in the future, if you get less side effects or more or anything!
Thank you for posting you side of things
xxx