My starting story...

Introduce yourself and share your personal hyperhidrosis related experiences.
graydwarf
Posts: 31
Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2012 5:27 pm

Re: My starting story...

Post by graydwarf »

Treating me fine although very little in terms of progress. Posted days 4-12 on my original post.

graydwarf
Posts: 31
Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2012 5:27 pm

Re: My starting story...

Post by graydwarf »

Posted another update. See bottom of original post. Not going so well.

Sonya
Posts: 23
Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2012 4:13 pm

Re: My starting story...

Post by Sonya »

graydwarf wrote:Posted another update. See bottom of original post. Not going so well.
Dear Graydwarf,

Just reading your posts makes my hands start to sweat! I hope you find a solution soon.

I was so afraid that my daughter would inherit my hand-sweating. She didn't, but my sister's daughter did, and my sister doesn't have HH.

Only those of us who suffer with this dreadful affliction can know how if affects so many aspects of our lives. I admire your tenacity and appreciate your documenting your results for us. Good luck to you!

Sonya

superyou
Posts: 68
Joined: Tue May 30, 2006 8:03 am

Re: My starting story...

Post by superyou »

I have no idea how the Hidrex works but when you say it's delivering 40mA I have to wonder if something's up with it. Is that a normal setting to use?

With the Fischer I treat my feet with 15mA. And I can definitely feel the current. Any higher and it becomes uncomfortable.

When I moved state recently I found I couldn't get 15mA to conduct in the water here. Adding 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda to each tray solved the problem. Have you tried that?

-Robert
Last edited by superyou on Tue Apr 16, 2013 6:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.

superyou
Posts: 68
Joined: Tue May 30, 2006 8:03 am

Re: My starting story...

Post by superyou »

Also, forgive me if this is a stupid question but have you talked to a doctor about this? I think for most of us HH is something we've had all our lives, as opposed to having started later in life. That, combined with your stated lifestyle and diet, makes me worry about any possible underlying cause.

graydwarf
Posts: 31
Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2012 5:27 pm

Re: My starting story...

Post by graydwarf »

I think that's the point of the device is that you can increase the mA without it hurting you. I won't go higher than 45 though. I had the water level just below my ankles for a couple of days and got some painfully itchy sores on the top of my foot. I've since raised the water level to my ankles and haven't had any discomfort since. The sensation I feel is the similar to when you realize your foot is asleep and it's just starting to wake up but right before the pins and needles set in. A comfortable buzz if you will. The machine is pretty kick ass. Most of the time, I don't even notice when I'm done because it slowly dwindles down the mA's and I'm spaced out on a movie or something.

As for my Dr., he's about as useful as a glass of salt water on a hot day. I guess I'm too lazy to go elsewhere but I really need to.

I'm still using the machine although I've been a little spotty with it's usage (miss a daily session on occasion) due to late night activities but I think it's helping. My daily bus trips aren't filled with frustration and agony like they once were.

graydwarf
Posts: 31
Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2012 5:27 pm

Re: My starting story...

Post by graydwarf »

[edit] - added this to my original post as well.

Still dealing with chronic hot feet which results in very moist and smelly shoes (not from bacteria). I gave up on the Hidrex machine (need to sell it actually) because it was too much of a pain in the ass to do every night and my last effort wasn't producing results. Likely my own fault as I sucked at using it consistently but not any surprise given the level of effort and dedication it requires. Anyway, still keeping my shoes off every moment of the day that I can. Going to any social function (movies, dinner, plane (that sucked), or anything) is a stressful, frustrating, and a large part of why I am so anti-social, distracted, and depressed. Family doesn't get it and declares I have no problem which is also frustrating. As for work, it's becoming a bigger and bigger deal as I pretty much have to keep my shoes off at work the entire day except for meetings where I watch people slowly scoot away from me as the meeting progresses. I stopped taking the bus and now drive in because of this so I'm spending a small fortune on gas/parking. Although I've been picking up golf so having the clubs handy all the time is a small win. Uhg. Anyway, I went to a dermatologist the other day and they quickly ran through all my options (expecting nothing new) and I was actually surprised by a couple thing which is why I've come back to share.

1. Botox injections are only around $1000 a shot and last around 6 months and are super effective. The Dr. said it is extremely painful for feet though and my response was, "I'm willing to cut off my feet at this point and pain is the least of my concerns.". Anyway, if I break that down monthly, it's around $166.00 a month and I don't have to do anything.

2. The Dr. discussed something NEW called Ultherapy and said it was $5000.00 for two applications spread several months apart and the results are permanent. The FDA has not approved Ultherapy for Hyperhydrosis (maybe at all) but it is commonly used for tightening skin and is deemed relatively safe and potentially effective. The process is said to be painful but tolerable and it feels like you get zapped repeatedly for about an hour. Short term effects are known to be some irritation and redness for I think a day or so but nothing a little ibprofen can't handle.The Dr. didn't have any real evidence that the procedure would work and so far, she's only tried it on a single hand of a women who hasn't been back in for a follow-up yet. Dr. said I get a "free" botox shot if the procedure doesn't work out.

While searching the web for Ultherapy, I came across MiraDry and I'm not sure why I missed it before. The device is FDA approved for armpits and various blogs suggest a very high success rate although I found numerous postings where it didn't work out for people. MiraDry effectively microwaves the sweat glands while supposedly doing little to no damage to everything else. Side effects are known to be short-term irritation, bumps, redness that can last anywhere from weeks to months. While searching for information online, one person said they paid $3,000 for both treatments and that was back in 2012.

Anyway, Ultherapy and MiraDry do the same thing but in different ways. Both fall into the unknown success for hands/feet category. One is cheaper but comes with months and months of pain. The other is more expensive but comes with days worth of pain. Dr. claims it has a similar success rate to MiraDry although she never mentioned MiraDry. A quick search on UItherapy prices and its anywhere from $1500-$3000 depending on amount of face area covered. Since I'm doing both feet over two sessions, I think I'm getting a fair/good deal. Actually, now that I think of it, MiraDry is a procedure specific device while Ultherapy is effectively multi-purpose and already used by dermatologist for the face. The recommendation likely comes because it's hardware they already have at this clinic. Whatever, I'm doing it.

I will do my best to loop back around and share the results.

Historical Note: I had purchased some spendy burkenstocks thinking they were a dress/clog shoe that I could get away with at work. After wearing them a few times and getting comments and glances, they ended up having a real strong odor. Perhaps if I had applied some amount of wax to the cork sole but I didn't. I think that was a recommendation and in hind-sight is something I should have certainly done up front.

admin
Site Admin
Posts: 382
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 1969 5:00 pm

Re: My starting story...

Post by admin »

Hi graydwarf, thanks for your updates.

I have gone through the same things as you for my feet sweating, including Hidrex and Botox (you can read all about my experiences on the main homepage www.no-ets.com).

I would not try MiraDry or Ultherapy for my feet as yet and would wait for many more reports to come in regarding effectiveness and side effects. The feet has much thicker skin than the armpits, and far more sweat glands if I remember correctly. In any case, if you feel like being the guinea pig, it might be cost effective for you to fly in and take part in these trials:

http://www.no-ets.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=1421

graydwarf
Posts: 31
Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2012 5:27 pm

Re: My starting story...

Post by graydwarf »

Posted update. See bottom of original thread.
I had the Ultherapy done.

superyou
Posts: 68
Joined: Tue May 30, 2006 8:03 am

Re: My starting story...

Post by superyou »

The Ultherapy sounds very interesting... looking forward to your next update.

When they did the procedure, was it just on the soles of your feet or on the rest of the foot also?

graydwarf
Posts: 31
Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2012 5:27 pm

Re: My starting story...

Post by graydwarf »

Posted an update on the original post.

admin
Site Admin
Posts: 382
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 1969 5:00 pm

Re: My starting story...

Post by admin »

Graydwarf, thanks again for you great posts and regular updates! I added a link to your thread under Ulthera here:

http://www.no-ets.com/wave-radiation-hy ... ments.html

graydwarf
Posts: 31
Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2012 5:27 pm

Re: My starting story...

Post by graydwarf »

Posted an update to my saga. It's great news. Find it at the bottom of the original post.

chuck90
Posts: 17
Joined: Tue Jun 20, 2017 9:26 am

Re: My starting story...

Post by chuck90 »

Hi graydwarf - thanks so much for all your updates. Can you explain more about the glycopyrrolate cream? Do you get it from a dermatologist? Does it work on your hands? Also, do you have any updates about the Ulthera treatment? Did you see any results or long term side affects and do you think it might help on the hands? Sorry for all the questions but any feedback would be helpful :) Thank you

graydwarf
Posts: 31
Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2012 5:27 pm

Re: My starting story...

Post by graydwarf »

chuck90 wrote:Hi graydwarf - thanks so much for all your updates. Can you explain more about the glycopyrrolate cream? Do you get it from a dermatologist? Does it work on your hands? Also, do you have any updates about the Ulthera treatment? Did you see any results or long term side affects and do you think it might help on the hands? Sorry for all the questions but any feedback would be helpful :) Thank you
A dermatologist did prescribe the glycopyrolte for me. Not sure if it works anywhere else but I would expect it to and would recommend trying it. It would leave your hands a little oily for a bit though. Much like any lotion does but maybe a little longer.

The ulthera treatment did not work and was a giant waste of money and god knows what damage it did. I ended up going back to that clinic to try Botox which worked a little but eventually wore off as expected. I wonder how many poor souls get suckered into those types of treatments with the clinics knowing full well they don't work. The only long term wonkiness that I've experienced since doing the Ulthera treatment is very rare needle prick pains in my feet for no apparent reason. Never happened before the treatment so I assume it's related. They frequency of the pin prick pains was rare but does seem to be decreasing with time. It truly feels like they're microwaving your feet. Very barbaric if you ask me because they are literally guessing the depth at which they do the nuking.

Glad to share and help however I can.

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