Do you think I have HH?

princess_haru

Well-known member
Hi, I've just discovered this board but have been suffering with social phobia/anxiety for as long as I can remember - probably since my early school days.

Lately I've been really self conscious of sweating and from reading some of the posts here I think I may have hyperhidrosis. Could anyone tell me if the following sounds like HH?

* My main problem is my armpits (nah, not going to be ladylike and call them "underarms", they're stanky armpits!)
* I sweat much more than usual when I'm nervous, and since I have SA this is unfortunately pretty often :(
* I feel a prickling sensation in my armpits when the sweating starts
* Once I've realised it's started I get even more nervous and sweat even more - it's a vicious circle!
* It's embarrassingly smelly, noticeable sweat, not just wetness - even though I shower every day (sometimes twice) and use deodorant.
* Sometimes it seems like deodorants make no difference or even make it worse!

I hadn't heard of hyperhidrosis before today and it's a relief to know it's not just me who worries about this problem. I just hope I can find a way of coping with this, as it's really getting me down.

Thanks for reading.
 

princess_haru

Well-known member
Thanks, that product looks really good, I've just ordered some! *fingers crossed*

Something I forgot to mention in my first post is that sometimes I get really sweaty at night - so sweaty that I wake up with my back all wet and a damp patch on the bedsheets! Is this common for people with HH or am I just weird? 8O
 

Jezza

Well-known member
Nightsweating is usually not common for people with idiopathic HH (that is primary HH, or HH without an identifiable cause), since in idiopathic HH the sweating usually gets triggered by emotional stimuli and that doesn't occur at night (although I wonder, what about dreams?). Still, I have to say occassionaly I have the same, as well as the fact that I often wake up anyway while sleeping.

Anyway, if your sweating is caused by an underlying cause it's very possible to sweat at night as well, so it could be an indication of an underlying cause. Which could be things like hyperthyroidism, pheocromocytoma (a rare relatively benign tumor of the adrenal gland, that makes for an increased adrenaline production and is usually simple to remove when found) and some other things that usually can't really be treated, like nerve damage or hypothalamic lesions.

I have to tell you though that it is quite rare for HH to be caused by either of these, but you might ask a doc to have it checked once, cause it would be a shame to pursue something against the sweating when it's caused in the first place by an underlying disorder that can be treated. Certainly I regret the fact that I haven't really looked further into possible underlying causes till now, eventhough it's a long shot it's worth a try...
 

princess_haru

Well-known member
Thanks for the info Jezza. It doesn't happen very often and it's usually if my boyfriend hugs up to me too close and overheats me while we're sleeping - then in the morning I hear "ugh, you're all hot and sticky!" Meh... :roll:

It just seems like an abnormal amount of sweat sometimes, like someone's chucked water over me!! I'll keep what you mentioned in mind though and will go to the doc if I get any other weird symptoms.
 

princess_haru

Well-known member
Well I've been using Odaban for the past few days and it's great! I had a really stressful day today, visiting a new courier for my job and meeting loads of strangers who all talked for hours about incomprehensible logistics and stuff... :? ...but at the end of the day I was clean and fresh! A pity I can't find something to cure my anxiety and nervousness as easily, but at least I didn't have to keep sneaking off to the toilet to attempt to wash my underarms over the sink 8O

Thanks very much again for the recommendation!
 
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