I just had ETS

TxGuy

Active member
i had ETS on Weds. Insurance covered most of the cost. Out of pocket to me was a little more than $2,000. First two days were painful. Difficulty breathing, etc but pain meds helped cope.

Just this evening, noticed both hands getting sweaty again, albeit slightly.. I have read that this happens in some cases and is temporary. I will post about whether the sweating continues.
 
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TxGuy

Active member
Re: I just had ETS at Stanford Medical Center

Update. So we are a day later and the sweating of the hands has basically been non-stop. Very little difference than before the surgery. Dr. Shrager does the procedure on T3, T4. Not sure when, if at all, the sweating will stop. For palmar sweating the surgery is supposed to have a very high success rate, but I am beginning to think that I may fall into the small category of failure.

Other than that, my breathing has returned to basically normal and the pain from the procedure is virtually non-existent. Really sad that the sweating has returned. I have dealt with this all of my life and I am in a profession that requires the use of your hands. Tried everything else under the sun before deciding to proceed with the surgery and even went as far as traveling specially to have the procedure done at Stanford.
 
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TxGuy

Active member
Re: I just had ETS at Stanford Medical Center

I called the hospital and Dr. Shrager called me back. I explained to him that the sweating in my hands had returned. He seemed sincerely surprised. He indicated that in his 150 plus patients, he has only had one other where palmar sweating returned it happened only on one side and a year later. He said the ganglion could not regrow in three days post surgery. We settled on waiting a couple of weeks to see what happens. He did not have any particular advice or explanation for the return of the sweating. It's really depressing.

The compensatory sweating from the surgery has already started. It's not terrible yet, and in the trunk and legs. While my feet and hands were dry for two days, the feet now sweat just like before as well. My mood seems to be fine, although I am tired and have a pesky tingling sensation on the tip of my tongue. This seems to have started pretty much right after the surgery.

I will keep posting to the thread so others can use this as an information resource if seeking similar surgery.
 

hyp-hi

Well-known member
Re: I just had ETS at Stanford Medical Center

Hi TxGuy, thanks for the updates. I hope the palmar sweating goes away soon.
 

TxGuy

Active member
Re: I just had ETS at Stanford Medical Center

So today is day four post surgery. The palmar sweating appears to have stopped as I have gone pretty much the whole day without any. There is compensatory sweating, but it is minimal, and I can still sweat above the nipple line. I read so many posts about people only being able to sweat below their nipple line. Arms, legs (calf region), feet (always sweated like crazy before, though), neck area, and armpits. Some facial sweating, but this seems very minimal. Still experiencing the tingling on the tip of my tongue. Also still feel a little "cloudy" headed. When I take ibuprofen, that seems to help. Experienced a little bit of dizziness earlier too.

Very pleased that the palmar sweating appears to have dissipated. Will keep everyone posted.
 

TxGuy

Active member
Everyone:

We are now at day six post surgery. There remains no sweating in my hands for the most part. There's an extremely minimal amount at night, but it is barely noticeable. The foggy feeling in my head has also gone away, and I wonder whether that was attributable to the pain meds that I was given, but stopped taking after two days. Lung capacity is basically normal again, and emotionally I feel good. I have a small amount of upper back pain, most likely due to the surgery, but it is very manageable. Compensatory sweating is not bad, but present.

At this point, it appears that the operation was a success.
 

SweatyCanuck

Well-known member
I had t3 t4 done in July and same as u. Palms sweaty after surgery for a day or 2 then stopped and never came back. Compensatory sweating didn't start till 3 or 4 weeks after and then was unbearable. My back, stomach, legs and butt sweat bad. Had to buy sutran underwear for when I'm at work so it doesn't soak through my pants. I'm hoping as the colder weather gets here it will go away but it's horrible. Doctor gave me robinul but it doesn't work. Hopefully your's isn't as bad as mine is
 

TxGuy

Active member
Thanks for sharing your experience. I hope the compensatory sweating is not like that. I still sweat from my forehead and feet. I have always sweated intensely from my butt when really active, so we will just have to see. I have noticed that I do sweat on my arms a little, my calf area, and my chest now. But it's not terribly bad--at least not yet. I realize that the after effects are not an exact science, and I live in a cold climate so we will just have to see. I will continue to post about my experiences.

Still having upper back pain. Tongue is not as "tingly" as it was before. All the different changes are kind of as if the body is trying to figure out exactly what the hell happened.
 

TxGuy

Active member
So I am at about day 10 post surgery. Everything seems to be going well. I sometimes experience a little bit of sweatiness in my hands, but it seems to come and go quickly. Also, it's so minimal it's not even really noticeable. It almost feels like how "normal" hands are supposed to be.

Compensatory sweating remains okay. I live in a cold climate during the winter, so things may be different when I am in TX in the summer. I noticed the compensatory sweating on my back the other day while in a meeting, but it was not terribly bad.

Emotionally, I feel good. Those few days when I felt "cloudy" headed are gone. My mental acuity and sharpness have returned full force.

I plan on getting on my treadmill a bit next week just to walk. I will let everyone know how the sweating is once I do that.

I think so much of the surgery has to do with the doctor, and your own body. We read a lot about the negative posts. I struggled with the decision to proceed with the surgery, but as of right now, all is well. I know many say that this is the "honeymoon" period, so time will really be the test.
 

TxGuy

Active member
It's been two weeks to the day that the procedure was performed. I feel great. Hands are dry. Compensatory sweating is not bad. Mental focus is clear. Incision points have healed nicely.

I will keep posting, most likely every month to let everyone know about my progress.

So far so good!
 

TxGuy

Active member
It's now been over three weeks, and my hands remain dry. Compensatory sweating is also not bad. All is well.
 

TxGuy

Active member
This is a two month update post surgery. Palmar sweating remains under control. My hands still sweat, but they are not "drippy wet." Rather, it's more like normal sweating. Never any awkwardness when it comes time to shake hands. My feet sweated horribly before the surgery, and the sweat comes and goes there. Hands are not overly dry, so I don't have to use lotion but rarely. Compensatory sweating is not bad at all. I still sweat above the nipple. None of the tragic horror things happened to me that I have read about on the many forums. Perhaps I was just lucky. Maybe the compensatory sweating will change over time. What I do know is this--at this point I have ZERO regrets for having the procedure done.
 

decklover

Member
This is a two month update post surgery. Palmar sweating remains under control. My hands still sweat, but they are not "drippy wet." Rather, it's more like normal sweating. Never any awkwardness when it comes time to shake hands. My feet sweated horribly before the surgery, and the sweat comes and goes there. Hands are not overly dry, so I don't have to use lotion but rarely. Compensatory sweating is not bad at all. I still sweat above the nipple. None of the tragic horror things happened to me that I have read about on the many forums. Perhaps I was just lucky. Maybe the compensatory sweating will change over time. What I do know is this--at this point I have ZERO regrets for having the procedure done.

Thanks for the update, TxGuy. I really want ETS as well just because nothing has worked for me and I would like to get out in life instead of being closed off all the time. Do you mind sharing with us about which nerves were touched during your operation? Thank you!
 

TxGuy

Active member
I am happy to share that info. The procedure was done at the T3-T4 and where I had it done the surgeon does not do clamping. The site admin said I can't name doctors and hospitals in public posts, but if you want the info send me a private message.
 

CharlesN

Well-known member
Think positive. Great results so far and a good mindset - maybe things will get even better as you get used to the "new normal".

Congrats and it shows the type of man you are to take the time to come back and report in even though you are no longer a "sufferer" so to speak.

Thanks,
 
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