Questions,advice

[medlam]

Hi all,
I've been crippled by HH for the last 8 years, it's really wore me down and my life now fully revolves round this crazy f***ed up disease and dealing with it.

My question is to full body HH suffers -
How do you work/ earn a living ?
Is it a good job, dream job or have you been forced into it through HH i.e outside work, 1 man jobs ?
Are you successfull through work ? Succesfull Relationships,wife,kids ?
Has HH Prevented jobs or social relationships ?
Has HH limited your expectations and drive to lead a successfull and happy life ?

They may be wierd and slightly intrusive questions but I'm really struggling to invision my future,too live life to the full and become happy and successful . Any answers,stories or advice would be really helpfull

Many thanks
M

 

[mattbarneswillkillu]

HH is terrible. I sweat excessively all over but mainly on the scalp and face so everyone can see. I feel horrible some days, but for me I just remind myself that tomorrow is another chance to be/feel better and that negative thoughts will only prolong that crappy helpless state. I realize the sweat wont dry up, and that I may feel bad again, but conceding and sulking always provokes decisions that I regret (i.e. over-eating, not sleeping, doubting myself, Brazzers, etc).
Its not perfect and it may never be, but I thank god that I have all my limbs, i'm able to walk, talk, type, play basketball and do the things that i feel limited to.

I have never felt like I've had a meaningful relationship with a female, friend-level yes, but the lasting relational type, no. Partly due to personal reasons, and largely to HH. I would love have a loving wife, kids, all that but i believe that they aren't needed to reach success or be at ease with this awful disease.

I do feel successful. Success probably varies from individual to individual but I have reached, attained, and am currently striving to achieve a lot of the stuff that I have planned to accomplish. I have fallen short more than i'd like but if I can't fault my efforts than I'm okay with that. I can throw HH in there as a hindrance, but if that and not effort is my downfall I can at least come to terms with my shortcomings. My expectations are still sky high. I want to be in the front office of an NBA team. I'm taking steps to get there and if it doesn't happen i believe the progressive steps that i take will lead me into a better/happier situation that i've never imagined, at least that's whats happened thus far in my life.

There are going to be limitations due to our disease, but i'd say keep trying to push the limits. Your going to sweat, feel terrible and disgusting and all that but that's what HH is and there is no way of getting around it (unless in my case you can take 4mgs of Avert everyday). There will be times/days you feel worthless, for me it helps to tell someone or anyone that will listen even if they dont fully understand. I can talk to my sister whenever or type to random people i'll probably never see and it helps me from internalizing and thinking negative thoughts which only make me feel worse.

my 2cents.

 

[DaveC]

Hi M,

I understand HH, makes life more difficult. It has affected me in many ways.
Have you tried any medical drugs ? I am on Probanthine, which does give me dry month , but it does reduce sweating.

I do have my down days and I do feel angry. It is strange that to know other people have HH is a comfort. People who do not have it , will not understand. I do feel guilty as other people have life threatening illnesses.

I first had HH at 27. I was in a meeting and suddenly my face started sweating. It was a big joke for my work colleges. I tried many things, relaxation, beta blockers,etc. consultant gave me Probanthine , which did help. My career has not moved up as I planned,due to HH. I have been less sociable as well. At 37 I suddenly had diabetes insipudus . Which took a few months to diagnose. During that time my HH stopped as I was going to toilet every hour due to insipudus. Eventhough I hand little sleep, I could try cloths in shops and go on trains without sweating. But when I was given medication for insipidus ,HH came back, I decided to have ETS. I know some people are against it. For me it I sweat a lot less on face but have compensatory sweating on chest. I use sultan vests and perspi-guard& to control it. I have degree in electronics &MBA. I will not let HH ruin my life. It has affected my life , but it is a challenge for us to fight it.

 

[karl:-/]

Guys read your posts and I feel I'm in trouble as you both say,its a fight we must confront and not let it rule our lives. My trouble seems to be I can't take any more ******* jokes about HH nd peoples ignorant sarcastic remarks towards people with HH. I spend at lot of time at home and when I do go out,I just want to be seen as a "normal" person.... The police have asked me why I'm stripping in the street, after some women found it indecent of me.. yea that's right exposing my self. No!! Changing my top as I have hyperhidrosis I explained to the officer. "Well young man I suggest you get Changed in a public toilet next time your cough out" my answer "**** you my human god dam given rights mean a lot to me" didn't get to finish my sentence. I got locked up for breach of the peace and exposing my UPPER!! body in public... I ain't got a disease/problem??? other peoples opinions seem to be a disease/problem to me

I'm just a human you retards push me too much and I'll wipe you out!! I already don't live my life to the full test my patients.... So any way that's how HH has effected my thoughts about the general public sad I know but does that make me the bad one????

 

[Sprawling]

Hi all,
I've been crippled by HH for the last 8 years, it's really wore me down and my life now fully revolves round this crazy f***ed up disease and dealing with it.

My question is to full body HH suffers -
How do you work/ earn a living ?
Is it a good job, dream job or have you been forced into it through HH i.e outside work, 1 man jobs ?
Are you successfull through work ? Succesfull Relationships,wife,kids ?
Has HH Prevented jobs or social relationships ?
Has HH limited your expectations and drive to lead a successfull and happy life ?

They may be wierd and slightly intrusive questions but I'm really struggling to invision my future,too live life to the full and become happy and successful . Any answers,stories or advice would be really helpfull

Many thanks
M

I've lived with HH for about 50 years. During this time I've had relationships, been married and had a child. Success and/or failure had nothing to do with HH. My HH is pretty bad palmer/planter and full body during the summer months. Yes, HH has had a major impact on my career choice, it's been hard on my social life, yet despite all I've managed to form and run several successful social activity groups. Does HH make me anxious? YES. I am I self conscious because of it? YES. Have I achieved happiness despite having HH? YES. I've had years where IONTO has helped my hands. Now I'm plagued with chronic pain and problems do to severe FIBROMYALGIA.

Fibro has a direct impact on my HH causing ionto to stop working at times. My life has been more effected by fibro than by dripping hands. Then again, the two are intertwined. I was able to work with dripping hands, with fibro I can't. They both are awful, both give me challenges. Does the sweaty hands stop me from being social? NO. Does the sweating make me uncomfortable? YES. Fibro slows me down more than anything else.

We all have choices and challenges. Some days I deal with my challenges better than other days. What I have learned to do is explain my situation to others. I'll talk about my fibro, or my sweaty hands or body sweats with others, strangers, friends. It doesn't make the problem go away, just releases some of the burden from it.

 

[Amherst]

I am a tenured professor at one of the major research universities in the United States. In my department of twenty-four, four of us suffer from full-body generalized hyperhidrosis; at least two spouses suffer as well. Five of my family members, moreover, suffer from generalized hyperhidrosis, and one has the most severe case I've ever encountered. Sweat pours down his face and neck continuously, even without any exertion or warm ambient temperatures. I've talked about hyperhidrosis with all but one of these, and let me sum up our experiences.

For none of us has hyperhidrosis limited our careers, social or personal lives, even if it has made it more challenging, sometimes significantly so. As professors, our job entails lots of public speaking. We teach in crowded rooms and give lectures in the U.S. and abroad, sometimes before television cameras and in foreign languages. One of my senior colleagues with generalized hyperhidrosis has been the subject of cruel comments by students, who see sweat dripping off his forehead after walking to the classroom. They also see him wiping his brow continuously. But for him, psoriasis, which he also suffers from, has been far more of a challenge than excessive sweating. Two of us, in spite of hyperhidrosis, have won teaching awards. Of course, we're pretty good at hiding the fact that we're sweating.

That said, crowded, overheated classrooms in the winter make me extremely uncomfortable, and my students must wonder why I'm always opening the windows in the middle of winter. My friend, who has won numerous teaching awards, changes his clothes every day after walking from his car to his office. My cousin with severe hyperhidrosis has had a remarkably successful career in the telecommunications industry and earns all of the rest of us into the ground financially. An uncle is a clergyman who used to soak through his alb during the summer (this means soaking through three layers of clothing). He retired as probably the most beloved pastor in the history of his parish, and I'm sure that few, if any, of his parishioners noticed his sweat, let alone cared. Most of my fellow sufferers simply see all of this as a part of a larger spiritual challenge, but one ultimately not all that significant in the bigger picture. My grandfather retired as the president of a large manufacturing operation.

All of us found extremely attractive spouses, our conditions notwithstanding. One colleague went on to marry one of the most beautiful women I have ever met, a 6 foot 2 beauty who could have modeled professionally.

The challenges for me - and I don't deal well with these - lie in dealing with the physical discomforts of generalized sweating and fears that I have no control over the sweating. And, of course, I fear that my hyperhidrosis is worsening. Fears of what others might think about me are far less important, though at the ripe old age of 42, I care much less about this than I would have at 17 or even 29.

Hyperhidrosis doesn't have to limit your options, although we are all fortunate to have work that is mostly indoors. It certainly doesn't have to hinder you in finding a partner or spouse. As my wife tells me, people really don't care if you are sweating. They're just glad it's not them!

 

[karl:-/]

Every mind has its weaknesses, it takes time to over come these issues. With constant negative responses by medical professionals, too hear my case as more now mental issues due to my HH. Pain stakes me as I do want to return to work but right now with my HH I feel like a loose canon around strange people even with the ability to explain and articulate well with people.

I feel like it becomes more than inquisitive light hearted banter,to a group discussion privately talking and scrutinizing my life behind my back. Yes that sounds like paranoid thoughts on my behalf,or maybe that stems from years of ridicule,torment,verbal remarks the working class people I've worked with have had to offer over sed years... I live in UK and "god" don't seem to have a place in people hearts over here at least not for me.
I still hold hope that I will forfill my life,I'm only 26 and its that time in life id like to find me a good women....

Still its a challenge none the less witch I'm not going to back down from. Like a fearce wind I shall turn into it head on and face this damaging demand,staring into its rotting jaws with no fear as I've have started with nothing and still got most of it left...

 

[DaveC]

Hi all,


It is a strange feeling when I read these messages, I am not alone. HH does effect our lives, however we do carry on and do have good lives. At least I understand other people much better, maybe if I did not HH I could have been a less understanding person.

 

[crazypants]

I am a tenured professor at one of the major research universities in the United States. In my department of twenty-four, four of us suffer from full-body generalized hyperhidrosis; at least two spouses suffer as well. Five of my family members, moreover, suffer from generalized hyperhidrosis, and one has the most severe case I've ever encountered. Sweat pours down his face and neck continuously, even without any exertion or warm ambient temperatures. I've talked about hyperhidrosis with all but one of these, and let me sum up our experiences.

For none of us has hyperhidrosis limited our careers, social or personal lives, even if it has made it more challenging, sometimes significantly so. As professors, our job entails lots of public speaking. We teach in crowded rooms and give lectures in the U.S. and abroad, sometimes before television cameras and in foreign languages. One of my senior colleagues with generalized hyperhidrosis has been the subject of cruel comments by students, who see sweat dripping off his forehead after walking to the classroom. They also see him wiping his brow continuously. But for him, psoriasis, which he also suffers from, has been far more of a challenge than excessive sweating. Two of us, in spite of hyperhidrosis, have won teaching awards. Of course, we're pretty good at hiding the fact that we're sweating.

That said, crowded, overheated classrooms in the winter make me extremely uncomfortable, and my students must wonder why I'm always opening the windows in the middle of winter. My friend, who has won numerous teaching awards, changes his clothes every day after walking from his car to his office. My cousin with severe hyperhidrosis has had a remarkably successful career in the telecommunications industry and earns all of the rest of us into the ground financially. An uncle is a clergyman who used to soak through his alb during the summer (this means soaking through three layers of clothing). He retired as probably the most beloved pastor in the history of his parish, and I'm sure that few, if any, of his parishioners noticed his sweat, let alone cared. Most of my fellow sufferers simply see all of this as a part of a larger spiritual challenge, but one ultimately not all that significant in the bigger picture. My grandfather retired as the president of a large manufacturing operation.

All of us found extremely attractive spouses, our conditions notwithstanding. One colleague went on to marry one of the most beautiful women I have ever met, a 6 foot 2 beauty who could have modeled professionally.

The challenges for me - and I don't deal well with these - lie in dealing with the physical discomforts of generalized sweating and fears that I have no control over the sweating. And, of course, I fear that my hyperhidrosis is worsening. Fears of what others might think about me are far less important, though at the ripe old age of 42, I care much less about this than I would have at 17 or even 29.

Hyperhidrosis doesn't have to limit your options, although we are all fortunate to have work that is mostly indoors. It certainly doesn't have to hinder you in finding a partner or spouse. As my wife tells me, people really don't care if you are sweating. They're just glad it's not them!

I don't mean to diminish the fact that you and your colleagues have been successful despite having HH, but I couldn't help but notice a lot of "he" and "him" in your post.

As a woman, I almost feel that we have a slightly different experience with this condition, or a different perspective on it. You might read that as me just feeling sorry for myself - and that may be true - but being a woman with HH can really destroy your self-confidence and make it pretty difficult to expose yourself to that kind of ridicule and accomplish what you'd like to in life.

I'm generalizing, but where a man's sweating might lend itself to seeming athletic or even manly, a woman's sweating is piggish and gross. Constantly wiping the sweat off your face - and all of the make up you've applied to it - and pushing your soaking wet hair out of your face, is not an attractive look for a woman. If I were lecturing as a professor, I'm not sure I could handle the ridicule from students, and I honestly wouldn't blame them for being distracted by it.

Hyperhidrosis may not have to limit your options, but for many of us, especially if you've become more sensitive because of it, it does.

 

[crazypants]

Every mind has its weaknesses, it takes time to over come these issues. With constant negative responses by medical professionals, too hear my case as more now mental issues due to my HH. Pain stakes me as I do want to return to work but right now with my HH I feel like a loose canon around strange people even with the ability to explain and articulate well with people.

I feel like it becomes more than inquisitive light hearted banter,to a group discussion privately talking and scrutinizing my life behind my back. Yes that sounds like paranoid thoughts on my behalf,or maybe that stems from years of ridicule,torment,verbal remarks the working class people I've worked with have had to offer over sed years... I live in UK and "god" don't seem to have a place in people hearts over here at least not for me.
I still hold hope that I will forfill my life,I'm only 26 and its that time in life id like to find me a good women....

Still its a challenge none the less witch I'm not going to back down from. Like a fearce wind I shall turn into it head on and face this damaging demand,staring into its rotting jaws with no fear as I've have started with nothing and still got most of it left...

"Every mind has its weaknesses..." that's such an interesting way to put it, and I agree! It's like we started out with one problem, the HH, but we end up with a whole host of other emotional problems due to the social anxieties we've developed because of it. Where we might have been shy or socially awkward to begin with, this disorder just magnifies everything and makes those characteristics worse.

You don't sound paranoid to me - I can totally relate to thinking, or knowing, that people are discussing or laughing at me.

 

[DaveC]

Hi Crazypants,

Thanks for your input,and your perspective as a HH woman sufferer . HH multiplies any insecurities x 10. People without HH all have their issues, but ours are visible.

 

[karl:-/]

True!!!, how's you Dave?? Infact how are we all??