I was overwhelmed by the positive feedback I received from my video with the International Hyperhidrosis Society. Thank you for watching, sharing, and commenting! To those of you who wrote to me personally, thank you for sharing a part of your story with me.
One story really caught my attention and made me smile. A man with Hyperhidrosis wrote to me about how his Hh has helped him in his life. He used to fix fighter jets and now repairs his own vehicles. Hh has helped him because it keeps the grease and grime off his hands when working on these vehicles. The photos below are from his days on the F-111 Aardvark. In these photos, his hands were sweating and the grease and grime did not stay on his hands for long. His fellow troopers would tease by saying he did not work because his hands were usually grease free while their hands were super greasy. Thank you for sharing your story and photos, Jose!
This got me thinking about my positive spin on Hh. I was able to come up with a few examples of how Hh has come in handy:
- I can use my hands to smooth away staticky hair
- I can be a human lint roller of my cats’ fur on the couch, faster and more powerful than my vacuum cleaner (a photo of my sleepy cats, Sunshine and Grace, is below!)
- I can quickly wipe away stray ink if I accidentally get it on myself or my writing surface
- I could slip and slide out of play wrestling with my siblings growing up, claiming I had “sister slime”
This exercise made me think of Hh in a different light. I encourage you all to think about how it might be helpful in your life. What’s your positive spin? I look forward to hearing from you!
Happy New Year to you all!
Caryn
Just a Little Sweat 
Hi! Thanks for sharing. I’m curious whether your siblings or other family members have Hh also.
Hi Jenn, thanks for reaching out! Hh runs in my family. My aunt was born with it and passed it to her children. My siblings do not have it.
Its nice you share positive stories… but would be more helpful to find ways to solve that disturbing problem… its 21 century and I cannot believe that there is anything that is not curable
Hope hope hope doctors and scientists will help us ✌
On Thu, Dec 27, 2018, 2:11 AM Just a Little Sweat carynjoan posted: “I was overwhelmed by the positive feedback I received > from my video with the International Hyperhidrosis Society. Thank you for > watching, sharing, and commenting! To those of you who wrote to me > personally, thank you for sharing a part of your story with ” >
Hi Natalia, Happy New Year! Thank you for your message. I know it is very frustrating not to have a cure available and not to have the universal awareness that we want now. There may not be one cure, but there are treatments. What have you tried so far? I have had success with Iontophoresis and Glycopyrrolate. There are topicals available as well such ZeroSweat and Carpe. There’s always Botox injections that I have never tried, but that are successful. Other coping mechanisms are carrying a towel and using a fan. ETS surgery may claim to be a cure, but I would be wary of the side effects and complications. I recommend visiting sweathelp.org. They will have the most up to date info on current treatments and invitations to join scientific studies that are happening. Please help us be part of finding a cure! Hh is a debilitating condition, so I understand your frustration. I have lived with Hh my entire life and as much of a physical condition, it has become a very emotional one, too. This post was an exercise to find something positive within Hh. It’s not something that is easy to find. In all my 31 years, this is the first time I have ever thought to think differently about it, inspired by a very positive man who also suffers from the condition. I wish you all the best and please feel free to keep in touch.
Hi Caryn! Just wanted to leave a comment to let you know how happy I was to stumble across your blog. I too have been living with hyperhidrosis since I was a little kid and have only recently realized how much my life has been shaped by it. Specifically I saw your engagement ring post & wedding shoes post and I could REALLY relate, as my bf and I are talking about marriage and immediately I started worrying about my sweat! He doesn’t mind, but I hate the idea of people touching my hands to look at my engagement ring. I have always just dealt with my sweat and struggled through it– I’m really looking forward to going back to my derm and asking about some other treatments as deodorant on my hands just doesn’t work for me. Thanks so much for all you have done and continue to do to normalize and publicize HH!
Sounds like you have an awesome and supportive boyfriend! I’m so happy for you both as you talk about the next stage of your relationship. I completely understand your concerns and fears with people touching your hand to see your ring. I generally hoped that people would look from afar, but it did happen where people grabbed my hand. Just breathe, smile, and say thank you. It may be uncomfortable, but they probably won’t say anything (hopefully). They are happy and excited for you!