Medical issue. Can I overcome this?

[20000Leagues]

Hi,

I realize that this isn't the place to solicit medical advice, but my question pertains to whether or not my particular condition will be manageable through medical school, especially in 3rd and 4th year as well as in residency.

I am somewhat of an anxious person. Not to the point that it would affect my ability to think in a pressured situation, but thats not the problem. The problem is I sweat much more than the average person, and that this sweating is exacerbated by anxiety provoking (pressured) situations. The sweating occurs mostly on my scalp and forehead and even the slightest thing can trigger it (feeling a patient or fellow classmate is judging me, doing something I have never done before, etc.). Once it starts, its impossible to stop. Sweat will trickle down my face, making me more embarrassed, and from that point its just a vicious cycle.

I have tried a few treatments for this, including botox injections and oxybutinin. Neither worked. I am currently trying a beta-blocker and it helps a little, but not a lot.

I can see myself dealing with my problem as a family physician in a comfortable air conditioned office where I don't have to run around too much, but what worries me is all the running around during clinical rotations and residency. Physicians need to come across as confident in order to gain a patient's trust, and sweating is often taken as a sign of nervousness and a lack of confidence.

Medical programs are expensive these days. It would really suck to go through the first two years only to find out that I am unable to manage the issue during years 3 and 4. Also, this problem started maybe 4 years ago, and from what I can tell it has been slowly getting worse. It is so gradual, however, that I cannot tell for sure. I worry that it may become completely unmanageable in the future.

I love medicine and can't see myself doing anything else.

Looking for some perspective on this problem. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

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[Anastomoses]

your posts are excellent.

 

[AllHasOne]

Just bring a piece of cloth everywhere you go, a clean one everyday. Whenever you sweat a lot you can just wipe your face and quickly put the cloth back into your pocket. I did that when I was working in Turkey with my grandfather...

 

[JediZero]

Hi,

I realize that this isn't the place to solicit medical advice, but my question pertains to whether or not my particular condition will be manageable through medical school, especially in 3rd and 4th year as well as in residency.

I am somewhat of an anxious person. Not to the point that it would affect my ability to think in a pressured situation, but thats not the problem. The problem is I sweat much more than the average person, and that this sweating is exacerbated by anxiety provoking (pressured) situations. The sweating occurs mostly on my scalp and forehead and even the slightest thing can trigger it (feeling a patient or fellow classmate is judging me, doing something I have never done before, etc.). Once it starts, its impossible to stop. Sweat will trickle down my face, making me more embarrassed, and from that point its just a vicious cycle.

I have tried a few treatments for this, including botox injections and oxybutinin. Neither worked. I am currently trying a beta-blocker and it helps a little, but not a lot.

I can see myself dealing with my problem as a family physician in a comfortable air conditioned office where I don't have to run around too much, but what worries me is all the running around during clinical rotations and residency. Physicians need to come across as confident in order to gain a patient's trust, and sweating is often taken as a sign of nervousness and a lack of confidence.

Medical programs are expensive these days. It would really suck to go through the first two years only to find out that I am unable to manage the issue during years 3 and 4. Also, this problem started maybe 4 years ago, and from what I can tell it has been slowly getting worse. It is so gradual, however, that I cannot tell for sure. I worry that it may become completely unmanageable in the future.

I love medicine and can't see myself doing anything else.

Looking for some perspective on this problem. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Don't sweat it. /rimshot

Seriously, though, you'll be fine. Pretty much every medical student comes across as nervous during third year, even without obvious physical symptoms. Eventually you'll become confident in your own abilities, and the anxiety should decrease significantly. In the meantime, working with a therapist to develop relaxation/breathing techniques and learning to accept and laugh at the fact that you sweat will probably be very helpful to you.

I had an attending with a similar problem- he went on new meds that made him sweat like crazy. But nobody in the OR was going to laugh at him when he strapped a sweat-sponge to his forehead (oh, yeah, this is common enough that they have those in the OR), and he was in a position to constantly remind the circulator that it was literally part of her job to wipe the sweat off of his forehead while he was sterile. If that's not power, I don't know what is.

Alternately, dunk your head in Axe Antiperspirant every day before work and at lunch.

Alternately alternately, just be a radiologist and hide in a dark room by yourself all day.

Alternately alternately alternately, do your residency in Alaska to stay cool. Or in Arizona, where everyone else is sweaty, too. Or in Mississippi, where hygiene is irrelevant anyway.

Okay, okay, I'll stop with the jokes. But seriously, learning to laugh at yourself will get you very far.

(Okay, one last comment- Beta Blockers? Pharmacologically, that doesn't make sense, as that's the only part of the sympathetic nervous system that DOESN'T use adrenergic receptors... right?)

 

[targ489]

Don't sweat it. /rimshot

Seriously, though, you'll be fine. Pretty much every medical student comes across as nervous during third year, even without obvious physical symptoms. Eventually you'll become confident in your own abilities, and the anxiety should decrease significantly. In the meantime, working with a therapist to develop relaxation/breathing techniques and learning to accept and laugh at the fact that you sweat will probably be very helpful to you.

I had an attending with a similar problem- he went on new meds that made him sweat like crazy. But nobody in the OR was going to laugh at him when he strapped a sweat-sponge to his forehead (oh, yeah, this is common enough that they have those in the OR), and he was in a position to constantly remind the circulator that it was literally part of her job to wipe the sweat off of his forehead while he was sterile. If that's not power, I don't know what is.

Alternately, dunk your head in Axe Antiperspirant every day before work and at lunch.

Alternately alternately, just be a radiologist and hide in a dark room by yourself all day.

Alternately alternately alternately, do your residency in Alaska to stay cool. Or in Arizona, where everyone else is sweaty, too. Or in Mississippi, where hygiene is irrelevant anyway.

Okay, okay, I'll stop with the jokes. But seriously, learning to laugh at yourself will get you very far.

(Okay, one last comment- Beta Blockers? Pharmacologically, that doesn't make sense, as that's the only part of the sympathetic nervous system that DOESN'T use adrenergic receptors... right?)