Physicians with palmar hyperhidrosis?

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Odd question, but are there any physicians on SDN that have palmar hyperhidrosis? If so, how did your hyperhidrosis affect your choice in a specialty? I am currently a lab tech until I start med school this coming August, and wear gloves for 9 hours straight. As a result I have developed blisters (even while on multiple "treatment options"), so clearly surgery is not a great path for me. I would greatly appreciate some personal insight if possible. Thanks.

 

[IlDestriero]

Sympathectomy.

 

[bc65]

The following should not be construed as personal medical advice, but there are effective treatments for hyperhidrosis. See a dermatologist or hand surgeon and ask about botox for hyperhidrosis.

 

[packersfans]

http://www.rafischer.com/entry-ihhs.html

Iontophoresis works for alot of people. If I were you I'd consider giving it a try. For $60 you can rent one for a month and see if it works for you.

 

[marty mcfly]

I agree iontophoresis works. Drionic has good options.

 

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Thank you all for the advice, I'll give iontophoresis a shot! Sadly insurance won't cover botox or surgery so that will have to wait till I'm through with medical school. Do any of you know any practicing physicians with palmar hyperhidrosis? Did it play a factor in their choice of specialty?

 

[Tragram]

Sympathectomy.

Insurance won't cover that for me, but ultimately I would like to get a sympathotomy. Mayo has had much better luck with that than a sympathectomy.

 

[spudgun7]

I registered just to comment on the above RA Fischer device. I'm a 1st year medical student and have been using the RA Fischer device so far this year with good success. It took a little while to figure out what settings to use (really just power and time) but I have it down pretty well at this point. I spend maybe 15 mins every 1.5-2 weeks and have normal dry hands 90% of the time. If I'm putting down a lot of caffeine in one day I'll still have sweaty hands but I think that happens to alot of people after enough caffeine. Its been a huge improvement on quality of life and simply ease of working with my hands. Doing physical exams on patients is so much better and even when wearing gloves for hours my hands do just fine.

Just to give you my thoughts on the other treatment options. I tried using some of the prescription antiperspirants and really didnt like them. You have to apply every night for consistent results and need to cover the applied area while you sleep. It can also cause tingling, peeling and redness of the skin, not desirable for your hands. My guess is that these treatments were developed for people with axillary (underarm) hyperhidrosis, its just way too cumbersome use on your hands. I did consider a sympathectomy as a family member had it with great results, but there can be some undesired side effects. Autonomics are an intricate system and how your body will respond to a sympathectomy is extremely variable. That said, I really only have palmar and plantar hyperhydrosis so iontophoresis has been perfect. If I had facial flushing or other symptoms which are associated with hyperhidrosis I would have definitely considered a sympathectomy much more seriously. Do your homework on sympathectomies and decided if the potential downsides out weigh the risks (again if I had symptoms outside my hands and feet I would have gone for it.) There are other iontophoresis devices out there that are way cheaper than the RA Fisher device, and much smaller. I went for the RA Fischer device as cost was not a concern at the time (insurance) and it seemed quite durable.

Final takeways. Don't let your hyperhidrosis hold you back from something you want to do, there are treatments available and one of them will hopefully work for you. I think there is limited information out there on hyperhidrosis because patients don't ask. When I spoke with my doctor he told me only 1 person had ever asked about any sort of hyperhidrosis treatment. Approx 3-4% of the population has some form of hyperhyrdosis so clearly is just not something that people think to ask about. I let hyperhyrosis limit me for years and now feel so much better, I had just simply assumed it was something I had to deal with.

Best of luck! Feel free to ask any questions.

 

[jhamaican]

Please don't use any of these devices. I have this condition and am now an intern in medicine:

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This works 100%. I use 2 bar batteries in tandem connected to metal plates. Tap water has enough minerals to conduct. Cheap and effective

Just reverse the circuit to hit the other hand.

 

[deleted746658]

Sympathectomy.

do you know about outcomes of these procedures? from what i've read, they sound pretty risk ie compensatory sweating in possibly even more undesirable locations

OP, you are not alone. i too have PH. it's not fun, but i - and i recommend the same for you - don't let it plan to influence my career path. i've tried and failed the topicals. have yet to try iontophoresis. one thing that helps me is just to wash my hands as often as possible during clinical duties (before touching pt... which is good practice anyways). seems to disguise the sweating to a degree.

 

[spudgun7]

Please don't use any of these devices. I have this condition and am now an intern in medicine:

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This works 100%. I use 2 bar batteries in tandem connected to metal plates. Tap water has enough minerals to conduct. Cheap and effective

Just reverse the circuit to hit the other hand.

Bar battery and pan will work just fine. Main advantage of the devices is really just comfort. The device I have allows you to set the current to a level that is comfortable for you and auto switches hands halfway through the timed session. Also depending on your insurance you may not have to pay anything at all.

But as @jhamaican said a battery and two pans should work just fine. I look at it like this. You could shave with straight razor and get an awesome shave or just buy cartridges. Some people dont want to spend the money on cartidges while others dont want to worry about keeping a straight razor blade sharp. Choice is up to you, both get the job done.

 

[DrYoda]

There are treatments available as commented on above. I don't think hyperhydrosis should limit you in medicine even if not well controlled.

 

[Bronzewing]

I use Drysol (topical) and Glycopyrrolate tablets and so far this has really helped.

 

[ES671]

I am currently waitlisted for a DO school and as much as I am excited to possibly be starting I am terrified of the possible embarrassment that awaits with having hyperhidrosis in my hands and feet. I have never heard of iontophoresis and will def give it a shot. Glad to know there are others who are dealing with the same thing!

I recently started using Carpe, which is a topical lotion and surprisingly it does show some results. Not to the extent I would want but I did see a slight improvement. It is a new product designed just for hands and feet and is not irritating, so if you haven't tried it I would give it a shot.