12 Years

2 days ago, it was exactly 12 years since my ETS procedure. As of today, after 12 years of having the ETS procedure done, I think I am so far so good! And never regretted a bit since the day I woke up from my anaesthesia in the operating room. 

To recap, in the first 5 years my palms were definitely totally dry and warm, then slowly they became more "natural'' as in they would start sweating a little according to the usual physiological processes (eg. during fright and flight response, the palms would be moist, but one wipe would clear the sweat off immediately). In the last 2-3 years, my palms would tend to respond even more "naturally" to my daily activities, with moist in the palm more frequently than before. However having said that, it does not mean my palms are sweaty, it's just not as dry as they used to be in the first 5 years. Nevertheless, doing daily activities, like playing the piano, guitar etc are all not affected. 

If there is a scale of sweatiness, with 0 being no sweat, and 10 profusely sweating. Then, I would rate it as such: before ETS (10/10), first 5 years of ETS (0/10), next 5 years of ETS (1/10), and recently 2/10. So all in all, it is still very tolerable.

The dissociation of sweatiness between my head and neck vs the torso areas is definitely more and more distinctive. When I exercise, my torso area (nipple downwards) will be profusely sweating, but upper head and neck almost dry. When I eat spicy food (even a tinge of spice or pepper), my forehead will start sweating but my torso will be entirely dry. So long as I avoid spicy food, I am perfectly ok. Drinking coffee (especially 2 cups or more) might get me headache and faster heart beat, and a little more moist in my palms. One cup of latte per day is perfectly fine. Alcohol has no effect.

I haven't been following up with the latest technology of ETS procedure, but I would presume that 12 years today, the procedure must have been even more advance and refined with even lesser side effects post-op. Perhaps for those who are still contemplating of doing this surgery, I would highly recommend you to go find out more and it would probably be the best decision you make in your life (and career).

5 Years Post ETS

I have not been updating my blog for the last 2 years, as nothing much as happened. Enjoying every moment of the dry and warm hands - and so much (so much!!) things that I could do, which I could not possibly dream of doing all these years before the ETS. Playing the piano, weight lifting at the gym, bowling, and the most dreadful task for sweaty palm sufferers - hand shaking with strangers.

However for the last 1-2 months, I started noticing my palms especially the right side started to sweat more than usual. Not that much of sweat, but under bright light I could see the "reflection" and sweat between the palm creases! Oh no... I hope the nerves at the sympathetic chains have not regrown or re-routed. 6 titanium clips on each side were implanted. The doctor told me the chance of any regrow of the nerves was absolutely minimal. But now I am starting to see some changes...

Chillies or any spicy food have been a no-no especially for the past 2 years. In the recent months, even a tiny bit of spice or pepper will cause PROFUSE sweating on my forehead. So much sweat that even a medium size towel will be soaked, after a spicy meal. But for me that is tolerable, as it is a great trade off for my dry palms. I just opt for zero spicy food most of the time.

Soles have been sweaty too, but I am not quite bothered by them. Most of the time I put on socks while at work, and even at home, sweaty soles aren't that bothersome.

However, now that the palms are more sweaty than usual really makes me "nervous" and "in fear" that the old time nightmare will strike back.

Hopefully I won't turn into that ol' "sweatyman" again...

Before and After

A picture is worth a thousand words. See for yourself the "before" and "after" effect of ETS.

Well, I dunno if other methods work as good as ETS, but I have no regret getting the op done. Just compare the pictures below, and you understand how I felt before this!

Before ETS. Really cannot imagine going back to those awful days!

...and after ETS, immediately!

2Y4M Post ETS

Time flies. It's been 2 years and 4 months ever since I had my ETS done. Till today I still hold on to the same thought as before - no regret - undergoing the ETS.

However, the side effects which are slowly surfacing now in me, to some people, may be disturbing and irritating, or merely unacceptable. But for me, I'm still grateful that my palms are still dry and warm!

My armpits are both starting to sweat more nowadays. For whatever reason. I have to carefully select my clothing, as I cannot wear dark coloured cotton shirts, as the armpit sweat marks will be extremely obvious and unsightly. The armpits used to be so dry after the ETS operation, and I thought it was so cool that I didn't need to put on any anti-perspirant or deodarant on them anymore. But now, even with anti-perspirant, they still sweat a lot, especially in hot and humid environments.

I also realise that I can't take any more spicy food. Not even a little spicy. A simple chilli sauce on my nuggets will cause my forehead to sweat profusely. But if I avoid spicy food at all cost, I am just as ordinary as I am. Luckily I don't enjoy spicy food all this while, and hence this does not bother me a lot. Only occasionally when colleagues and friends invite me to Thai food or Indian cuisine, then I will bring along a small towel to wipe my forehead sweat! :D

My palms are dry and warm, but nowadays I notice at times, the palms will be moist a little, especially after heavy exercise or anxious moments. Never like before when they were dry and needed moisturiser. Nowadays I don't apply anymore moisturiser because my palms, in fact, feel more "natural" than those days immediately post-ETS. They "sweat" a little at appropriate time. And that's what I want!

These are just the very few side effects I am "suffering" now, but if you ask me, my answer remains the same - no regret undergoing the ETS.

Sweaty palms are just a 1000x more of a nuisance than not having spicy food, or sweat in my armpit.

Almost 2 Years Post ETS

Time flies. It's been almost 2 years since I had my ETS done. I have benefited so much ever since I had the surgery performed on myself. It was an operation I should have done long ago! No regret, definitely.

However if you ask me today, what sort of side effects or complications I am experiencing.. Well, I can tell you for sure that there are not many major one, except probably I can no longer take any spicy food anymore. Even with just a little pepper or chilly in the food, my forehead will sweat so badly that it just won't stop. I literally need to use a towel to continuously wipe off the sweat while eating the spicy food. That's how bad it is today.

And in the recent few months, I suspect my sympathetic nerves are "regrowing". I at times start to get a little more moist palms, especially during anxious moments. They were completely "stone dry" for the first 6-12 months post ETS, but now, my palms appear to be more "natural" - ie. they sweat at "appropriate" times!

My soles and armpits are starting to sweat more than the first year post-op. But well, that was not my main reason I went for the surgery anyway... so it's ok! :)

But if you ask me, whether I regret having that operation...The answer is NO. I definitely enjoy the days with my dry palms. I have been able to do so many things I have longed to do; and now in bank or immigration office, I am able to have my "correct" thumbprint all the time, and the officers no longer need to complain of my "blurred" thumbprints!

Side effects of ETS

It has been many many months since I last did my ETS, and at times I already have forgotten that I was a palmar hyperhidrosis sufferer for the last 30 years or so. The surgery was very successful that I am now a total new person, with dry hands!

Many people on the internet claimed that their palms became stone dry, and I must admit that this should be my case too. My palms are 99% of the time "paper dry", I call it, and another 1% occasional moist when I feel anxious. But the odd thing is that when I feel my palms are moist, actually its just a sensation more than reality. There is actually no sweat on my palms! Weird!

Over these many months post-ETS, I must say that there are 2 major problems I encounter as the side effects of that surgery.

No more spicy food for me. Yes! For the recent months, it has been very obvious that I can't tolerate spicy food like before. Everytime I take those spicy food, my forehead will sweat so badly, that it starts to drip and drench my whole face. I at most have 5 minutes, the moment I start eating the spicy food, before the sweat kicks in! And once it kicks in, I have to vigorously wipe off the forehead sweat, otherwise it will drip on my food! But one thing funny I notice is that, not all type of spicy food make my forehead sweat. Only food with pepper and curry powder in it will create this hassle. Others like chilly sauce, strong peppermint sweets, or ginger will not have this effect. I am still researching on this till today.

The other problem I am experiencing is the loose grip I am having now, after the palms sweat no more. At times, my palms are so dry that anything I hold in hand will slip off if I am not careful. One of the worst nuisances is when I am driving through the checkout points at the apartment or shopping mall, the parking ticket or pass occasionally slip off my hands; and I have to open my car door to go pick that card or ticket up! But most of the time, I must say I will consciously remind myself to hold on things tightly, so as not to lose the grip.

Well, although the two mentioned above are considered some of the problems post-ETS, the benefits of having my dry palms back, are far greater than the little nuisance of life I have now. I would rather choose not to have spicy food, but I want a pair of dry hands to continue with my daily life!

Almost 1 year post ETS

It's been almost a year since I had my ETS surgery done. To look back at the whole 11 odd months, I feel that I have been a "new" person and that I have done many more things that I could not believe to have done in the past.

However many people asked me about the compensatory sweating problem. Well, it indeed started happening about few months ago, but not to the extent or severity of those people who wrote in various blogs in the internet. It will only happen to me when the surrounding temperature changes (eg. sudden movement from a cooler place to an outdoor environment), taking hot and spicy food (eg. curry and Thai food), anxiety state (eg. playing PS3 video games) and when I fall sick (eg. URTI or fever). Other than that, the compensatory sweat does not seem to come at all.

The sole sweating is the one I do not consider as compensatory sweat, as it happens all these years even before the ETS surgery. In fact, I must say that the sole sweating is much less, as what the surgeon told me pre-op. He told me that the sole sweating would decrease by around 20-30%, with the thoracic ETS; unless of course I went for the lumbar ETS for a total cure of the sole sweating problem, but there is a high risk of getting erectile dysfunction! ;)

The lower back compensatory sweating is sometimes quite a nuisance, but if I were to compare it with palm sweating, I would choose the former! Trust me! With lower back sweating, it at times can get quite a lot, and drench my shirt; but because of the constant absorption of sweat by the shirts I am wearing, there is at least a few hours before I need to change - or in fact most of the time, it dries up by itself! For palm sweating, you can't be on cotton glove all time to help you absorb the sweat! And that's the major difference!

Falling sick time, I would definitely sweat more at the lower back (since the palms won't sweat anymore). But in the past, my palms would sweat horrendously whenever I fell ill. So at least this time around, somewhere else which is not so prominent, is taking over the sweating process. Cool! ;)

1 year is almost up, and my response to people who are still asking whether they should go for the ETS. I would say "YES". However, it has to be a severe form of palmar hyperhidrosis we are talking here, and definitely worth every penny spent and every minute on that operating table!!