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!