|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
People with excessive sweating live with a variety of day-to-day challenges: personal and professional limitations, ongoing discomfort, looming embarrassment, to name just a few. Hyperhidrosis sufferers know that this one thing impacts everything they do (or can't do); it's an ever-present worry.
Thankfully, we are seeing great improvements in treatment and in the understanding of this under-acknowledged condition. Yet far too often we hear from hyperhidrosis patients about their difficult and often irreversible side effects caused by endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy (ETS) surgery. Some have even lost their lives. ETS is a procedure whereby a surgeon attempts to interrupt the transmission of nerve signals from the spinal column to the sweat glands in order to prevent these nerve signals from reaching the sweat glands. This surgery is performed with the patient under general anesthesia. A miniature camera is inserted into the chest under the armpit and a lung is temporarily collapsed so that the surgeons can cut, clamp, or otherwise destroy the nerve paths associated with the overactive sweat glands. A recent story in a British newspaper described the case of a young woman, 27-year-old Louise Field, who became brain damaged after suffering from a lack of oxygen when her lung was accidentally punctured during ETS surgery to control her palmar hyperhidrosis. With no chance of recovery, her parents Patricia and Phillip Green made the heartbreaking decision to turn off Louise's life support machine two days after the procedure. Louise Field's unfortunate death is an extreme case, with clear indications of negligence on the part of her medical team (a lawsuit is pending), but it serves as a cautionary tale for those who are considering ETS for their excessive palmar sweating. Because ETS surgery has several serious side effects, and because its results are largely irreversible, many experts consider it an option of last resort. The biggest drawback to this surgery is that, while ETS may be effective in reducing or eliminating the sweat in the targeted area, almost all patients experience some degree of compensatory sweating in a different part of the body. Compensatory sweating is excessive sweating that occurs on the back, chest, abdomen, legs, face, and/or buttocks as a result of ETS surgery. It can be equally or even more extreme than the original sweating problem. For some professional perspective on ETS, we asked Dr. Daniel A. Carrasco a highly regarded dermatologist with a practice in Austin, TX, for his view on ETS: "None of my patients have had this procedure--probably because I do not recommend ETS very often and I never recommend lumbar ETS [plantar hyperhidrosis]. I have known of too many patients with severe complications, especially debilitating compensatory sweating, following routine ETS surgery for palmar hyperhidrosis. I advise other physicians against such procedures, especially the lumbar type. ETS for palmar hyperhidrosis is a procedure I might approve as an absolute last resort, especially if performed by a competent surgeon. This procedure has a very high success rate but also a very high rate of compensatory sweating." This devastating account from a woman, who is experiencing a high degree of compensatory sweating, shows emphatically the downside of this procedure. "I am a 38-year-old woman who feels totally out of place. I started off sweating on my hands and feet and I had the ETS surgery. Immediately after the surgery, while I was still in the hospital bed, I awakened to a sweaty butt, back, and legs. The doctor said it was compensatory sweating and it would go away. I continued to sweat and eventually I requested the clamps used to block the nerves be removed. The doctor stated the nerve should regenerate itself and the compensatory sweating would stop and my hands and feet would probably continue to sweat. It has been more than 4 years and in that time I have totally removed myself from everyone. I have had to switch job positions two times. I can't speak or stand up in front of a crowd. My clothes get soaked. People often say I have a stain on my butt. My back, chest, and stomach constantly sweat. My ex boyfriend called me "sweaty butt" and always made comments about the bed being wet. I wear a lot of black and have spent hundreds of dollars on under armor gear and underarm pads. Nothing works. This condition causes me great depression. I cannot wear shorts, tank tops, or light-colored shirts. My jeans get wet in the butt and around the waist. I don't date. Every time I do, the young men always ask me ‘What is wrong?' and ‘Why are your clothes wet? It's disgusting.' I cry and cover up a lot. I need help.” We strongly encourage people who are considering this procedure to do their homework; research all treatment options and talk to dermatologists and/or other healthcare professionals who are well versed in the techniques and side effects of this surgery. It's also important to talk to other patients who've had the surgery to get feedback on both their surgeons and their results. Dr. James Headrick, a thoracic surgeon who performs ETS surgery for palmar hyperhidrosis in Chattanooga, TN, says that surgeons must take great care to "focus on optimum patient selection." He adds, "It is really just a matter of trying to limit the procedure to those with severe primary PALMAR hyperhidrosis who have failed all other reasonable options. There is also a focused attention on the level of nerve to cut in order to try to minimize compensatory sweating. The procedure is now down to a single 3-5 mm single incision in each axilla, with no sutures used; it's an outpatient procedure with a 3-5 day recovery." He concludes saying, "all patients have to be willing to accept some degree of compensatory sweating." Here's a letter we received from a successful surgical procedure: "I just want to say that your website has given us great information during the several years I've subscribed searching for a solution to my daughter's sweating problems. She is 20 and last Friday underwent a sympathectomy after exhausting every possible means of treatment available to her. She was hospitalized overnight, and back to work on Tuesday. The exciting part is that she came out of the surgical suite with warm, dry hands for the first time since she was a little girl. This was truly life-changing surgery and while most people react with, "but isn't surgery a rather radical step to stop sweating?" we know that it was the answer to her prayers for a change in the quality of her life. We are deeply grateful for all the support and help your newsletter has given us over the years. Please keep encouraging the medical community to find ways to combat this terrible affliction, and keep getting the word out that help of many kinds does exist." In short: if you or someone you care about is considering ETS, a bit of caution and much research should accompany the decision (take a look at a recent story on ETS that we ran in this newsletter). Stop by our Physician Finder directory too; look up healthcare specialists in your area who offer hyperhidrosis treatment. When researching ETS, be certain to review peer-reviewed, published studies. Simply typing "ETS" into Google will bring up a bevy of misleading sites promising things they don't deliver. The Internet is loaded with bogus claims about ETS and hyperhidrosis treatments. This is one reason why so many people who've undergone ETS are left devastated by the side effects. Now as never before, people with hyperhidrosis have options. Talk to an expert and find the best choice for you. Get started today! |
|||||||
2560 Township Road
Suite B
Quakertown, PA 18951 USA
Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Email newsletter software ©1999-2010 Pedrera: Philadelphia Web Design