Here is Larissa's compelling story. Told in her own words.
For anyone contemplating whether or not ETS (Micro-endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy) surgery is for you, here is a little of my history.
Many days I just wished my hands were invisible. My middle school and high school years were miserable. It was a struggle that few even knew about because, for the most part, I kept my palmar hyperhidrosis hidden (as best I could). If you're contemplating this surgery, then one or more of these scenarios will probably sound familiar.
The first memory of my super sweaty hands was having to quit piano lessons at an early age because my fingers left the keys soaking wet. Yuck for me, the teacher, and the piano.
Something as simple as taking handwritten notes created dread. I always had to fold up an extra piece of paper and put under the bottom of my hand where it touched the page. If not, the ink or pencil would blur or you wouldn't be able to write on the wet lower portion of the page at all.
I played on the high school tennis team for four years. I loved tennis BUT there was no way I could hold onto a racket without wearing a leather glove to absorb the hand sweat, having my racket grip wrapped in an absorbent material, and/or keeping a towel court side to dry my grip between points.
Dating, who wants to hold a cold sweaty hand? Terrible again. Whenever, I rode in a car, I always held my hands in front of the air vents to try and keep them dry.
Ever been to a golf driving range, and the club just flies out of your wet hands and lands 30 feet in front of you? Yep, me too.
Imagine if having pockets was a necessity. I always wore a dress or pants with pockets so I could stick my hands in and dry them off.
When bowling, I always stood right over the fan at the ball return so I could keep my hands as dry as possible and not fling the ball backwards.
When shooting a game of pool, I loved those big chalk blocks! That's the only way I could play, by coating my hands in chalk powder.
My mom took me to a physician in high school who said it was just nerves. I knew better, because I could be home watching TV and eating snacks with sweaty palms. Why would I be nervous about that?
As life goes on...
I got married with a washcloth wrapped around my bouquet of flowers as I walked down the aisle so my hands wouldn't drip water and my wedding gown would stay dry.
At any type of party or social gathering, I always walked around with a beverage full of ice AND a napkin wrapped around it. This way I could try to dry my hands, and if I had to shake hands maybe they would appear cold because of the ice on the sweaty glass.
Ever tried to hold a friend's baby or even your own with sweaty hands and then hand them to someone who says "oh, I think they have wet their clothes and need a diaper change". No, sorry, that was from my sweaty hands.
Going to church, I kept a paper towel in my bible so I could dry my hands during the service. The worse part of all, when the pastor would ask us to stand up and shake hands with someone near us and welcome them. Ugh! If you didn't it was rude, if you did it was embarrassing.
I made it through radiology school by constantly drying my hands. Do you know what happens to x-ray film when you touch it with wet hands. Not good. Films stick together and it leaves a mark that could interfere with interpretation by a radiologist. Once my instructor told me, you can't have wet hands. Well duh, I get it. Luckily today, most film based departments are digital.
Afterwards, I got a job in healthcare and had to wear latex gloves often (to give injections or sterile situations, etc). I tried to use medical gloves that had kind of a tight wrist or even had a powder in them because if I ever held my hand up above my head - a stream of water would just run down my arm. I wish I had a photo or a video because I could literally take off these latex gloves and pour the water out of them.
Even if I was able to keep my hands dry, they were usually freezing cold. Do you know how many times I've been told, "Wow, your hands are ice cold"? I would just smile and say "That means I have a really warm heart".
Well, today I have warm hands AND a warm heart. Ironically, on Valentines Day,
February 14 of 2000 I flew to Houston, TX and had ETS Surgery performed by Dr. David Nielson.
I ran across this procedure on the internet after following several forums and doing a lot of research. At that time, there weren't but a handful of physicians in the US even performing this surgery. I remember my mom asking that I please not do this because it was so new but I was ready for a change. I was put to sleep with wet hands and when I woke up they were dry and have been dry ever since. Life changing! I became a different person, more confident, more outgoing, less stress, less anxiety, my career grew, and my relationships grew. Dr. Nielson's office was great, the same day surgery was quick and you show up the next morning for a follow-up visit before boarding a flight and heading back home. My chest was a little sore and I couldn't laugh but that certainly didn't keep me from smiling.
It's not just me, ETS has been a miracle for others as well. As I was looking through my notes before writing this, I ran across an email that I received in July of 2000. I have no idea who these folks are but the wife (not named for privacy reasons) had written me a thank you letter. She writes "I hold you responsible for us finding Dr. Nielson. I hold you responsible for my new husband, I could go on and on about the ways he has changed, the ways his life has changed, but I won't because I'm sure you feel the exact same way. What I'm trying to say is thank you, thank you for my new husband".
In full disclosure, I do have slight compensatory sweating but I'll take that any day. My feet sweat some (not bad), but who shakes feet? And I'll occasionally have some sweating on my chest or abdomen, not bad at all. Knowing what I know now, would I do it again? Absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt. Life is great!
Larissa Green
