In this weekly column, people talk about something they ‘never want to experience again’, never want to do again or never want to do again. This week: as an adolescent, Thijs (50) suddenly suffered from excessive sweating under his armpits. Whatever he tried, nothing helped. It made him very unhappy. “My internship supervisor told me to use deodorant because I smelled bad.”
“Suddenly it was there. I was fifteen years old and from one moment to the next I started sweating profusely under my armpits. Drops of sweat flowed down. Not only when I was moving, but also when I sat quietly on the couch and I didn’t know what was happening to me and I didn’t dare to talk to anyone about it. I thought I was the only one with this embarrassing problem, which made me feel very lonely.”
“Of course I tried everything to stop the sweating. I tried almost every deodorant, ointment or other product from the drugstore. Nothing helped. I didn’t tell anyone at home what was going on, my parents and brother didn’t know anything. I secretly walked out. to the doctor, who quickly diagnosed hyperhidrosis – in other words: excessive sweating.
With immediately bad news: unfortunately nothing could be done about it. The only option was an operation in Germany to cut my nerve pathways, resulting in fewer signals being sent from my brain to my sweat glands. There were many risks involved, so I didn’t dare. I was able to get aluminum chloride from the pharmacy, a drug that closes the sweat glands so that you sweat less. Unfortunately, this was also a vain hope, it did nothing for me.”
Sticking plastic in clothes
“So I kept sweating excessively. I had wet spots the size of pancakes in my shirts. I was ashamed of that. As an adolescent I already had little self-confidence, but this made me even more insecure. Out of desperation I only wore black shirts, in which the sweat spots were less visible.
I cut out pieces of plastic and stuck them in my clothes, but of course they didn’t stay in place at all. I became socially isolated and did almost nothing anymore. While my peers would go to the pub or disco and chase the girls, I didn’t dare because of the wet sweat spots and the stench. Fresh sweat doesn’t smell, but as soon as it comes into contact with bacteria on your skin, you will smell it.”
“The shame was enormous. When I went to do an internship for my further education, one day my supervisor spoke to me about it. He said that I had to use deodorant because I smelled unpleasant. I could fall through the ground. Did that man know a lot that I used a lot of deodorant and sometimes showered three times a day.”
Master of camouflage
“This was still my big secret. I got a girlfriend, and I didn’t tell her anything either. Only after years did she find out when she noticed that I changed my shirts so often and that the laundry basket was quickly full. I was now a master at camouflaging my problem. I avoided crowds and large groups and if someone came too close, I made an excuse and quickly walked away.
I still only wore black shirts. One was extra thick, so you saw the stains the least. I almost always wore this. I like hard rock music, so I often wore band shirts. Because of this, no one thought it was strange that I always wore black. But I was disappointed with it myself. I could never buy cheerful, light colors. The fact that I didn’t have the freedom to buy and wear what I wanted really bothered me.”
“Botox was still seen as a scary poison in 1997.”
“In 1997 I read a very small article in the newspaper about how excessive sweating was treated with a muscle relaxant called Botox. I immediately went to my doctor: this is what I wanted. My doctor started calling around for me, but could not find a doctor anywhere who worked with this. Botox was still seen as a scary poison.”
Singing in the car
“Two years later my doctor called me, he had found a dermatologist who was willing to inject me with this. Together we went to this doctor who gave me the injections. Almost immediately I was dry under my armpits. That gave me a clean feeling. I had not known for a long time. I was euphoric. I was singing in the car back home. I just had a new job that required me to wear a uniform care.”
“From that moment on, I had myself treated with Botox every six months. My relief was so great. Finally my days were no longer determined by sweating. Because I was constantly busy with that: I was always looking and feeling whether no I had sweat spots in my clothes and I smelled bad. I wore blouses and light colors again, I could finally go to the pub.”
Sweat glands scraped away
“I became more confident and open towards others. The injections were painful, but I was willing to do it. I continued to do this until 2010, when I heard about a new treatment and saw a specialist dermatologist.
He performed a hydrosuction on me. My sweat glands were scraped away and suctioned. This was a permanent solution. I was always tired of Botox injections. Since then I have definitely no longer suffered from excessive sweating.”
“For a long time I only dealt with my shame. There was no internet in my youth and I didn’t know any fellow sufferers. Later the internet came along and I decided to make use of it. In 2005 I started a site about hyperhidrosis because I was talking about it. couldn’t find anything online. I also posted a forum, and the recognition I found with others – and them together – was very nice.
Everyone who suffers from excessive sweating thinks they are the only one, but that is not the case. It is a medical condition in which too many stimuli are sent from the autonomic nervous system to the sweat glands. There’s nothing you can do about that. So it has nothing to do with physical exertion or poor personal hygiene.”
Panic due to sweating
“Six years ago I founded a patient association. My goal is to remove excessive sweating from the taboo atmosphere and to let fellow sufferers know that they are not alone in this and that treatments are possible. Some of them are still not taken seriously by their GP, I think that is very bad. I advise them to insist on a referral to a dermatologist, there are now two expertise centers.
It makes me happy to help others with this and I hope no one has to struggle as long as I have. I am very happy that I no longer suffer from excessive sweating. But all those years of shame and misery have left their mark. Everyone sweats when it’s 30 degrees in the summer, but I immediately panic when I start sweating. It gave me a blow. Fortunately, I now know that I never have to feel that lonely bad feeling and that shame again.”
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