Iontophoresis - diary of my treatment programme

I just want to say that if any of you out there suffer from sweaty hands and feet (it is a medical condition effecting 0.6% -1% of the population and it's called hyperhidrosis), then help is at hand.

There are 4 treatment options available - one involves cutting a nerve in your neck (hmmm, let's just say, not an option), one involves botox injections and a nerve block as so painful (and only lasts a couple of months, ewww), one involves aluminium deodorant (alzheimers here I come) and the 4th option (it's better, trust me), is called iontophoresis.

Now the reason I am telling you this is because I have told three friends of mine and they all said they have this condition too. And we never knew. How bizarre is that?

As one also intimately acquainted with this condition - nice, you must think I am a right festy old thing by now, but I'm not THAT bad! - I have decided to guinea pig myself and write a little diary of my experiences with this treatment.

Oh and iontophoresis involves passing an electrical current through water, no drugs, non permanent, safe apparently - see http://hyperhidrosis.org/iontophoresis.htm.

So, here's my diary... Will update as I go along.

Day 1 (tuesday week one) - 20 mins on level 7. Hands felt slightly numb. May decide just to do feet. Need on feet as in dire straits since diagnosis of skin condition exacerbated by sweatiness and with summer coming, limiting chances of foot modelling income (joke). Felt rather itchy on legs for most of the day. No noticable sweating of the hands (not stressed enough or working hard enough, must work harder - another joke), but some on the feet. In good mood all day. Not sure if will continue with hands. Will keep going as after first 4 weeks, only maintenance required.

Day 2 (wed week 1) - 20 mins on level 7. Felt a bit like jumping into a cold swimming pool after just got warm again, but OK. A bit painful on the hands and one spot on the feet. Used extra vaseline on the cut finger. Hurts a lot when not covered properly. Feel itching on the torso and scalp. Hopefully nothing major. Have lots of energy and been up for HOURS, like on overdrive! Noticable redness on the feet (very red) and slight itching but somehow feels like it is a good thing. Very unsweaty hands and they feel less dry today and seem to be OK on the feeling. I wonder if I would get a zap if I touched something? I hope this is doing me good as I feel like I am being charged up. Having too much fun to not see what happens next.

Will see how I get on as I have another appointment on Friday.

So, here's to not knowing how something will turn out, but doing it for the experience.

Day 3 (thurs week 1) - no treatment today. Felt mildly itchy and primed for anything all day (despite just 6 hours sleep). I wonder if this would be any good for depression. Keen to see what happens next! Also did have a test of the sweatiness with client meeting and running late, so plenty of opportunities for anxiety to creep in. Confidently shook client's hand on the way in and way out. Can relate to story of sales guy running across the room to intro himself to strangers after years of silent dread. Am loving the treatment so far.

Day 4 - (fri week 1) - started on level 7-8 but ended up down at 4 as just seemed to feel really sensitive to the electricity today. Apparently the Victorians used to stand in a circle holding hands and then someone would crank up a machine to send a mild electricial current through them, so I'm telling you, this thing is good for the mind as well as body! My right hand hurt a lot. At the end of the session, the nurse gave me this emoilient stuff, which I felt is full of chemicals and not that nice. My hands were sweaty for most of the day, but are back fine again as I write this on sat. Noticeably less itchy, but somewhat light headed for most of the day. Will persist to see what happens next! Am noticeably more tired but that could be because I hardly slept last week (!) or due to mild hangover from big night last night (am too old for this anymore). Feet seem to be less red, am craving less sugar and drinking less tea. I wonder what the scientists would say about that...

Day 5 (monday week 2) - started on level 6 and that seemed OK today. Had a few stingy bits from cut on my toe, but covered it up with cream and was fine. Slightly itchy all over. Important to moisturise. Slightly dry hands, but that might be because they are used to being sweaty all the time. Had a very stressful work event on last night, was running late, feeling anxious. And not a drop of sweat from my hands did come! It was a miracle. Really. I could even shake someone's hand at the end of the evening. So, it has, I would say, had a profound effect on my hyperhidrosis (I would say when I started it was mild to moderate with occasional severe peaks - last night would have exacerbated a severe peak). Even my feet were OK. Less effect than the hands, but still I can see all the skin problems clearing up on them (and I've not started using the cream as yet). Wonder treatment? Maybe... will keep going and keep you posted.

Day 6 (thursday week 2) - started on level 6 and was OK. Still itchy and been using moisturiser morning and night on my legs (worse with waxing growing back!) and need to use hand cream often (there's a nice Weleda one that smells like orange). But pretty OK. Shame the flying high didn't last and I have been feeling quite strange this week, but that could be because of bad news week. I wonder if the fact that I have bitten off all my fingernails has anything to do with any of this?! Sweaty hands seems a thing of the past and feet are noticeably improved, but still not great. Plus have developed unsightly rash on feet which will require further exploration from the Dermatologist (which is why I started all this in the first place).

Day 7 (tuesday week 3) - started on level 6 and went to 4, as felt very sensitive today. I'm not sure if it's because my life is a bit chaotic at the moment or what, but I am like an emotional roller coaster. I wonder if all that electricity has anything to do with it. My hands are so dry I have started using cream, the itching has stopped and my feet although with less effect, are showing signs of improvement too. Rash on feet still quite bad but the skin tone I would say looks better. One more session to go. I think I will crank up the feet and stop the hands, as even though I hated the sweatiness, the dryness factor is also quite unpleasant. I've got old lady hands. Maybe I've just got to get used to it.

Week 6 - I am onto maintenance treatment now, which means I have completed the first 4 weeks and now go once a week for a 'top up'. My hands are pretty much 100% fixed it seems. Still have their very dry days where I need lots of handcream, and they did sweat in Granada when it was 35 degrees (but that my friends is NORMAL). But it also reminds to drink more water and it could be that they are recovering from all those years of sweating.

I really think the normal sweatiness and hypohidrosis sweating are different things....anyway that's a whole different argument.The feet are still a bit of an issue especially as I have a nasty skin condition which seems to have been exacerbated by the treatment. I don't think it's just because it's summer either. I think that the treatment may be causing them additional stress. But I have also been working hard and long hours, so it could be that too. They were also more severe, and they are significantly less sweaty, but probably still a 3/10. Which to be honest is wonderful. I think it's going to take longer to fix them than the hands, but that's OK. I would really recommend the treatment to anyone contemplating it, as long as you can put up with some initial itchiness, the need to handcream and potentially some effect on your mood.