I never heard of hyperhidrosis, today I got diagnosed a Vent/maybe lLF some advice.
Hi there I (M26), am here to share a bit of my story and hear what all of you think.
A couple of week ago I went to my GP with an issues I've been walking with (literally) since early puberty. Whenever I'm taking a stroll of just walking around a wet spot appears in my underwear, in the buttcrack area. At first I didnt think much of it, but over the years this has gotten worse and worse, up to the point it looks like I pissed my pants but from behind. causing skin irritations in the area and on my tighs. When I go to toilet to clean/dry myself it's either clear or slightly brown-sh and because I've been asked to do so; the smell test, either its nothing, slightly sour-ish, and if its brown there's also the smell you would expect with this .
Now it has progressed to the point where after walking for ~20 to 30 minutes I need a clean pair of underwear. So I decided to go to the GP after some physical examination and questions he forwarded me to the dermatologist, who without any additional questions or eximanations told me it likely is hyperhidrosis and gave recommended me to take Oxybutynin. This was the first time I've heard of the condition and was kinda suprised, so I'm looking into it right now. That's also how I find this subreddit. However, I'm 100% sure my condition is not as bad as all pictures I see on this sub, it looks more like an constant incredibly thin layer of sweat everywhere on my body instead of the large sweat droplets I see everywhere on the internet, which makes me doubt about this diagnosis,, especially since the dermatologist talked to me as if it is 10x more severe than it actually is.
I was also thinking about other experiences with "excessive" sweat I've had, because I have always been a sweaty person which I always credited to being overweight (which is fixed since ~3 years ago *proud noises*). But whenever I do any kind of light acitivity, such as walking, which I do often, I get sticky all over. If the humidity is over 60% and its like 20C or warmer I'm basically a fountian on my forehead. and I've left butt and hand sweat marks of a large numbers of chairs and tables to the point I had to bring towels to my driving lessons.
But the thing I have been wondering the most about, which might be related or totally not. I don't get cold, I wear the same clothes all throughout the year, wheter is -5C, -10C or +30C. It's jeans a shirt and a airy caridgan with open zipper (to protect against the sun and hide sweaty armpits in warm weather) or for normal use in colder weather. But i've never felt the need to use a jacket or a coat to keep myself warm. Sweat has a purpose, to cool you down, so maybe the sweat I have is related to this and my wet undies might have a different cause.
Another thing I have been wondering about, primary hyperhidoses is caused by an overacitve sympathetic nervous system. Besides medicine, isn't there any other way to calm down sympathetic nervous system?
I'll have another appointment with my doctor in a couple of weeks and will dicuss the above points with her as well, but I just wanted to share my story and see what you all have to say.