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Discussion

Hyperhydrosis

Are there nurses here with HH ? I am a nursing student and very anxious right now as my instructor won't allow me to use gloves in dealing with patient unless they have body fluids . My point is not only I'm protecting my patient about infection and because I want my patient to be comfortable not to feel my sweaty hands as well. Today I felt embarrassed becausey instructor called my mistake confront of all my classmates while I'm practicing head to toe assessment with my partner in the lab and I'm using my gloves. So I told her is wanna protect myself and my patients for possible infection and also I don't want my patient to feel gross because I have sweaty hands. She told me this is unacceptable and maybe I should re consider changing my profession and maybe nursing is not for me. I was really hurt and not able to justify myself anymore I run to the washroom right away and pour out my emotion there. My classmate which is my partner in lab 've afterward and look for me in the washroom she knows I'm really hurt I cried a lot to her. How dare her to tell me to change my career just because I have a sweaty hands. I'm really down right now but at the same time I got a lot of support from my classmates they are very supportive for what I am going through .

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    I'm so sorry your instructor embarrassed you in front of your classmates.

    I don't agree with her comment that maybe nursing is not for you because you have hyperhidrosis of the hands.

    I don't believe most nursing instructors would make such a statement based on what you've said so far. In fact, the behavior sounds questionable but I'm not going to talk about your instructor's qualifications in this post.

    A few thoughts for you:

    My first impression is that your school should have been informed of your condition and worked out an accommodation ahead of time.

    My guess is that in most schools your request to wear gloves during the assessment would be granted immediately, especially since wearing gloves is more common than not wearing them in bedside nursing today.

    Are you currently under or have you seen a dermatologist? This is a good idea for you because 1) you can be sure you are being treated with the most up-to-date medications

    and

    2) your dermatologist can write you a note explaining exactly what hyperhidrosis is and that it should not medically disqualify someone from becoming a nurse .

    You may need to give that to your instructor so she realizes that hyperhidrosis is not garden-variety "sweaty hands"

    Last thing I would advise is to understand that nursing school is going to provoke a lot of intense emotions.

    You will make the road ahead much smoother if you learn to put on your game face while you are in the classroom or clinical site.

    Even though your instructor's behavior was inappropriate and you have a right to be upset she did this in front of your classmates it's not a good idea to freely share everything as it happens.

    It's a pretty good bet there's a backstabber in the bunch, and they look just as concerned as everybody else.

    All the best to you!

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    I agree that the instructor was premature to suggest that nursing might not be the profession for you. She has valid points about wearing gloves for every patient contact, as it can be uncomfortable for patients both physically and psychologically. If the patient's and nurse's skin is intact and not at risk of contact with body fluids, there isn't evidence to support the use of gloves. Wearing gloves excessively is more likely to increase the hyperhydrosis, it makes more sense to find ways to decrease it, have you asked your doctor about treatment options? Have you tried drying your hands with a tissue just before contact with the patient? What strategies have you tried?

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    I have to agree with Dishes. I work HH and unless drawing blood or doing dressings we don't wear gloves. We just use a hand sanitizer once in their home and prior contact

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    Look up Carpe Lotion/foot lotion. The stuff is incredible...

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