OMG!!! I just started my first CNA job today at a Med/Surg floor in a hospital, and I am so embarassed about my sweating. Please help me find a solution to this, I feel like crawling in a hole. It started fine, but 20 minutes into my shift, I was sweating, and bad. We weren't doing anything particularly hard, just vitals and I&O. But, I caught a glimpse of my backside in a mirror, and I was plastered with sweat from my back to my butt and even some on my legs. It's so horrible. I naturally sweat at the drop of a hat, but I didn't think it would show up so splendidly in scrubs. It was like that for about two hours, then we had a calm period, and I dried off. But as soon as we started moving again, back came the "wet" back and butt. I am so mortified right now because all of the patients and some of the staff were looking at me oddly all shift. The lady training me said she knows someone else who sweats as badly as I do and that she understands. However, it doesn't make me feel good to know that everytime I work, I will have an episode of sweat-butt. Is there anyone else experiencing this out there, and if so, have you found a solution? Please help me, I feel so awful. Thanks.
i don't know your workplace's policy but if you can I know that printed scrubs hide some of my sweating as opposed to soild color. I have issues as well with sweating and the printed helped along with the cool washcloth on the face and neck. Other than that I just think over time it stopped bothering me as much. I feel your pain though and wish you luck in being more comfortable.
Hi bumashes just thought I'd join in:I'm male, 39 yrs, and have been experiencing a similar problem recently. I've always been an 'easy sweater' but i had thought that might be to do with being a runner since age 12 - hyper-active active sweat glands?? But recently (in the last year) it's been a bit excessive and people at the hospital and university I'm studying at have been noticing - u can't miss it! I only have to walk a hundred yards to then sit or stand in stagnant air and I'm boiling, dripping - mostly from head and chest. Air flow helps a lot - I cool off quickly then. I have been taking 'fan breaks' as regularly as possible as britain is not advanced enough to have AC - but they can afford a few fans!! I have been wondering what to do and have decided to look into chinese medicine, which recognises heat/cold/inner/outer balances. Don't know what the remedy will be... ice cream or sage tea?
I sweat when i get nervous. I dont really feel nervous, but i know thats what its got to be because it only happens when i start a new job, and i am moving around. It happened big time when i started my job doing CNA work and in my nursing clinicals. I sweat from my head though, and the beads of sweat rolled off and on to the patient. That is embarrassing!
My solution was a head band. That even got soaked, so i would have to wash my face a few times during the shift.
As time went by, like 3 months, i stoppped the sweating. But i feel that when i start over new as a nurse, it will start up again.
since we are talking about sweating, I don't sweat too much, but I always sweat a ton on my face, I feel like I am dripping when it gets slightly warm. I don't know if there are any treatments for that. anyone know... this is why I like fall weather.
Hubby used to tease me that I *never* sweat. He would have been sooooo proud the day I was bent over my patient changing a large dressing and there went a huge drop of sweat falling from my face onto his bed. I've never been so mortified LOL
Something I've found that works for those "private" places that sweat is Monostat Powder Gel....it makes this nice powdery surface that sweat just glides off. Maybe you could place it stategically to relocate your sweat to a less noticeable area.
I do that head sweat thing, too--my hair would be soaked. If I had time, I'd take some baby shampoo, wash my hair (in cool or tepid water) in the rest room, dry it (w/a baby blanket, natch). I also had a small hair dryer in my locker, which I would use when necessary.
This one day, it was very busy in the ICU part of the NICU; everybody was busy. I've been working constantly for ~ 2-3 hrs, not even a "sit-down and chart" for my 2 little sick babies. So, of course, I'm soaking wet, wasn't even paying attn--what's the point? The Charge Nurse comes over and says, "I just want you to know, I've called maintenance to get the air conditioning temp down." I just looked @ her--"HUH?? Oh, yeah, Thanks very much!" I must have looked pretty darned awful! I think she thought I was just going to have a meltdown. I was too busy to even think about it! LOL!
We all had overbed tables we considered our "offices". We kept the loonng clipboards w/our babies flowcharts on them, and we had bar stool-type chairs to pull up when we needed to chart. if it had a drawer, you could put your pens, scissors, calculator, etc., in there. I found a small--about 4x4"--battery operated fan--when I sat down to chart, I'd turn it on--unless somebody else had stolen it!!
Wow! I didn't know so many people had this problem! I also have 'hyperhydrosis'. Anything that raises my heart rate turns on the faucet! The pores around my hairline open up, and right away my hair, face, and neck are soaked. The dermatologist said botulinum shots around the hairline would close up those pores and stop it, but I didn't like the idea. I'll live with it. I've also heard about real severe cases that were cured by surgery. It involved cutting a nerve that causes the sweating. The main problem then is overheating since you lose the body's natural cooling mechanism. That sounds a bit extreme! I think all the advice about extra layers and wicking fabrics sounds like a good idea. I think I will try the sage tea. We feel your pain! Good Luck!
If you are a female, perhaps wearing a scrub-skirt would be a solution. You'd have air circulating around and I would imagine that would put an end to the butt-sweat problem at least.
You're not the only one with a sweating problem. I sweat all the time, even when it's cool out. Some people are always cold, I'm always hot. Well, it's about as irritating as can be at work, not only with having sweat drip down my face and back all day long, but having to listen to the repetetive comments made by coworkers and even patients or visitors. I've had about enough of people asking me "what's wrong?" or state "you're too young to be having hot flashes." Just yesterday a visitor asked me if she could get me a glass of water. I'm afraid that one day I'll just snap and say the wrong thing to somebody making yet another annoying comment.
But I digress... wearing a cotton t-shirt in place of a scrub top has helped (or under the scrubs if you're required to wear them), wearing my hair in a short bob type cut has helped, cooling off with an ice pack while charting or not running from room to room also helps. What hasn't helped is baby powder (it typically clumps up and falls out from under my clothes - yuck!). I plan on trying Certain Dri on my back to help with that sweating since it works under the armpits. Don't know what to do about the scalp sweating as nothing can really be used up there.
Best of luck to you in finding a good solution. It's uncomfortable and embarrasing putting up with this so hopefully you've found a way around it.
there is a anti-persp. that i use for hyperhidrosis.. called Certain-Dri (with an "I") I mostly have it in the pits..but you could put it anywhere I guess. Give it a try its awesome. You put it on at night (about evry three nights) and it works while u sleep..BUT you should still wear a little normal deodorant during the day time.
Good Luck!
I'm afraid that one day I'll just snap and say the wrong thing to somebody making yet another annoying comment.
soliant12
218 Posts
Wear a t-shirt under your scrub top.