sweaty hands- please help!!

[NICURN22]

Hello! I am new to this site and new to the nursing program- just started my second week of classes. I SUFFER from hyperhidrosis- sweaty palms, and it can get pretty bad when I get nervous. I don't know why, but I never thought about how much contact you are going to have with other people until we started going over some of the skills we are going to be doing in the labs. I'm starting to get freaked out because I do not want to be doing an examination on someone in lab with extremely sweaty hands. It's so embarrassing and I know the other person is wondering why my hands are sweaty and I'm sure they do not want me touching them. I'm starting to think that maybe I should have picked a different program because it seems like my sweaty hands are going to interfere with my learning. I've always been able to sort of hide my sweaty hands in the past but there is no getting around it now! But if anyone out there has been through or is going through the same thing I am I would really like some tips/advice on what you did to get through it. I read some other postings and the only thing I really saw was that someone said to wear gloves, but can you really wear gloves ALL the time? Even when doing simple things like finding a pulse?

I have tried the drysol, certain dri, and other medications prescribed by my dermatologist but nothing worked. I just pulled them all out and about to try them over again to see if maybe they will stop my hands from sweating even just a little bit.

THANKS!

[MedSurgeMess]

You may want to ask your instructor (privately) for some advice. If not, make a buddy, and tell them. Perhaps you can do the exams on each other to avoid embarrassment

[lmarie1]

Kristen - That would not bother me at all...if I was working with someone who had sweaty palms. I would totally understand!!! Infact, I would feel better knowing I was not alone in my nervousness! Just wanted to add my two cents !!!:heartbeat:heartbeat

[skyandsydneysmom]

Please do not let this get in the way of your nursing education. Definitely mention it to your professor as was said above. If I were you I would wear gloves...who cares? Then you do not have to stress out about sweating on whoever you are assessing. If you wear gloves then you won't have to worry about it, and your worry won't affect your assessment and skills validations. What I mean by that is if you are sidetracked because of this situation it may affect your performance...you may be thinking about your hyperhidrosis instead of the task at hand. Whatever you do keep in the program!

[emmalou*]

I tend to get sweaty hands when I'm nervous - I do have a general anxiety issue though. I don't know why, but it didn't pose much of a problem once I started nursing because you're so busy with getting all your work done, washing your hands between patients, having lots on your mind etc, it wasn't really a problem and TBH, most patients don't care, they feel too sick. Also in a situation like a code, for example, it wouldn't be abnormal to sweat, on hands or anywhere else.

If someone was watching me perform a task my hands would start to get sweaty but then my problem is psychological rather than physical. I remember my hands being sweaty when I did my first CPR exam on the dummy and a friend just made a joke about it (it was quite warm in the room though and a few people looked a bit sweaty). I would explain to my tutors I was nervous and they seemed to be understanding most of the time.

Don't let this stop you from doing the job you want to do - maybe have another assessment with your doctor to see exactly what is causing the problem (physical -v- psychological). Wearing gloves is an immediate solution, but just a warning - I also used to get dermatitis on my hands because of sweating and the gloves exacerbated that.

Some people do sweat a lot on their hands and feet, it's more common than you realise and there is treatment available.

Good luck with your studies.

[Jdl2002]

I have sweaty hands all the time also. I personally don't care if people notice. If someone asks I just tell them that my hands sweat all the time. Getting gloves on can be tricky when your hands are wet. I always carry some baby powder in my pocket so I can sprinkle some on before I put gloves on.

[GOMER42]

Just wear gloves.

I wear gloves every time I touch my patients. Not only do I keep my sweaty hands from touching them, but I keep potential cooties from touching me.

[sleepyRN2]

omg. i have the same problem since way back when i can remember. although, i had never really thought of it as a problem until i went to school. it happened when i turned in a test paper which was soaking wet with my perspiration. the instructor, who received it, gave me this quizzical look on her face, which i deftly answered with holding up both of my sweaty palms to her. since then i've done everything i could possibly do to rectify this "problem" from old wive's tale of peeing (gross) on my sweaty palms to seeing a physician, all of them, to no avail. one day during clinicals, a fellow hyperhidrosis nursing student showed me his trick; he carries around with him a gold bond powder, i think that's it. he would put some powder on both hands which helps when putting gloves on, eases them right in. the gold bond powder works extremely well when i tried it myself. however, i anticipated that i might get this cakey mixture of powder and sweat. yuck, i know. oh, well. most of the times: i would just get myself under control; i.e., i try to decrease my stress level. yep. when i am very stressed out, my palms sweat a lot. yeah, i know. that this might be a rather difficult proposition for you or me, particularly in nursing school. however, just maybe over time the body and mind will somehow get used to it. still hoping here.

[miss81, BSN, RN]

There are several medical treatments used to help treat severe hyperhydrosis. I have seen Drysol (prescription antiperspirant) used. Also oral anticholinergics can prevent the release of Acetylcholine. Electrical stimulation and also botox can be injected for temporary relief. I have posted a link with some info. The site is a for profit clinic that specializes in this treatment but you may also want to do some unbiased research too. Hope this helps...

http://curehyperhidrosiscenter.com/Hyperhidrosis_Treatments.htm

[Scrubmouse RN]

This post could have been written by me! I HATE HATE my sweaty palms. Actually they are sweating as I type this! They tend to sweat more when I am nervous or if the room is ever so slightly hot. But thinking about them makes it worse. When I started NS I just wore gloves all the time and was honest with my partner that I suffered from sweatly palms and didn't want to touch them with my nasty hands. By the time I was done, my hands were pruned from so much moisture! I think what helps is to wash your hands with really cold water (b/c of sweaty hands, you'll probably never forget to wash your hands!) dry them really well and then put on the gloves. Good thing that sweat is sterile. I tell my partners that too.

[Ceeceenumber3]

my boyfriend used to have this all the time. he doesn't anymore, though. he says he worked through it by meditating and deep breathing through many of the times it was happening; and eventually it stopped happening regularly. it happens occasionally now, but not all the time like it used to. i know that's not really much help, but just a thought for something else to look into...

[NICURN22]

Wow! Thanks everyone for the responses! I really needed them, they gave me a little boost to continue through the program. I think I am going to talk to my professor about maybe wearing some gloves when I am performing assessments so I am not so concentrated on my sweaty palms and can focus on the actual assessment. Its really hard for me to "calm myself down" when I get nervous. The more I think about my hands, the worse they get.

Hopefully I am just making the situation seem worse than it really is. I think it's just that I have gotten some horrible reactions before from people noticing that my hands are sweaty and I feel like everyone is going to react that way and sort of call me out about it