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My ETS story begins in college at the age of 22. I hear from my friend that someone in one of his classes had surgery to stop his palms from sweating. My friend tells me that this guy just had the surgery and is so happy.. The individual that had the surgery showed his palms to my friend and they were dry.. I'm thinking, wow, this is great stuff right here. I always have sweaty palms, so everytime I shake someone's hand they have to wipe it afterwards. It's pretty embarassing when that happens. I'd be constantly wiping my hands on my pants, which would leave discolorations on the thigh area.

I start by visiting my doctor, and I ask them about the surgery.. They instantly refer me to someone that can perform the surgery and I'm on my way.. They didn't even try alternate methods before surgery just straight to the surgeon.. Being a young fool, I'm like cool why try other methods when I can just get the permanent solution.. Boy will I ever regret that..... Anyways. I talk to the surgeon, he tells me the procedure and some side affects. After hearing his explanation of the procedure, I ask my questions. "How will this affect my sweating from the face?" "How long is the recovery?" I know I asked more than that but being five + years ago, I can't remember all of it. But those were the main two questions I asked. The most important being the face and sweating. So he gives me the answer I was looking for.. He says "It won't at all affect sweating on your face. It'll be just like now, but the sweat from your hands will move to your groin or back." I'm thinking, this is too good to be true. It's a small trade off to sweat more on your back or groin than the hands. I'd find out later in my life that it was really too good to be true. My mind is set, after his response. I decide to go through with the surgery.. The single most costly mistake I've ever made in my life.. Something that has changed absolutely everything. It's January in Southern California, winter time.. The day of the surgery, my mother drives me to the hospital. I get ready and they put me to sleep. Next thing I know I wake up and everything is done. They do a few test, look for horner's syndrome.. I'm good, so shortly I'm released to my mother.. She holds my hand and it's dry, and I'm thinking everything's gonna be great from now on. She notices it's dry and she's happy too. Next few days at home while recovering I notice I'm so cold, I need the heater on all day. I didn't realize this then, but I do now, my body wasn't able to regulate it's temperature right. I'm shaking and it's not even that cold.

First week back to college and my hands are dry, I'm not really sweating much anywhere. I'm in class writing and my papers are no longer getting wet. So far so good. Summer rolls around. It's August and I'm starting Fall semester. This is when I first realize that this surgery screwed my body up.. I'm walking around the campus and some classes are pretty far, it's so hot... My back is just dripping, and my shirt is soaked. I get to class and I can't even cool off. I have to stop every couple of minutes in the shade on the way to my class so I can try to keep my shirt as dry as possible due to the embarassment of being soaked in class. The days go by, and I learn the quickest routes to each class and what color clothing to wear in order to hide the sweat.. I try to arrive 30 minutes early so that I can be dry by the time class starts. Fall semester is over.

Next step I joined the Army... Wow! Imagine that! With this condition.. You gotta be nuts! What do you do ? I need the money, and I need to get out of the house and be on my own.. I purposely do not tell them of my condition, because it would automatically disqualify me. They ask me if I had any surgeries before joining, I say no. I sign up and I'm off to basic training in January of 2004. I'm lucky because the training was in the winter. Tempuratures were usually in the 40's. I make it easily. I was always good at athletic type activity, and even post ETS, I'm still pumping out great run times on the requried physical fitness test. Next is the advanced training. It's summer time now, and I get used to being wet from the nipple line down.. It was a daily thing, and didn't affect me too much being that we all had the same uniform on, and always had hats on. So no one ever noticed that I'd never have sweat on my face. I make it through all the training, and I'm off to my first duty station.

Here's where it gets interesting. 6 months after arriving to my first duty station, it's off to Iraq.. Oh my gosh! This hardest thing I've ever done in my life. For me, it's not hard doing the military job, but it is hard to do it Post ETS. I was in for some terrible experiences, from ETS... It's 130 degrees outside, and I am scheduled for guard duty for an 8 hour shift.. It's from morning to the afternoon. Like a normal workday. I'm wearing all the gear: Helmet, Vest with plates, weapon, gloves, boots, weapon, ammo, and Uniform (which is under shirt, Long sleeve top, Long pants bottom). It's so freaking hot, I start dripping immediately. So the whole time of about 10 hours, I'm dripping.. and I can't cool off. I just drink water non stop.. and make it through.. I get headaches throughout the day. I'm thinking I'm getting brain damaged because my head is throbbing.. This goes on for about the whole year.. as guard duty is part of the job. Summer guard is the worst, but winter is tolerable for me. With all that equipment, high temperature, combined with the inability to sweat from the facial area, I'm surprised I survived.. Time goes on and first deployment comes to a close, I'm back in the U.S.I've pretty much learned everything about my conditions now. I can't sweat on the face. My back, chest, groin, entire legs, and feet are always soaked if the temperature is about 80+. When I eat sweets or spicy foods I have gustary sweating.. My hair is so dry and flakey, it burns and itches everyday. People start noticing my shirt gets so wet when we are working in the heat. I dread everytime we have to go outside, because I know how soaked I'm gonna get, and how uncormfortable sweating like that feels. I get through the time by becoming an alcoholic and smoking cigarettes or black and milds... It made me forget about everything related to the ETS surgery.. I do that for a year and a half... And I finally quit drinking and smoking..

It's 2007. I'm scheduled to be out of the army dec 31 2007.. Guess what, they hold me by something called "Stop loss" I end up going back to Iraq in Sept 2007 for a 15 month deployment.. This time I didn't have to stay outside too much as my job is in communications.. But there were still times where I had to strap up all the gear and once again relive my horrors from the past.. drenched clothes, inability to cool off, people asking me why I'm so wet...

Well, now it's april 23, 2009. I spent 15 extra months on active duty due to the stop loss, and was finally released from active duty army on March 13, 2009. Sitting here at home, hoping for a cure.. Stem cells has my hopes up. Just wish there was more evidence that it works. The military was really good with always having air conditioners indoors, so my time there was decent when inside, but absolutely horrid when outside. Here at home now, there's no Air conditioner, the temp was 90+ for about 3 days.. I was like slime.. it pisses me off so much..

My love life is none existant. How do you explain to someone what is going on, and hope they understand.. "Yeah babe, I can't go outside because it's too hot.. You can't rub under my shirt because all you will get is a handful of sweat if you do." I had my previous girlfriend rub under my shirt in the summer before, and she wiped her hand after, it was embarssing.. Simply put, it sucks so bad. Whenever I have been with a woman, they wonder why my legs get so sweaty, and I make all the sheets so wet.. I want to meet someone so bad and I'm so lonely, but how could I ever explain to someone that I can't do the things others do.. Like go to the beach or relax outside on a hot day.. and that I need to take a shower after being outside.. ..I could go on forever..

Just as others that have undergone this surgery, I used to love playing sports. I still weightlift but it's so embarassing being in the gym, not sweating from my face. I've had friends think I wasn't working hard or things were easy for me because they couldn't see me sweating. In reality, I'm trying harder than I would need to and exerting more energy, than if I could sweat from my face. I can't cool off. It's impossible.. I literally need to be kept in a refrigerator. My favorite things, like basketball and running are ruined. I get tired so much faster, and again have the inability to properly cool off. Not to mention the funny looking sweat pattern on my shirt from the physical exertion. I've noticed as the years have gone by after the surgery, I am always tired.. I don't look forward to much.. I'm like a hermit.. I will avoid being outside if not neccessary because, I know how much I'm going to get soaked.. I used to absolutely love going outside and feeling the sweat drip from my face. It used to make me feel better .Now what.. I feel worse when I start sweating. It feels digusting to sweat. I never used to sweat on my back or my chest. Now everything below the nipple line just drips, and is always wet. I'm still in the military reserve and I'm dreading the times we have to train outside in the heat, or don't get showers.. because I need a shower every single day, especially in the summer time. I stayed in because I need some money.. The sad thing is that, I can't just stop working because of this condition. I have to get out and make money, which ETS makes so very difficult. If i can't find a job in an always air conditioned enivironment, work becomes another dreaded period of time..

Everyone, I feel your pain so much. It upsets me that doctors are making money off of ruining our lives. Living it up!! At our expense. Digusting! If there ever is a solution for a cure, these same doctors that did this crap to us need to pay for our corrective surgery. But that's not going to happen because they don't give a care. All they care about is the money.. To my doctor: Thanks for ruining my life. I knew something was fishy the way he was acting when I was talking to him. He knew what was going to happen, and I can't believe he didn't stop me. I'll never forget what he said on a followup a week later after the surgery was finished. It plays in my mind everytime I think about that day: "How are your hands?" I say "They're dry." He responds "That's what you wanted." It's the hint of sarcasm that was in his voice, and only years after, do I get it now. Yeah, I wanted dry hands, but not at the expense of my life. Altering someones normal body functions is not a joke. I'm so sorry that I gave in to the pressures of society and what is considered normal.. Never mess with your body!