FAQ
Some Common abbreviations you will see on the Forum:
ETS - Endoscopic Thoracic Surgery - A surgery to correct Hyperhidrosis and Facial Blushing, for an in-depth description check out the ETS doctors websites
HH - Hyperhidrosis - excessive sweating; may be localized or generalized. The sweat often accumulates in visible drops on the skin. also known as ephidrosis, polyhidrosis, sudatoria
FB - excessive fear of blushing, also known as erythrophobia.
CS - Compensatory Sweating, extra sweating on areas of the body as a side effect of ETS. The body compensates for the loss of sweating on the upper torso by compensating to other parts of the body.
SP - Social Phobia - The persistent fear of social or performance situations in which embarrassment may occur.
GUIDELINES FOR POSTIING MESSAGES:
READ BEFORE YOU POST. Many questions you may have,
have probably been posted before and answered so try
to read much of the forum before asking any questions.
Try to be very descriptive in the title of your
message, including your condition).
Be sure and include your condition (HH in the
hands/feet/face/other areas/Facial Blushing) in your
messages.
Please give your name (First name and last initial
if don't want to give your last name).
An e-mail address would be very helpful. All of
the people that I have corresponded with are very nice.
Tips for Etiquette on the bulletin board
Electronic Postings are a written form of communication so it is easy to misunderstand the intentions of others, there is no tone inflection or facial expressions. Postings always seem ruder than they are supposed to be, so take care to read and reread your posting before submitting it. If there is an offensive posting addressed to you, it is likely that it is sarcasm or a joke gone awry.
If you receive an offensive message, don't answer right away. Come back the next day when you have cooled down and re-read it. If your still upset, write a nasty reply, and THEN DON'T SEND IT!!! Replying to an offensive message just makes the perpetrator counter-attack and so we end up with a whole string of offensive messages. If you really want to infuriate an offensive poster, ignore him/her!!!
Offensive and confrontational attacks only makes the poster look petty and ridiculous, don't take his bait and fall into the same trap!
Remember that when sending a message the person reading it will have no idea of what you intended to say--just what you actually said. Subtle sarcasm and irony almost always come
across as annoying or dumb instead. (The internet for dummies)
DICTIONARY OF COMMON TERMS
Thorax - The chest; thoracic means pertaining to the chest.
Ganglion - A group of nerve cells, as one located outside the brain or spinal cord.
Vertabrate - It is a bony segment of the spinal column.
White communicating rami - nerves from the spinal cord to the ganglia.
Grey communicating rami - nerves from the ganglia to the skin.
Kuntz nerves - collateral nerves to the sympathetic trunk and they are believed to be present in 10% of the population.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Many questions can be answered by reading the surgeons individual web-pages.
1. What are alternative method's of treatment?
ETS should only be considered as a last resort for treatment resistent cases that don=t improve significantly through conventional therapy. These include Cognitive-Behavioral therapy, counseling, hypnotherapy, and medication. I also recommend progressive relaxation and positive visualization. There are also drionics and botox injections for hyperhydrosis.
2. What are the best medications to treat HH/FB?
Depends on your physiology, check with your psychiatrist.
3. How long has ETS been performed?
The old open surgical technique has been performed since the turn of the century, but was unsatisfactory because of the high rate of side effects. The new technique was developed in 1987 and has been performed at least 20,000 times in Europe, United States of America, Taiwain, Brazil, South Africa and elsewhere.
4. What does T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5 stand for?
This is how your vertabra are numbered. The T2 ganglia corresponds to the T2 vertabra. T stands for Thoracic or Thorax.
5. Can ETS cure sweating of the trunk? (Back stomack, buttox, groin, and legs)
No. It may increase sweating in those areas.
6. What causes persistent redness of the face?
When the capillaries of the face are often filled with blood, through blushing, wind, or alcohol, the capillaries become stretched out, and do not have the strength to restrict, and therefore the blood cannot leave the face. This condition often leads to rosacea.
7. What is rosacea?
Rosacea is a disease that affects the skin of the face where people flush. Rosacea resembles a sunburn or acne in its early stages leading to visible blood vessels on the face. If not treated, it may eventually lead to a build-up of tissue on the nose, making it appear red and swollen.
8. Can the enlarged visible blood vessels caused by rosacia be eliminated?
Yes, either by injection or superficial LASER peel.
9. Is there a danger of dry skin after surgery?
The skin of the face and hands often becomes drier immediately after surgery requiring the application of ointment, but clearing up within a few weeks.
The long term effects on the skin depend on the extent and degree of destruction of the ganglia.
11. Is ETS reversable?
No, ETS is a pernament procedure. There has been some success in the last few years in reversing this operation. Clamping the sympathetic nerve can be reversed within the first two weeks.
12. What kind of Anesthetic is used?
General anesthesia begins with i.v. fentanyl followed by inhalation of isuflurane.
13. Do the symptoms (blushing, sweating) ever come back after ETS?
No, unless if there has been incomplete cutting or clamping of the nerves involved.
14. Can the ganglia repair themselves?
No, but there may be some minor spontaneous rejuvenation.
15. Does ETS affect sexual function?
No, normal sexual function is not affected in either sexes. However, making contact probably becomes easier by the better eye contact and the increase in boldness.
16. Will ETS have an effect on the way I exercise?
Maximal performance should return within a month. Pulse rate drops about 10-15% right after surgery but returning to near pre-surgery levels within a few months after surgery.
17. How much does ETS cost?
From a low of $2700-$6000 in Europe, and about $7500 in the U.S.A.
18. Will insurance cover ETS?
In many cases yes, check with your individual carrier.
19. If I experience redness, sweating, even after surgery, what is wrong?
Probably incomplete cutting or clamping of the sympathetic nerve. Blushing may only be reduced if it has persisted for decades.
20. Will ETS cure my psychological symptoms(social phobia)?
Yes, remarkably reduces anxiety.
21. Is HH/FB hereditary?
Yes, but In some cases it may not manifest itself unless under undo emotional stress.
22. Does ETS reduce the ambient redness in the face?
Yes, however visible blood vessels need to be zapped.
23. Will my fingers get frostbite in the cold due to loss of circulation?
You may be more prone to frostbite after surgery with it slowly returning to normal within a couple of years after surgery.
24. Why do my hands become warmer after ETS?
It is caused by the dilation of the upper arm and hand vessels. This dilation remains for one to two years and then returns to normal.
25. What is the usual age of onset of FB/HH?
Has been noticed in infants as young as three months, but usual age is puberty.
If you have problems that don=t seem related to HH/FB, please mention them on the forum,chances are many other people have the same problems and there may be some relationship that has not been discovered yet.
BROWSING TIPS:
Using Internet Explorer 4 (and I think other versions):
* Open a browser session
* Go to the CTSNET main page
* When you find a message you would like to read, press and hold the SHIFT key then click the link.
This will open a new browser session and allow you to read the message
* When you are done reading just close the new browser
main page each time you press the back button.
In netscape, hold down the CTRL key while clicking on a forum link to keep the main page from
Reloading when using the back button. You should have to do this only once, then it does it automatically.
