The key difference between my day and the photo above is that I did not perform a rock concert today. Maybe in my head I was a rockstar, but rest assured, I was not dancing around a stage under hot lights trying to get the crowd going. Although by looking at my armpits, you would have thought I just wrapped up a concert, ran a marathon, or zumba’d for hours.
This is just another joy of having Gastroparesis. I’m not officially positive if excessive armpit sweat is linked to Gastroparesis. My hypothesis is that the two are linked because I never had this problem prior to Gastroparesis flair ups. I’ve asked around in GP communities and some others have the same problem. Although I will say that I haven’t had enough people to make a statistically sound conclusion to either reject or accept my hypothesis. (Yes, I am a stats nerd.)
The excessive armpit sweat is a problem for a number of reasons. Nothing screams professionalism quite like a couple of big rings on your sweater. This has led me to purchase a number of sweaters and shirts that do not change much in color when they are soaked with sweat. You may ask why I don’t just wear an undershirt to help with this issue. Well….I do!
I’ve tried almost every antiperspirant out there. Some works better than others, but some days my body just decides that it wants to sweat buckets. Some friends have suggested that I go to a dermatologist. With all of the doctors visits already in regular rotation, the last thing I want to do is add another one to the mix. There is also the thought of having to educate yet another medical professional on Gastroparesis. (It gets exhausting!) There is also the thought that the dermatologist will just blame it on Gastroparesis and not do anything (which is probably the appropriate answer). Do I really want to waste the time and money to deal with it?
Sadly the answer is no. I would rather have one less doctor to deal with, one less bill to pay, and one less pill to swallow or medical procedure to go through. I already feel like a living pin cushion and have racked up plenty of frequent flyer miles to doctors’ offices, so I think I will sit this one out.
I will sit this one out by hiding in a bathroom stall while I take off my sweater, soak up the sweat with a paper towel, and apply more antiperspirant. The only thing I know for sure is that those pesky GP elves better be ready to hand wash all these sweaters!
~Millie
PS…Thanks for sticking with me during my short hiatus. I took some “me” time to see an old friend of 30 years & to visit with a GP sister that is in the hospital. I was all out of spoons by the end of these visits and took a short break from writing about my Gastroparesis Adventures.
Adventures with Gastroparesis 
Mine did if like crazy after I was first diagnosed with GP. I did the same as you, tried everything. Including an order of the arm pit pads that stick to the inside of the clothing. I would rather hear the paper towel, than deal with that. Slowly it has tapered off. That was also the time of the bad night sweats. With cross my fingers only happens about once a month. My Dr thought it was hypothyroidism. with a test later, nope not it and the subject was dropped and an prescription antiperspirant was ordered (did nothing). I’m with you, save the money. Hopefully it will taper off. By the way, glad to hear you took time off. When one goes MIA in the GP community we all wonder.
This is definitely an interesting blog because I had a few night sweats starting last year and I never had them before, but I have had GP for years. First I thought that I was perimenopausal because my periods seemed different for awhile, but now they are back to normal (however, I will be talking to my doctor about tests next month). Now I’m not sure what to think, but you never know if it’s GP related!
Also, I started chiropractic treatment last May so I thought that had something to do with the night sweats because my body (and spine) was undergoing such treatment because that was the only change in my usual routine. So, now I’m just baffled! However, I think that the chiro treatments have really helped my GP and there really isn’t any research online on a correlation between the two!
The only OTC deodorant I’ve ever liked is Mitchum Powder Fresh Clear Gel For Women Anti-Perspirant. I find it to be the strongest and it really works all day! I hope something will work for you two soon!
@ Jen, Thanks. Mine has tapered off, lucky. I just now seen to get hot (face and nose turn red) when I eat and when I dip yes (hot). A few times a day out of the blue I get super hot and need to take layers off. But sweating is minimal. I am 36 and just 1 yr into GP dx. BTW I just LOVE these blogs!
@Melissa, I’m glad that things are better! I’m also 36 and was diagnosed with IGP in 2011, but I started getting sick pretty regularly in 2004 (then and until 2005 was the worse). Tons of doctors with incorrect diagnoses (I was told by two doctors to have my gallbladder out when there was nothing wrong with it!) and a little bit of remission time made me still wonder what was wrong with me until I saw a specialist where I now live that ordered me to have a gastric emptying scan… I wish all of us would have been spared the agony of this… the uncertainty is just so frustrating!
Thanks for all of the tips & support! GP is definitely a tricky one to try to figure out. It is so hard to know what is related to GP and what is not, but either way it stinks. (figuratively & literally!)
Hey! I know this is kinda off topic however , I’d
figured I’d ask. Would you be interested in exchanging links
or maybe guest writing a blog post or vice-versa?
My blog goes over a lot of the same topics as yours and I feel we
could greatly benefit from each other. If you’re interested feel free to shoot me an email.
I look forward to hearing from you! Excellent blog by the way!
Sorry for the delayed response!
Shoot me an e-mail with what you have in mind. 🙂
adventureswithgastroparesis@gmail.com
~Millie
I was recommended this web site by my cousin.
I am not sure whether this post is written by him as no one else know such detailed about my difficulty.
You are wonderful! Thanks!
Hi Pedro!
Thank you for checking out my blog. I can assure you that I am not your cousin because I am female. 🙂
I’m glad that you feel the blog is an accurate reflection of what we go through!
~Millie