yesterday i got botox

wait. it's not what you think though. or is it??

well, probably not.

first, let me start the story. when i was in 8th grade, i started sweating a lot. like way more than usual. and it was just all of the sudden. and it was just my armpits (gross, huh?).

it never went away. all through high school i sweated. and the thing is, i can't control it. it just happens. and when i know i've sweated some, i sweat more because i become anxious. it's really hard to understand unless you have the condition. it may not seem like a big deal, but it changes my daily routine. i think about it a lot, and it determines what i wear. it's technical name is hyperhidrosis. any way, back to the story. so i sweated in high school, and it was so embarrassing. i tried to always wear clothes that wouldn't show sweat (lots of black, some white) and i ALWAYS had a jacket just in case i sweated a lot (which was most of the time). i wanted to be prepared.

i complained about it constantly to my doctor. i tried all of those over the counter treatments, like certain dri, and it worked for a few days. but it dried out my armpits so bad that i would cry at night. it was so painful, and really not worth that much pain. i tried prescription treatments, too, and it was the same as certain dri. i could use it for a few days, and would then have to stop.

one day, the doctors office called my mom. they heard about a study for excessive sweating, and thought of me. i was SO excited. it was a study on botox injections in armpits to see if it stopped sweating. i had to go to the dermatologists office where they were conducting the study, and they had to see how much i actually was sweating to see if i qualified. well, i qualified (i knew i would). i mean, i can sweat a ton just sitting and doing nothing. it was free, and they actually paid me. but the study only lasted a year. and that was back when i was in high school, so it's been a while. the injections last about 6 months, and are pretty pricey. that's why i never got them again.

it's been about 8 years since i started sweating, and i've pretty much had enough of it. i really didn't want to pay all of that money (every 6 months), but i was about to the point of just doing that. before, my insurance wasn't likely to cover it. it was considered a cosmetic treatment. but just about a month or so ago, i found out that insurance is now covering the treatment. YAY!!!

so, i contacted a dermatologist, and they scheduled me for a consultation. they treat a lot of people for the condition, and they said that with the severity of mine, that insurance would likely cover most or all of it. and the fact that i did the study, and it worked for me was a good sign. they sent a letter of medical necessity, or whatever it is, to my insurance company that day, and about a week and a half later i got a call from them. they said they'd cover 90%!! i was SO excited.

i made an appointment, and got the injections! it's not painful at all. it's just little shots (you can barely feel them), and it's over in like 5 minutes. doesn't take long at all. my doctor said that it sometimes takes a week or so for the injections to start working, but i think when i had them done before that they worked pretty much immediately.

i've always been embarrassed about sweating, but i'm so glad that i was able to get the treatment to stop it. i will have to go back about every 6 months to have it done again, but insurance should cover all of my future treatments at 90% too.

so, if you sweat a lot, like i did, you should definitely contact a dermatologist and see if your insurance will cover it! you may be surprised! it's definitely worth trying.