I’ve always been too afraid to get a massage because of my hyperhidrosis. I worry about being too sweaty and dripping all over the massage table, grossing out the masseuse, grossing out myself because I hate my body and can’t control it, and not being able to relax physically or mentally because the sweating takes over my psyche. So when my friend posted about a massage giveaway, I must have gone temporarily insane because I decided to register to win. I figured if I won, then it was meant to be and I was supposed to go through with it so that I could blog about it. Well, hot damn and hallelujah! I won! I was initially very excited, but then all my HH doubts started to creep back into my mind. When Jennifer at Healing Hands Massage emailed me to schedule the appointment, I explained to her right away that I suffer from HH. She appreciated my sharing the information with her and said not to worry about my condition, that she’s worked on many different types of people and that variety is the spice of life. She told me not to focus my energy on my sweating, but to focus it on relaxing into the moment and enjoying the massage.
I explained to her my preferred environment: cooler, lots of air flow, and with plenty of time to spare for me to arrive and allow my body to adapt to the environment. I absolutely cannot feel rushed when I’m doing things, as it triggers my HH. I arrived with time to spare and Jennifer went over my paperwork, asked me if there were any areas of my body I did not want her to touch, and explained what to expect during my massage. While we were talking, she mentioned that she had already removed the fleece blanket she had on the table, since she knew that hot things were my enemy. When she left the room and I was getting ready to lie down on the table, I noticed another blanket on top of the table, so I immediately tossed it onto the chair. So, it was just me in between 2 sheets. I wasn’t entirely nude; I wore a pair of loose cotton shorts because I just wasn’t comfortable being completely exposed even though she would only uncover the part of my body she was working on at the time.
Prior to all of this, I had told her that I would be bringing my own small fan with me to help increase my comfort level. She also had a fan on site that was much bigger than mine, so we ended up using hers instead. God bless whoever invented fans; it was my saving grace that day and allowed me to indulge in an experience that I otherwise would have kept avoiding because of my sweating. Do not be afraid to ask for what you need if you think it will allow you to go beyond your normal comfort zone and live your life. My complete honesty and straightforwardness about my condition allowed me to transcend it for that blissful hour.
The only part I had a problem with was getting my brain to stop ruminating. I was able to relax my body and not worry about sweating since I had my BFF the fan right there next to me blowing cool encouraging breezes. I never got cold, and Jennifer said my muscles stayed warm and loose enough that she could still work on my body, which makes sense since my skin is always warmer than those who don’t have HH. So, I need to work on being more present in the moment and letting my brain relax. I certainly don’t need to be thinking, Okay, now she’s rubbing near my butt. I wonder if she thinks it’s fat? Seriously, that’s the kind of dumb stuff that was going through my brain. If you have any tips for meditation or mental relaxation, share the love. I’m a ruminator by nature, so this will definitely be something I’ll have to work on. But knowing that I can go through with a massage and tell my hyperhidrosis to suck it for an hour makes me hopeful.
If you’d like to book a massage with Jennifer, please tell her I referred you.
Copyright © 2011 My Life as a Puddle
