Sweaty Betty

Fifth grade..Mr. Mercier's class at Ivan G. Smith Elementary School Danvers MA.  I was wearing a yellow cowlneck top.  I was sitting across from Billy Kearns and Matt County.  I raised my hand to answer a question and Billy and Matt simultaneously pointed at my raised arm and said "SWEATY BETTY!".

UGH...Now what do I do?  I know what I did do.  I put my arm down and turned a nice shade of red and didn't say another word the rest of the day.  I was 11 years old. I had already been wearing antiperspirant/deodorant for more than a year.  My mother realized I needed it when I was at Camp Leslie for a week the previous summer and when she came to pick me up she could barely get next to me I stunk so bad.  But what did I care? I was 10 and having lots of fun at summer camp.

This became a problem.  The older I got the more I sweat.  I started using Mitchum in the 7th grade to try and control the sweat.  It didn't work.  I pretty much suffered with the problem all through high school.  I wish I still had the picture from my sophomore semi-formal.  I had such a pretty red dress on and from my armpit to my waist on my right side I was soaked.  (so much for pretty). 

Fast forward to 3 yrs ago.  While I was working at a dry cleaners a customer came in that was in the entertainment business.  She wanted the underarms of her shirt to be paid special attention to because she had perspired so much in it while performing.  I told her I had the same problem but all I had to do was be awake and I would be dripping.  It was always worse under my right arm.

The information she told me next was some of the best news  have ever heard in my life.  She told me she was starting botox injections under her arms to stop the sweating.  I had read about it years ago but it was so expensive I couldn't afford to have it done.  She said her insurance covers it and I should look into it.

WOO HOO!! yes my insurance does cover it..apparently some executive at bcbs had the same Sweaty Betty nickname and she decided to make this a covered procedure so she didn't have to endure the name calling from her employees any longer. 

So once every three months I go in and have botox injected in my underarms.  I am so liberated now.  I can wear anything I want now.  I can wear a white shirt more than once and not leave a terrible yellow stain in it.  I can wear all the colors of the rainbow and not be afraid to have a big ring of sweat showing. I don't have to stuff paper towels under my arm to soak up the sweat while I'm at work.  I'm free..free at last..