Skin very sensitive to the touch

[JamieA76]

I have been experiencing very strange skin sensitivity for the last 3 weeks or so.  It all started with one little spot on my ribcage about the size of a softball.  The skin felt very sensitive and had like a "sunburned" feel to it - it especially bothered me when my shirt would rub up against it a certain way.  Well, it eventually spread around to my whole rib cage area and was very bothersome.  Some days the feeling would be worse than others.  It seemed that each day the feeling would slowly move upwards and eventually the feeling was all around my breasts making it extremely difficult to wear a bra.  It slowly went away for almost 2 days but then the same feeling came back but this time it was on the underside of my forearm.  Same exact feeling, just a different location. It also all of a sudden appeared on one little spot on my foot and also on my pelvic bone area.  Currently, it is bothering me really bad on my lower abdomen and the top of my buttocks, all the way around my body.  The feeling seems to be more intense on the left side of my body though.  Again, it feels very sensitive to the touch, almost like I have been sunburned and it really bothers me when my clothes brush up against it.   There is absolutely no redness, bumps or lesions of any kind.  The pain doesn't feel very deep either, it is just on the skin.  

Now I don't know if this is related to the strange skin sensitivity or not but about 4 days ago I started feeling this really weird sensation behind my left eye.  It almost feels like I have to strain to move my eyeball to the left and when I do, I kind of have a dizzy feeling.  I know this all sounds really weird but I feel like I have started to fall apart since the new year rang in!  I have always been a perfectly healthy individual.  I'm a 31 year old female, have 2 young healthy boys and am married.  I have no stress in my life whatsoever so I know this is not related to stress.  I have a dr's appt tomorrow morning at 8:30 but I wanted to know if anyone has heard of these weird sensations or know what it could possibly be?   Thanks for any help you can provide...

Jamie

[Cathy30]

I have been having exactly the same feeling for the past 3 weeks.  It started on the right side of my stomach and felt like really bad sunburn and my shirt hurt my skin really bad when I put it on.  It then went to my whole back, went away from there and showed up on my right inner bicep, then to my right outer forearm and now on my left inner and mid-thigh for 2 days and now still on my thigh but also on my left forearm.  It is extremely painful on my thigh when I walk and my pants rub up against it.  I am 32 years old, with two healthy boys and am married.  I have been feeling stressed lately since I just went back to work after a 3 month maternity leave.  My jaw has also been slamming shut on its own when I least expect it.  It doesn't clench and stay closed, it just slamms shut and then is fine.  I attributed that to stress, too.  

I am very nervous about what this may be and am going to a dermatologist tomorrow in the morning and am hoping for some answers.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Cathy30]

The sunburn feeling pain has now moved to my whole lower back and is hurting everytime I move.  Any advice would be great.

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hello.

The altered sensations you are having on the skin are not due to any skin disease. In all probabilities, these are symptoms of peripheral neuropathy. And it is changing places. t hints at some progressive injury to the peripheral nerves, or even higher up in the brainstem or the brain itself. A demyelinating disorder has to be ruled out.

You can speak to the doctor about this.

Regards

[Cathy30]

I tried going to see a neurologist today but due to the weather here in the northeast, noone could see me.  I have an appointment on Monday morning but I don't know if this is too long to wait to see what is wrong.  It is now still on my left leg, on my left forearm and hand, by my right shoulder and now on my stomach again.  I am not sure if going to a hospital will help since my appointment is 2 days away.  I am in trememdous pain every time I move.  Any advice would help.

[Cathy30]

One other thing is that I have had some throbbing in two of the spots where I have pain - my left thigh and left arm and hand.  It is not constant but enough for me to notice it.

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hello.

I don't think there is any problem in waiting for two more days. If he is a Neurologist, it is better to wait and get it examined properly.

Meanwhile, you can try some over the counter anti-inflammatory drugs, only if you can not tolerate the pain.

Regards

[Cathy30]

Went to the neurologist today and she said it was probably not peripheral neuropathy since I don't have the pain in my feet or hands (only that one time in my hand) and she wants to rule out MS.  I had an EEG and evoke potentials testing today in the office and am scheduled for an MRI with and without contrast of my brain and spine towards the end of this week.  My follow-up appointment with her is next Tues. March 4th so we will see.  I am posting my updates since I think it is important for other people looking for some sort of answers to see what they may end up going through.

[Cathy30]

I had thetwo MRIs on Thursday.  The doctor ordered them with and without contrast but my insurance would only pre-certify them both without contrast.  I am hoping that these, combined with the EEG and EP labs I had done this week will be enough for a diagnosis.  I go back to the neurologist on Tuesday.

[Cathy30]

Went to the doctor for my follow-up visit on Tuesday and thankfully all tests came out normal - the MRIs, EEG and EP labs.  Since the MRIs were without contrast the doctor still wants to do them both with contrast just to make sure but she is confident that it isn' t MS.  She said the MRIs without contrast would have shown old plaque and the one's with contrast will show new plaque if there is any there.  I go back to the doctor next Friday.

[Cathy30]

I have not yet had the two MRIs with contrast yet, I plan on scheduling them tomorrow.  I have not experienced the pain in a few weeks.  I found out that my sister had the same MS work-up I had a few years ago after she had some numbness in her left leg.  All of her tests came up normal and they said she had extreme anxiety and stress. She said yoga helped alot.  

[barbara522]

I get the same sensations, they are not extremely painful but very unnerving.  I have had it on my calf,forearm, back and side.  I can't say it lasts so long a day or two, goes away and then comes back.  I would love to know what this is.

Barbara

[JohnPao]

I'm experiencing EXACTLY the same sensations. They started roughly 3 weeks ago. Have any of you had any word on what this might be?

JP

[mandykr]

i am experiencing the samething  but its only on my right side in spots about the size of an open palm. it is scaring me a little and i would like to no what could be wrong.

[Terrie2008]

Hi all

I have not had a good day today.

Apart from the "normal " things that I get every day, Last night my skin on my fore arm and inner legs felt like bad sunburn.This has happened several times now.

My skin feels like its splitting its so sore,WHAT IS IT ? If any one else gets it what can I take or do.I feel quite unwell with it all.

Someone has recommended putting some t tree in a  warm bath (I like hot baths but  I cant even have that pleasure now) so warm it is.


Best Regards

Terrie

[CT203]

I am 37 Male, and I also startted feeling this feeling as well, around a week ago I notcied, not sure what it is. HELP

[CT203]

I apologize incorrect spelling. on my first post

[RAM0281]

I am a 53 year old healthy male. I have started experiencing strange symptoms this week.  Starting about 5 days ago, my right forearm became very sensitive to the touch.  I first thought my shirt sleave had somehow irritated that area.  There was no rash, redness, bumps or swelling.  I have had no prior problems in that area.  The irritation seemed to be mostly topical but also radiating into the lower levels of skin.  I was also experiencing what felt like the effects of sunburn on my entire upper chest.  Since then, the arm has become slightly less sensitive but the pain /irritation to the skin had spread to the right half of my chest area and to the right shoulder blade area.  Now, about five days later, I am sitting here in the middle of the night, unable to sleep.  I am twisting and turning and cannot sleep.  My hip/abdomen/rib  area is sensitive to the mattress.  I am sleeping fitfully as I cannot get comfortable.  I am worried as during recent vacation to N.C. OBX area, I found tick on my lower leg.  Is this related? I am alarmed.

[Julie365]

I am 40 years old and have been experiencing all the same symptoms since Dec 2007.  I currently have an area the size of a softball that is numb and sore to touch on my right knee and yesterday i had some pains that felt like a pin *****.  I have the underside of my right thumb numb and sore like a sunburn.  I have had an MRI, CT Angigram and CT Head.  MS has been ruled out but they did find a small bleed in my brainstem near the PONS.  3 months ago I had right facial numbness and tongue numbness that has resolved on it's own.  
It is frightening.  I have an appointment with a neurologist in a couple of months and hopefully some  EMG studies will help diagnose this.  I was very stressed out when all the symptoms started in December but my life has gotten great and if related to stress i don't think it should be happening anymore.
Years ago I was diagnosed with a C4-5 stenosis and I'm not sure if this is related to that either.  Family doctor does not have enough knowledge to even speculate.
So here I wait...2 more months to see a neourologist...I'm in Canada.

Julie

[Cathy30]

I posted back in March with the sunburned skin feeling and finally had the last MRIs with contrast to rule out MS and they were all normal.  The neurologist said that she didn't think there was anything wrong and I haven't had any symptoms since February.  Like Julie, I was very stressed at the time this happened to me - just went back to work after maternitiy leave, financial burden of daycare, etc., company buy-out and layoffs.  Things are much better now so hopefully it was stress related.  That is scary, though, what stress can do to your body.

[mannyw]

I am experiencing sunburn like feeling on the upper part of my buttocks, i am taking  lanoxin, coreg cr and diuretics for my heart. Could this be the cause of the over sensitivity?

mannyw

[LABS2LUVU]

I have this same pain as JamieA76 does. Entire rib cage area, underneath the breast but it has not moved any place else. It is very uncomfortable. It is called Allodynia and I am taking 300 mgs of Gabapentin twice a day and 90 mgs of Cymbalta once a day. I also have a cream at the direction of my neurologist. It is Ketamine/Gabapentin at 6%. I put a pea size on the most painful spot twice a day. The medication has not totally taken the pain away but it has allowed me to go about my day without too much discomfort.

Hope this has helped anyone.

[callison]

I am 59 years old and have the same like symptoms. Mine is mostly on the crown and under left upper and lower under arm. I have tenderness and when pricked with nail hurts. It also seems when I touch the arm it is cooler than the other arm in same area. It also comes and goes just like everybody else says it does. I have had this for several years at least to the point that I noticed it. My legs and arms itch to the point I itch them and it leaves redness. My skin seems very thin and I bruise very easily.
I to would like to know what this could be.

Linda

[CL7]

It's frightening how virtually EVERY time someone sees a Neurologist they are signing up for HUGE medical bills for MRI, CT scans and the rest.  If you are like me and experience many of the symptoms presented here - consider first the likelihood of Shingles (Herpes Zoster).   It's a virus commonly derived from having the Chickenpox as a kid.  Start your research there and be slow to letting a doctor play 'seek and find' for a diagnosis while scaring you to death that you have MS or some similar condition.  

[nebevina]

Soo weird..my symptoms are like Jamie's and had never heard of these before. I actually was ready to make an appointment with a neurologist but decided to have a last minute apptmt with an internist. Since it's only been 4 days since the sunburn and muscle spasms of left side of my body (rib cage) he wanted to wait a few more days to rule out shingles. So far, ibuprofen every 5 hrs helps ease the pain. I pray that this doesn't go beyond what I am experiencing...NN