Sensitive Skin to Touch

[Lexi212]

I've been having a problem with extreme sensitivity in my lower extremities off and on for a few months. It starts in the upper and inner left thigh, and by a few days later it has radiated to the outer thigh, down to my calf and sole of my foot. Sometimes it will go to the other leg, too, but not usually at the same time. Also, the area between my legs gets extremely sensitive as well. The best way to describe it is that its like a sunburn without the redness and heat. It just stings when I touch it, or clothing touches it and its worse with cold or heat. This lasts for a few days to a week, and its like it moves down my leg and then out my foot. I have been to my pcp and my pain management doctor with no luck. I am not on any medications at current. Please help if you can! Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Lexi

[Skin Pain, too]

I have just come up with the same problem 3 days ago. It hurts to the touch. The skin was sensitive on my lower back and I thought it might have been a kidney problem. By the time I was ready to go to sleep, my abdomen was doing the same. Now that it is 3 days later, the pain has reached the sides of my buttocks and my thigh area.

I thought it might have been a side effect of my hypoclycemic bout 5 days ago. My sugar dropped dangerously low one night while I was driving and I didn't have anything in my car to fix it, and it was late at night and there wasn't anything open. I hadn't been that sick before ever, so I thought the pain to my kidney area was that. But I do not know. I am not ready to go to a doctor, as I do not know if this is something that will go away on its own.

When did this start happening to you? How often does it happen? How long does it last for you?

Thank you...

[Lexi212]

Hi!
I have had these symptoms on and off for most of my life. It seems to come in 3 week cycles, usually around my menstrual cycle. I haven't gone to see the dr. for financial reasons, but if you do, please let me know what he says. Usually the sensitivity lasts only 3-5 days and it seems to travel down my legs to my feet. I know when my soles of my feet start to be sensitive that I am on the last or second to last day of this. I hope this helps and I hope you can find some answers. Good luck!
Lexi

[Oscar]

This is a post I put on another thread, which seems to be talking about the same condition, so I thought I would also post it here. I forgot to mention that in desperation last year I also carried out an online diagnosis with www.Diagnose-Me.com. This threw up all manner of possibilities but nothing that really fitted the bill. One possibility I looked into was Lyme Disease, but from what I could understand this usually comes with a rash. Also, sufferers seem to have ongoing long term symptoms, not pain that comes and goes cyclically. Not sure if this helps but hopefully somebody out there knows what it is!

"Hi,

I have been previously misdiagnosed as having a trapped nerve for pain in my lower back and leg. X-rays did not detect any problems and so I had a course of physiotherapy. I was also misdiagnosed a year later as having a stomach ulcer due to pain in the lower back and abdominal area. This resulted in being put on a course of medication that only stopped once a very unpleasant non-sedative endoscopy proved that I didn't have an ulcer.

I currently have pain in my right armpit and down the triceps; a small area on my left inner thigh; over my kidney on the right and the stomach area.

It feels like bad sunburn but without any kind of rash or marks and I also feel generally unwell. I am taking regular paracetamol to get by and am waiting for the pain to go, as it seems to disappear as mysteriously as it starts. The episodes generally last from a few weeks to a couple of months and are several months apart.

I would love to know what this is and if anything can be done, but am reluctant to go to the GP again. If anyone has any answers please let me know. At least I know it is not in my mind, it is hard when you don't have any outwardly visible symptoms to show someone!"

[tuxkats]

I, too, have been having skin pain on my lower back, sometimes radiating around my side and upper buttocks. I also thought of kidneys as a possible cause, but I don't have any internal discomfort, so that doesn't seem right. It is very confusing--it feels almost like the sensitivity skin gets when one has a fever, but there is no fever. I have had this for a week now. I'm not ready to go to the doctor, but I might if it doesn't go away. If anyone gets an answer for this sort of thing, please post it! Thanks!

KF

[Unregistered]

I've been having a problem with extreme sensitivity in my lower extremities off and on for a few months. It starts in the upper and inner left thigh, and by a few days later it has radiated to the outer thigh, down to my calf and sole of my foot. Sometimes it will go to the other leg, too, but not usually at the same time. Also, the area between my legs gets extremely sensitive as well. The best way to describe it is that its like a sunburn without the redness and heat. It just stings when I touch it, or clothing touches it and its worse with cold or heat. This lasts for a few days to a week, and its like it moves down my leg and then out my foot. I have been to my pcp and my pain management doctor with no luck. I am not on any medications at current. Please help if you can! Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Lexi

Hi! I'm feeling the same... Do you know what it is? Have you been checked for hyperthyroidism?

Please, let me know.

[Unregistered]

I also have this problem of the sensitive skin that feels like a sunburn and hurts to touch or for clothing to touch. It started in my inner thigh up by my pelvic bone and has now moved down to my inner upper leg. It hurts so bad but I don't know what it is either. And I too have asked the doctor once and he thought it was the soap I was using but that is not it. I hope someone finds out and posts it. Thanks

[Jeremy]

hi, I am away on business in houston and I am too developing these coming and going feelings. Like right now, I feel fine. It seems as if stress triggers it. I have never been away from my wife and kids this long and I am beginning to think it is causing this strange pain. It seems to move about my abdominal and chest area, chest being the most painful. I have tried taking Ibuprofen, but to no avail. It really doesnt do much. I have noticed that it gets worse throughout the day and as I go back to the hotel, it subsides. Im sure people think Im crazy, so I dont tell many people. any suggestions would be appreciative! Do any of you have any nervous related issues??? Im generally a figity and nervous person, but nothing too serious. No meds or anything like that. Ive inherited it from my dad, for he is the same way!

Thanks, Jeremy

[Oscar]

Hi,

I have spent some time recently trying to search for answers to this problem and believe that in my case stress/anxiety could be the trigger that causes the bouts of pain. This would seem to make sense as I am otherwise healthy and do all the right things re diet, exercise etc.

I have searched the internet for possibilities for what the condition might be and keep coming up with Fibromyalgia, CFS, ME etc., as ones where the painful skin symptom seems to often apply. At the same time there are other symptoms which seem to fit the bill, such as poor quality sleep and feeling down/depressed. Some people seem to view the coniditions mentioned above as stand alone and others seem open to the idea that they may be related and part of a larger syndrome. The painful skin also seems to apply very often as a symptom of MS, but fortunately the other symptoms don't seem to fit in my case.

Of all the sites I have trawled through the 2 most helpful seem to me to be : http://www.fibromyalgia-symptoms.org/index.html and http://www.fmnetnews.com/pages/basics.html#symp. I would appreciate knowing others opinions about these sites and if they think that the conditions described could be applicable. Also, if anyone has any alternative ideas I would appreciate hearing about them.

[Oscar]

Hello again,

I have found another information site which caught my attention as it specifically mentioned "Skin Sensitivity – This is another unusual symptom. Some CFS sufferers experience a sensation where patches of skin become very sensitive to touch and may feel like they are burning. Some people describe this as a “crawling sensation”. " The link is http://www.ei-resource.org/fibro.asp. Hope this helps and again any thoughts or knowledge would be appreciated, as this is something I am trying to get to grips with myself and am just finding out about.