My skin hurts

[Liahona]

My skin hurts and I don't know why. Its on my right leg. I hadn't realized how many times easy child 2 runs into my legs to hug them until today. Its very painful to the touch. I do have varicose veins that I've had since I was a teenager. I haven't ever had pain before. I am over weight. husband and I went for a 2 hr fast paced walk yesterday (his idea of a date) and while I have sore muscles in other areas on my legs this part is the skin that hurts. Has anyone experienced this before?

 

[JJJ]

That can be a side effect of some medications. Have you started taking anything new?

 

[Liahona]

No medications at all. Sometimes I take a multi-vitamin but have had a very hard time remembering the last few weeks.

 

[flutterby]

I've had that for years. I'm pretty sure I even posted about it here once, though probably a couple years ago. Doctors and nurses always looked at me like I had grown a second head when I told them. I have noticed that it is related to stress for me. And I've recently been diagnosis'd with small fiber neuropathy. It is also worse when the fibro is worse, which can correlate with stress, too. Those bath puffs feel like sandpaper right now.

The good news is that it doesn't seem to be related to anything serious - as in infectious or life threatening. Just annoying and uncomfortable.

 

[flutterby]

Also, I don't think weight has anything to do with it because when it first started happening with me, I was 120 pounds. Initially, it was only on my legs - thighs - and the only way I could explain it was that my skin felt bruised - not the tissue beneath, just the skin. Or sometimes it felt like a rug burn, but usually it felt bruised.

 

[susiestar]

I know what you are talking about. Keep an eye out for shingles, just in case. This sounds more like nerve pain in the skin. I don't know if weight is an issue - I am very overweight, but had this way back wehn I was very underweight. The last few years there are days I cannot even stand clothing. Seriously, I fight to not cry from having very loose, light dresses that barely touch me because everywhere they touch the skin screams in pain.

If this doesn't stop, you may need to explore taking Lyrica or neurontin. Neurontin is the old version of the same medication. Both seem to really help nerve pain. Lyrica is approved for fibromyalgia and nerve pain and for several years was a big help to me. Lyrica supposedly has fewer side effects, but I don't know if this is true or what I was told at some point.

One cause for nerve pain is diabetes. Do you know if you have diabetes or are at risk for it? If you have not had this test, have your doctor run the A1C test which will tell you if you are at risk to develop diabetes. An early diagnosis is crucial for diabetes, so if there are any questions about if you could have it, get tested.

I hope it goes away for you.

 

[Liahona]

Thanks guys. I'll look into that stuff. I don't think I have diabetes, but its worth looking into. And I might have the small fiber neuropathy. I'll have to read more tomorrow. It is so nice to be able to talk to someone that doesn't think I'm crazy when I tell them this. Even if it turns out I have something different Thank you for responding.

 

[flutterby]

I forgot about the diabetes correlation...probably because I'm putting off the glucose tolerance test. My blood sugar levels are always normal when checked, so they want to do this other test which doesn't sound fun at all, especially since I'm hypoglycemic.

 

[DammitJanet]

There is a subgroup of us on here with neuropathy. I didnt have the skin type, I had the one that made the marrow in my shin bones feel like it was burning hot lava at times. Thankfully that has gone away...why Im not sure. I do take a low dose of neurontin but I am not sure if it is enough to stop it. It may be the morphine...lol.

 

[Liahona]

Is neuropathy genetic? How do you get it diagnosis? When difficult child 2's arthritis first come up it had the docs stumped. Something weird was showing on the imaging in his shin bone. And he has pain in his bones but not necessarily in the joints. Does it go away and come back? Thank you so much. I'm going to google it now.

 

[flutterby]

There are many different things that can cause neuropathy - it's more of a symptom than a cause. So, it depends on the cause as to whether it's genetic.

 

[Liahona]

OK thanks