Stinging, sensitive, tender skin

[Doug97]

Does anyone else have sore skin? I have these painful patches all over my body that hurt, especially if I press or pinch them. The pain is just under the skin. It's worst on my legs but the skin is tender and painful on my lower back, upper arms, chest and neck. It's most painful on my calves and the muscles there are constantly twitching.

I also get random stings, like being stung by a wasp. Can happen anywhere on my body, from my legs to my head.

When I Google these weird painful sensations I keep finding arachnoiditis, which sounds like a horrendous disease that's sending my anxiety through the roof.

It's steadily getting worse, 2 months ago I didn't have any of this. I don't want to spend my life in constant agony!

 

[Doug97]

Thing is arachnoiditis is incredibly rare. It's also caused by spinal injury, or diseases that affect the arachnoid, like meningitis. I've never had any of that. So it simply doesn't fit!

Part of me suspects my anxious brain is making it up.

 

[Doug97]

Could it be fibromyalgia?

 

[tgirl]

Could it be fibromyalgia?

Did you have this checked out by a doctor? This is a good place to start.

 

[Doug97]

My GP asked me to send videos of my twitching calves for him to forward on to a neurologist, so we'll see what comes back from that. The neurologist has already said that if there isn't any weakness or back pain then there's nothing to worry about (which I knew already), so I doubt they'll want to take any further action.

I did think about spinal involvement, I injured my lower back in a motorcycle accident in 2016 that fractured one of the little spurs that stick out the side of lumbar vertebrae. But my GP doesn't think that was serious enough, there was no spinal cord involvement at the time as I was able to pick the bike up and keep going (I was riding through the Himalayas at the time), and I had no back pain or leg symptoms then.

I'm inclined to agree with him, because the pain is often above the level of that vertebrae, in my arms and even sometimes in my face.

 

[tgirl]

My GP asked me to send videos of my twitching calves for him to forward on to a neurologist, so we'll see what comes back from that. The neurologist has already said that if there isn't any weakness or back pain then there's nothing to worry about (which I knew already), so I doubt they'll want to take any further action.

I did think about spinal involvement, I injured my lower back in a motorcycle accident in 2016 that fractured one of the little spurs that stick out the side of lumbar vertebrae. But my GP doesn't think that was serious enough, there was no spinal cord involvement at the time as I was able to pick the bike up and keep going (I was riding through the Himalayas at the time), and I had no back pain or leg symptoms then.

I'm inclined to agree with him, because the pain is often above the level of that vertebrae, in my arms and even sometimes in my face.

If it started during a particularly stressful period it could be anxiety/stress. Google the 100 symptoms of anxiety on a site called Anxiety Centre. You’ll be amazed. Best of luck!

 

[Doug97]

Just an update on this.

When I fully accepted that all of my skin pain and weird sensations were 100% due to anxiety ... they stopped! I have not had them for 3 days now!

The same goes for my muscle twitching, except for my calves. They are still constantly twitching, but the twitching everywhere else has stopped!

So I'm left with one single symptom, when before I had about 10!

I can't believe how powerful the brain is at generating symptoms! I mean, it literally was making my skin burn and my muscles twitch!

PS since I STILL have no weakness in my legs, in fact on the leg press at the gym I have been steadily going up in weight lifted, so I no longer believe I have ALS.

 

[tgirl]

Doug97, thank you for posting your encouraging update. It’s wonderful when people post successes. Great news!

 

[Doug97]

I think it's important to come back at let people know that things were all in my head. You see so many threads just stop and you wonder if it's because they got better, or because ... ?

 

[bin_tenn]

I think it's important to come back at let people know that things were all in my head. You see so many threads just stop and you wonder if it's because they got better, or because ... ?

Absolutely! This is why I still post updates occasionally as well. Sometimes I'll just spin up a new thread to say "here's what I've been up to", even if it's not centered around an episode of anxiety. A lot of folks here like keeping up with me and others, and I want them to know I'm still here.

 

[MATD]

Does anyone else have sore skin? I have these painful patches all over my body that hurt, especially if I press or pinch them. The pain is just under the skin. It's worst on my legs but the skin is tender and painful on my lower back, upper arms, chest and neck. It's most painful on my calves and the muscles there are constantly twitching.

I also get random stings, like being stung by a wasp. Can happen anywhere on my body, from my legs to my head.

When I Google these weird painful sensations I keep finding arachnoiditis, which sounds like a horrendous disease that's sending my anxiety through the roof.

It's steadily getting worse, 2 months ago I didn't have any of this. I don't want to spend my life in constant agony!

First, stop googling, you see what it does to you. And the sore painful spots may be quite normal as well as the twitching. Anxiety affects the whole body, the brain is hyper stimulated. The brain is the body’s control center. I’ve experienced exactly what you have described. Even had sore spots on my big toes. I still get some twitching now and again. As anxiety fades, so does symptoms. The best way to handle is to simply accept them, understand anxiety causes these symptoms. The more you focus on the symptoms, the more they are reinforces. By accepting them without judging them or yourself, the fear of the symptoms fade, and the symptoms do also.

 

[Doug97]

Yes, I've stopped googling, that's a big help. And I agree that the more I accept that everything is caused by anxiety, the milder the symptoms get.