Stinging all over body

[igemfourd]

Hello all, would love to hear your opinions on this.

I'm 27 and had a hair transplant on november 12th. I believe it's worth mentioning since I've had a lot of anxiety and stress after this operation. Long story short, a month later I run to the doctor for a blood test (dermatologist requested) and everything came back fine. Except for my Bilirubin which was slightly elevated (it's fine now again). Somehow, I was very stressed for this (blood test). It seems that after the operation, I got really anxious and got health anxiety, which was never the case before my operation. In the next 2 weeks I get another blood test and get an ultrasound of my whole upper belly region. Everything came back normal but I stressed so hard during this period, it was insane. (Worth mentioning I tried a serotonin blocker and for the first time in 2 weeks I felt at ease again. I felt my muscles relax and I slept for 12 hours)

A week after, all of the sudden my inner thighs started to burn. I've had this burning feeling and it would appear when wearing jeans or any kind of bottoms. With wider pj's I was more comfy but I couldn't handle jeans, especially when walking. It would burn & sting. I go to my derm (already had an appointment before this occured) and she tells me my skin is really dry and I need to hydrate. I always had a dry skin in the winter but never experienced anything like this.

A couple of days after the inner thigh burning started, that kind of went away. But then, I felt electric shocks through my legs. A couple of days after this, the sensations were all over my body. Now they felt more like a stinging kind of feeling. It's not an itch, it's like stings. Some could be more severe than others. Sometimes I'd feel it in my left or right leg, than it would occur in my neck, than in my hand, than in my arm, .. . It wasn't constant but it never really stopped for longer than an hour or so. This lasted about 5 weeks.

This week, all of the sudden, I felt like for 2-3 days it got much better. Although, I was concentrating on other things, it felt like I was not feeling the stinging as much as before. But now, it's back. It's not as bad anymore as before, I'm able to wear jeans again but it's still here.

I've tried:
- Levothyroxine for my Thyroid (it was on the low side in my blood work but not that low)
- B1 & B3 daily
- Vitamine E
- Ashwagandha (only started 2 days ago)
- Vitamine D (this was too low in my blood)
- Skin supplement with biotin, collagen, vitamine C (only started 2 days ago)

Does anybody have an idea what I could try? Some people suggest stress and anxiety is the cause but on days where I'm more calm I still feel it.. Any help is appreciated. Been having this now for a month and a half. My last blood test was 3 weeks ago, if anyone want some values just ask and I'll provide (I got like 60+ parameters checked). For now some key blood count info if relevant:
- RBC: 4.60 (ref: 4.35 - 5.61)
- WBC: 4240 (ref: 3720 - 10540)
- CRP: 0.6 (ref: <5.0)
- Vitamine D: 28.8 (ref: 30 - 100)
- TSH: 1.33 (ref: 0.27 - 4.20
- Cortisol morning: 18.7 (ref: 4.8 - 19.5)

Thanks for reading.

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

This seems to me to be a possibility....

"Dysesthesia is a generic term for a cutaneous symptom--such as pruritus, burning, tingling, stinging, anesthesia, hypoesthesia, tickling, crawling, cold sensation, or even pain--without a primary cutaneous condition in a well-defined location that is often caused by nerve trauma, impingement, or irritation."


"Chronic anxiety is often associated with dysesthesia. Patients with this anxiety may experience numbness or tingling in the face. In one study, those patients that were examined psychologically had symptoms of anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, or somatic symptom disorder."



"Dysesthesia results from nerve damage. It happens when damage to the nerves causes their behavior to become unpredictable, which leads to inappropriate or incorrect signaling.

These confused messages go to the brain, which is often unable to interpret them. Consequently, the brain chooses to respond to a sensation or combination of sensations that it knows."

Dysesthesia: Causes, symptoms, types, and treatment

Dysesthesia is a painful, itchy sensation associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). Learn more about the symptoms and types of dysesthesia here.

www.medicalnewstoday.com

 

[igemfourd]

This seems to me to be a possibility....

"Dysesthesia is a generic term for a cutaneous symptom--such as pruritus, burning, tingling, stinging, anesthesia, hypoesthesia, tickling, crawling, cold sensation, or even pain--without a primary cutaneous condition in a well-defined location that is often caused by nerve trauma, impingement, or irritation."


"Chronic anxiety is often associated with dysesthesia. Patients with this anxiety may experience numbness or tingling in the face. In one study, those patients that were examined psychologically had symptoms of anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, or somatic symptom disorder."



"Dysesthesia results from nerve damage. It happens when damage to the nerves causes their behavior to become unpredictable, which leads to inappropriate or incorrect signaling.

These confused messages go to the brain, which is often unable to interpret them. Consequently, the brain chooses to respond to a sensation or combination of sensations that it knows."

Dysesthesia: Causes, symptoms, types, and treatment

Dysesthesia is a painful, itchy sensation associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). Learn more about the symptoms and types of dysesthesia here.

www.medicalnewstoday.com

Thank you for taking your time and sharing your knowledge.

Although, I've had high anxiety, the burning/stinging wasn't/isn't just present in the face. I do however believe more and more it might be something regarding confused messages to the brain. Being in a fight/flight mode day after day for a period might have triggered something. I just hope it's reversible. I'm feeling more calm now and I don't panic so easily anymore.

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

Thank you for taking your time and sharing your knowledge.

Although, I've had high anxiety, the burning/stinging wasn't/isn't just present in the face. I do however believe more and more it might be something regarding confused messages to the brain. Being in a fight/flight mode day after day for a period might have triggered something. I just hope it's reversible. I'm feeling more calm now and I don't panic so easily anymore.

I have read plenty that even nerve damage can be repaired so even if that were the case, and you have nerve damage, stay positive and taking extra care of yourself and I'll bet your symptoms will keep fading. Stress is a killer.

 

[Peatness]

What pain medication were you given during the procedure? The itch could be a side effect of that or some sort of histamine reaction to something you were given.

 

[igemfourd]

What pain medication were you given during the procedure? The itch could be a side effect of that or some sort of histamine reaction to something you were given.

I'm not sure. I could ask the clinic but I forgot to mention the burning inner thigh, followed up with electric shocks which eventually became a stinging sensation only occured one month and a week post procedure.

 

[Peatness]

I'm not sure. I could ask the clinic but I forgot to mention the burning inner thigh, followed up with electric shocks which eventually became a stinging sensation only occured one month and a week post procedure.

Has something in your diet changed? I would speak to the doctor about which anaesthetic/pain meds was used.

 

[igemfourd]

Has something in your diet changed? I would speak to the doctor about which anaesthetic/pain meds was used.

After my operation I started to drink way more water and watch my food closely. I've been eating way more pure food & vegetables. Before, I didn't really eat bad but it definitely improved. I'll ask the clinic about the pain meds I was given when I talk to them. It just seems so weird that after what feels like taking more care of myself, this annoying symptom appeared. And how it gets worse when wearing clothes and especially jeans leaves me dumbfounded. Anyway, thanks for your input!

 

[igemfourd]

Hello @haidut , sorry to 'summon' you randomly like this. Could you shed your light on my symtoms above?

 

[haidut]

Hello @haidut , sorry to 'summon' you randomly like this. Could you shed your light on my symtoms above?

Sorry, I don't provide personal advice any more. Too legally risky and too many people asking these days. The forum is now 20-30 times bigger than when I first joined and the amount of (unsolicited) questions has grown proportionally.
A few people emailed me recently with burning symptoms and for 4 out of 5 it turned out to be related to COVID-19. The direct symptoms may be due to build up of lactic or uric acid, which seems to be a common occurrence during viral infections. The symptom severity coincided with peak of the viral symptoms and then waned as the infection also gradually disappeared.

 

[igemfourd]

Sorry, I don't provide personal advice any more. Too legally risky and too many people asking these days. The forum is now 20-30 times bigger than when I first joined and the amount of (unsolicited) questions has grown proportionally.
A few people emailed me recently with burning symptoms and for 4 out of 5 it turned out to be related to COVID-19. The direct symptoms may be due to build up of lactic or uric acid, which seems to be a common occurrence during viral infections. The symptom severity coincided with peak of the viral symptoms and then waned as the infection also gradually disappeared.

Thanks a lot for your reply and your knowledge. I understand and respect it completely.

 

[aguilaroja]

post deleted

 

[igemfourd]

bump

Could my Bilirubine levels have an impact on this? Backstory: 13 december my Bilirubine was high, a month later it was lower but still on the high side. The stinging got better in that period but still hasn't fully gone away. Seems to get worse a couple of days after eating cheatmeals. Don't know if related. Ultrasound came back fine (whole upper belly) but doctor told me I had a "stressball" of 0.45cm in my gall bladder. He told me it was a build-up of bile. Should I clean my liver?

13/12/21:
Bilirubine: 1.51 mg/dL (ref 0.20 - 1.25
B direct: 0.48 mg/dL (ref 0.00 - 0.30)
B indirect: 1.03 mg/dL (ref 0.01 - 1.00)

21/12/21:
Bilirubine: 1.57 mg/dL (ref 0.20 - 1.25
B direct: 0.46 mg/dL (ref 0.00 - 0.30)
B indirect: 1.11 mg/dL (ref 0.01 - 1.00)

17/01/22:
Bilirubine: 1.24 mg/dL (ref 0.20 - 1.25
B direct: 0.42 mg/dL (ref 0.00 - 0.30)
B indirect: 0.82 mg/dL (ref 0.01 - 1.00)

 

[Korven]

bump

Could my Bilirubine levels have an impact on this? Backstory: 13 december my Bilirubine was high, a month later it was lower but still on the high side. The stinging got better in that period but still hasn't fully gone away. Seems to get worse a couple of days after eating cheatmeals. Don't know if related. Ultrasound came back fine (whole upper belly) but doctor told me I had a "stressball" of 0.45cm in my gall bladder. He told me it was a build-up of bile. Should I clean my liver?

13/12/21:
Bilirubine: 1.51 mg/dL (ref 0.20 - 1.25
B direct: 0.48 mg/dL (ref 0.00 - 0.30)
B indirect: 1.03 mg/dL (ref 0.01 - 1.00)

21/12/21:
Bilirubine: 1.57 mg/dL (ref 0.20 - 1.25
B direct: 0.46 mg/dL (ref 0.00 - 0.30)
B indirect: 1.11 mg/dL (ref 0.01 - 1.00)

17/01/22:
Bilirubine: 1.24 mg/dL (ref 0.20 - 1.25
B direct: 0.42 mg/dL (ref 0.00 - 0.30)
B indirect: 0.82 mg/dL (ref 0.01 - 1.00)

Hi igemfourd!

It sounds to me like you have an issue with poor bile flow a.k.a cholestasis (hence the high bilirubin) and that can definitely cause stinging/itching sensations. See: Pruritus of Cholestasis - Itch - NCBI Bookshelf.

When my gallbladder and liver was very congested I would get really bad itching at night and couldn't sleep at all.

Good thyroid function is needed for the gallbladder to work properly, so addressing that would likely be important. Some find TUDCA helpful for improving bile flow. Personally I got the best results by simply drinking hot water between meals.

 

[Korven]

And forgot to mention, but worsening symptoms after cheat meals (greasy/fatty foods I presume?) also point to a sluggish gallbladder.

 

[igemfourd]

Hi igemfourd!

It sounds to me like you have an issue with poor bile flow a.k.a cholestasis (hence the high bilirubin) and that can definitely cause stinging/itching sensations. See: Pruritus of Cholestasis - Itch - NCBI Bookshelf.

When my gallbladder and liver was very congested I would get really bad itching at night and couldn't sleep at all.

Good thyroid function is needed for the gallbladder to work properly, so addressing that would likely be important. Some find TUDCA helpful for improving bile flow. Personally I got the best results by simply drinking hot water between meals.

Thanks a lot for your valuable feedback. I'm really glad you mentioned this. It definitely makes sense and could be the cause. After my surgery (with anesthesia and anti biotics) I had the bad habit of eating what I could. Before, I was used to have a low cal diet and after my surgery I started eating way more snacks which only had a negative effect on the whole story.

Based on your feedback I'll start taking my thyroid medication again and eat clean again. Hopefully, this works. I might try TUDCA but will research first.

Thanks again.

 

[Kray]

Thanks a lot for your valuable feedback. I'm really glad you mentioned this. It definitely makes sense and could be the cause. After my surgery (with anesthesia and anti biotics) I had the bad habit of eating what I could. Before, I was used to have a low cal diet and after my surgery I started eating way more snacks which only had a negative effect on the whole story.

Based on your feedback I'll start taking my thyroid medication again and eat clean again. Hopefully, this works. I might try TUDCA but will research first.

Thanks again.

@igemfourd
Anything new to report? Update?

 

[igemfourd]

@igemfourd
Anything new to report? Update?

Hello,
Nothing really new to report. I still feel the prickling sensations. Mostly in my legs but sometimes in my arms. Update on what I tried/I’m trying:
- month of bellozal (anti-allergy)
- just wait to hope it fixes itself
- clean food, diet and plenty of sleep
- get lots of vit D (natural if possible else through supplement)

So far, sadly, nothing really helped. Based on 2 doctors their opinions I should see a neurologist. Probably soon I will do that as I start missing the feeling I had before my operation (to feel nothing unusual). Also really strange almost no one here or on reddit can relate to my symptoms and timeline.

 

[Kray]

Hello,
Nothing really new to report. I still feel the prickling sensations. Mostly in my legs but sometimes in my arms. Update on what I tried/I’m trying:
- month of bellozal (anti-allergy)
- just wait to hope it fixes itself
- clean food, diet and plenty of sleep
- get lots of vit D (natural if possible else through supplement)

So far, sadly, nothing really helped. Based on 2 doctors their opinions I should see a neurologist. Probably soon I will do that as I start missing the feeling I had before my operation (to feel nothing unusual). Also really strange almost no one here or on reddit can relate to my symptoms and timeline.

So sorry to hear- I really hope you find answers to your problem, and that it isn't serious or irreversible. Thank you for your update. Best to you.

 

[igemfourd]

Update:
Been to a neurologist at the hospital. Explained everything I've experienced in the last 4 months. He asked a lot of questions and performed a physical exam.
He thinks it's a temporary issue where my nerves are over sensitive. Small nerves sending out pain signals to my brain for no reason after having the high stress/anxiety period after my surgery. He says he thinks this could be due to changes in stress hormones.

I asked him if we shouldn't do any test, just to see if there's at least nothing blocked in my back since after a run I have pain in the left side in the middle of my back for 2-3 days. He said that was probably because I laid down for weeks/months after my surgery and didn't train my muscles/joints (which is true but still, I used to run 120km a week). He said I should see a physiotherapist or osteopath if this problem keeps on lingering.

His consensus was that he believes it's nothing serious like an immune or muscle disease.

Anyone know what I could do in order to recover if what he says is true and my nerves are over sensitive? It seemed like he said only time would heal.