My skin hurts!

ouchpotato

Hello everyone

I think I am heading into yet another flare - I am utterly exhausted, took my daughter to school this morning (5 minute walk each way), came home and fell asleep on the settee. It wasn't a case of drifting into a sleep, it was that I was completely totally exhausted. Had I not laid down I would have collapsed. I slept all morning until my phone rang at 12.30. I fought all afternoon to stay awake and now I want to sleep again.

But what I wanted to ask is this; my skin in certain areas is super sensitive. On my elbow in particular I can't bear anything to touch it, even material from my top is causing me pain. It feels almost as if it is sunburnt. I have enthesitis in this joint but the skin doesn't usually hurt. Do any of you have this? It's bad enough that my joints hurt but my skin????

Thanks

dreamdaisy

I am used to hurty skin thanks to eczema and psoriasis. I am not a doc and so can't say what is going on with you but extreme tiredness can make us super-sensitive to the life going on around us. DD

villier

My skin on my ands and feet are super sensitive Ouch but that is down to my neuropathy, maybe time for a visit to your doc to see what's going on...............Marie x

applerose

No advice to offer on the hurty skin or the tiredness but it won't do you any harm to get checked out. Hope you get it sorted soon.

Mat48

I had something like this on my lower back for a week over the summer - I found it really difficult to sleep because of things inevitably touching it. I just assumed it related to a heat rash I was also struggling with but have wondered sometimes why I never even asked my husband to take a look. So no suggestions apart from to ask your doctor - but lots of sympathy anyhow.
Mat x

barbara12

Just a point ouch , have you ever had a fibro test..not that there is one test but more a trigger points...it might be worth having a talk to your GP.

ouchpotato

Hi Barbara

A couple of years ago a locum dr diagnosed me with fibro - no tests, no tender point test, just the pain in all four quadrants, fatigue etc. Then my regular dr refuted that, so actually I have no idea. The locum never put it on my notes.

I have several of the tender points but it was pointed out to me that a lot of enthesitis points are similar to the fibro ones. But I have always suspected that I have fibro; however you just trust the drs don't you?

I am feeling generally pooey at the moment; I am utterly exhausted, my ribs are SO painful...I'm starting to dread the evenings as that is when the pain is worse, and now it has spread from my ribs to my sternum. I would love to find an old fashioned stretching rack that they used to torture people with in tudor times and stretch my ribs! I'm guessing it's costochondritis.

x

DebbieT

I get very painful skin wen I'm in a Fibro (FM) flare so that coupled with with ure utter exhaustion would lead me, in ure shoes, with no doubt I'm in a flare but I'm not a Dr!!

I was diagnosed by my rheumy so I'd suggest you ask them to test you as its not just tender points that give the diagnosis. I too have a lot of Enthesitis from PsA & now they think I have AS too. I'd definitely get a ure rheumy to test you, they are in similar places but I know wen a tender point is pressed it makes me react quite differently, it's unlike a 'normal' pain, it makes you jump away from it no matter how badly ure hurting else where.

Good luck.xxx

ouchpotato

Hi Debbie

The problem is that until I get another MRI and bloods, and only if they show something untoward, I am not due to see the rheumy again. I have osteoarthritis which is dealt with by the GP as I understand it, a ruptured disc, neuropathic pain from the disc, and tennis elbow (and golfer's elbow as it is on the inside as well as the outside). I am waiting for a referral to the pain clinic for spinal injections and also into my elbow as the epicondylitis clasp I was told to wear is neither use nor ornament!. However, the xrays showed changes in the SI joints so the MRI may well show AS as that is what I was referred for in the first place.

The FM (if that is what I have) came on after a flu jab...whether it triggered something lying dormant or not I don't know, but this also followed a massively traumatic couple of years. I started with sleeping 18 hours a day, and then the pain came on...a completely different pain from the arthritis, I just hurt all over, literally from head to toe. My back, knee and hip issues are separate from that because the pain from the (possible) FM is more of an ache, every fibre of my body aches.

Does the skin hurt all over when you are in a flare, or is it in certain parts of the body? I ask because at the moment it is just the skin on my right arm, from my elbow and all the way down the inside of my arm to my wrist. I have a jumper on and it feels like I have been scalded!

Sorry for the ramble but I am feeling particularly yucky and down at the moment.

x

DebbieT

It can affect any part of ure skin. Ure whole body, which if I'm in a psoriasis flare too is beyond description!! But it can also only affect a small patch too :? To me it feels almost like grazed or burnt skin, that type of pain.

Yes fm pain is definitely different to autoimmune arthritis bug isn't like OA either, tho it's closer to that than it is my PsA.

A gp can diagnose fm but ask for a double appointment so it can be dine thoroughly. I'd advise ringing ure surgery & ask which gp deals with it the most & see them.

Good luck.xxx

ritwren

Sorry to hear you're having such a rough time of it Ouch. I have Fibromyalgia diagnosed by my Rheumatologist and also have PsA and OA.

What you are describing about your skin being painful is very much one of the symptoms of FM. Many doctors are said not to agree with FM diagnosis and some don't even believe such a condition exists although this seems to be changing now from what I hear.

If I was you I'd make an appointment to see another Dr, perhaps the receptionist can advise which Dr might have more experience with FM. and get them to give you a proper exam.

It is important to get a proper diagnosis as when my Consultant diagnosed me, he also advised my GP to prescribe Pregabalin which after many months of treatment and changing doses finally started to do some good.

I wish you the best of luck and hope you get help soon.Has the appontment for the pain clinic been made? Do let us know how you get on.

Ritwren.

dreamdaisy

I know people with fibro who have not sort of arthritis (and still they moan ). From what you have said I too think fibro is the culprit but you do need proper medical assessment and advice. My diagnosis (made by my rheumatologist last October) came as yet another bolt from the blue because that had not even crossed my mind, I thought it was just more of the same-old-same-old. Hey-ho. Go see an empathetic doc - I hope you can find one. DD

ouchpotato

That's the trouble, there are only two doctors in my surgery. One is useless. I have been going to her for a long time about my back and she just shrugged (having walked around me several times stroking her chin) and said 'well I'm baffled'. She is also the one who told me that inverse psoriasis doesn't look anything like the patches I have in my groin, and yet it is EXACTLY like the pictures I've seen. She said if I had psoriasis it would be on my shins !?!?! I have no faith in this woman. The other GP is lovely, and referred me almost immediately with suspicion of AS, said I have definite sacroiliitis and promised we would get to the bottom of it. But I fear (I think this is quite common) that he will think me a hypochondriac as the last time I went I bugged him about brain fog. I seriously thought I was losing my mind as I just couldn't even understand a simple sentence!!! There is a 2 week waiting list, but I will have to go down there anyway as my password isn't working for the online booking system.
I have had no notification from the pain clinic nor the MRI. That is 4 weeks ago now, I thought I would have had at least a letter. I'm slightly worried as when I saw the rheumy she was very stressed and busy, taking phone calls during my apt and generally distracted. I was kept waiting for three hours and when she finally saw me it was right at the end of clinic times and I feel I was rushed. It would be my luck if she forgot to make the referrals.

Still, at least it's nice and sunny today.

x