I first felt this a couple of nights ago in bed, when I rolled over, and felt the T-shirt I was wearing brush against my skin. And now if I just move my fingertips across my abdomen I feel it. It is not internal, if I press down there is no pain. So the fact that it is around my abdomen is probaby irrelevannt. There is no redness or swelling or rash. The best way I can describe it is that it feels like a sunburn, but that is really painful, this is not. Like a sunburn that had almost completely faded away.
I never knew there was a real word for that. I get that feeling in two situations. When I have a cold, there’s usually a day or two in the middle of it where even a blanket moving across my body feels like sandpaper. Luckily though, that hasn’t happened in the last few years. The other one is migraine medications. The wiki page mentions migraines as a cause. I’ve never had migraines make me feel like that, but some of the meds (specifically Maxalt and Imitrex) do it to me every time. If I’ve taken one of those pills in the last 12 hours or so, taking a shower is an unpleasant experience. The hot water is like getting sprayed with needles.
Luckily, whether what I have is or isn’t this, it typically doesn’t last for more than a day or so.
That was a really long way of asking if you have a cold.
Agree. I have had shingles and that just what it was like. Classic symptoms are rash on one side of the stomach or abdomen. You may get a rash in that area if you don’t have one already. It’s more common in older people but I had it at 33. In my case the brushing of my shirt against the skin was painful but if I pressed or rubbed directly on the area it didn’t hurt. I think it has to do with how it attacks the underlying nerves.
Huh. I’ve never heard of this before, but given I do get migraines I wonder if this the explanation for something I’ve felt several times. There are spots, pretty much in the same place on each upper arm (just about exactly where a non-cape sleeve short sleeve hem falls), that occasionally feel bruised and/or scraped, and hurts when brushed against like an actual bruise or scrape would, but there is no mark, no swelling, just no visible sign of what causes the sensation at all. After 2 or 3 days it goes away.
I haven’t had shingles, and just finished the vaccine a couple months ago. But what you describe made me think of it right away.
See, you have these nerve roots on both sides of your spinal cord, so the nerves can come branching out to service your body, your trunk for example. If the virus attacks one of these branches and spreads out along it, the region served will hurt or go hypersensitive. The virus can even cause nasty looking eruptions that are visible where the nerve endings hit the skin. Since it’s following a nerve branch, it is localized to the whole region served by the branch, and no place else.
If you can look up illustrations of what regions the various branches serve, or look up photos of real shingles cases in various parts of the body, you may find your feeling maps to one of these very well. I think that’d be a strong clue you’ve got shingles, though perhaps mild.
I think so. The sensitivity is much less today, not that is was a lot in the first place. No sign of a rash, but maybe that is because this is the first time. I reallly hope it is not shingles , that can be very painful and a couple of years ago CVS was giving away shots and I forgot to get one.
It could be an allergy you are developing. I can’t use several laundry detergents, any dryer anti-static sheets, or some soaps because of allergies. Sometimes it’s a rash, sometimes just something that feels uncomfortable enough to cause me to untuck shirts and roll down the waistbands of pants or skirts.
Shingles doesn’t always have a rash. Mine has flared up several times over the years, and there’s never a rash, only pain. But two different dermatologists have confirmed that it’s shingles.
Mom tells me i had shingles when I was 14, a small rash on my back. If that is what this is, hopefully I will only ever have mild cases. Does it usually occur in the same spots?
Weird. I’ve had migraines since I was 12, but didn’t get either Maxalt or Imitrex until much much later (they just weren’t around earlier?). The only side effect I’ve had has been painful swallowing — not in my throat but a strong burning sensation in my salivary glands after I take Imitrex (lasts about a day or less). I mentioned it to the pharmacist who looked it up and couldn’t see it reported as a side effect. Wonder if it’s related to your issue?
I have had shingles several times. All confirmed by a doctor. All but the last time were classic, what I first described as “sore skin.” The last time it presented as an ear ache for 2 days. On the 3rd day I went to the doctor and the rash was on my scalp and inside my ear. I would not wish that pain on anyone.