weirdest symptom EVER....any relief?

[kayleeb1218]

alright, i have officially run into the weirdest syptom ever and no matter how much i try, i can not find any relief...

i have a spot just below my shoulder in the front, i cnt really tell you how big it is, because i have not totally figured that out. but anyway, every once in a while it feels like some one is tickling me, and then when i scratch, i get no relief. it just hurts. the only way i can sort of get rid of the feeling is if i put a ton of pressure on it an rub it really hard. then it just hurts even more, but the feeling goes away. its really weird. but its annoying me. its honestly like a tickle that never goes away. i have tried everything is past week. anti itch cream, lanocane, advil, benedryl, calamine lotion, and it just seems to be making things worse. its disrupting my sleep because i am constinatly scratching.I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO......

[Redwings]

What you're describing sounds like another of the parasthesias caused by screwed-up nerve signals. There is nothing you can put on that spot externally to stop the sensation because it isn't coming from a stimulus that's superficial or external. Some people have found that they've gotten some relief from superficial remedies, but that isn't usually the case.

Rubbing really hard can help temporarily because it introduces a conflicting nerve signal that distracts from or overrides the internal signal. But that's all it's doing and is only temporary.

Stopping (or at least controlling) the sensation may require something that affects the nerve signals internally. A lot of folks have success with gabapentin/Neurontin. It's a prescription medication, so you'll have to ask your doctor about it.

[kayleeb1218]

thanks redwings for responding. currently the doctor has put me on 5mg of baclofen....he said if i had to up it to 10mg (a whole pill) if i did not get any relief from the 5mg. he originally put me o it for my legs.....i only really take it when my legs hurt and it didnt seem to help. i think i am going to up my inttake to 1 whole pill, but will it work like the other drug you were talking about?

[Jenni O]

I Agree With Redwings...

I have been having that symptom for a long time now, only I hadn't related it to paresthesias. When I would explain to people how it felt, I would say..."you know, it is an itch, but not on the surface, it is IN there". And that is all I can explain it as, it feels like an itch or tickle that you cannot scratch away, it just feels "IN" there.

But, as Redwings said, it is a paresthesias thing. Neurontin helped, but now, I take Trileptal which is a prescription drug as well. It has helped me, personally, more than the neurontin did, but I have this feeling from head to toe on my left side, non-stop.

Good luck, let your doctor know, and get on some sort of neuralgia med! Sorry you are feeling so poorly!

[kayleeb1218]

omg JenniO!!! thats exactly it.......i am going to call my doctor on monday and hope he can help me with something!

[GGritz]

I am a little confused on how Baclophen is supposed to help what you describe. First of all 5 mg is not much, and it is a drug that helps spasticity not what you are describing. If you don't get any relief you may want to call your doctor again. Good Luck

[kayleeb1218]

GG, bacolfin was to help my legs, i was having bad pain/spasms in my legs. but i was reading online between those two meds and it sounded like they had some similarities....

[Jenni O]

Isn't it great when...

you find people that actually understand what the #@{{ you are talking about?!?! I love this place! It always seems like there is someone out there that can relate to the experiences that you yourself are having. Too bad that people we deal with on a daily basis just have no clue! Of course, they just think I am crazy, so I just let them think that.

I agree that the baclofen seems odd to give for neuralgia/shock-type pain. I'm glad that you are going to talk to your doc about it.

[Redwings]

GG, bacolfin was to help my legs, i was having bad pain/spasms in my legs. but i was reading online between those two meds and it sounded like they had some similarities....

Baclofen and Neurontin are similar in that they're both used to treat pain, but they're different classes of drugs and treat different kinds of pain.

Baclofen is a muscle relaxer. It helps to relieve pain that comes from muscle spasms. It doesn't have any direct effect on nerve pain or paresthesias. Neurontin is an anticonvulsant that works on the electrical activity of nerve cells. It helps to control paresthesias and pain by damping down or preventing the electrical misfires that cause them.

A lot of people are on both Baclofen and Neurontin to treat both kinds of pain.

[Shashi]

I have something similar on my left ankle, except mine is an itch. I can scratch until I bleed, but the itch does not go away. The one thing that helps for a short time is if I put an ice cube on it for a few minutes, I guess it short-circuits those nerves.

Just another aggravation in a long line of aggravating symptoms!

[MrsBones]

Redwings is right . Neurontin/Gabapentin works for all kinds of paresthesia.It keeps most of my burning spots in control, stops the vibrating, the under the skin wiggling, the fire ants on my side and even the weirdest one I have....the warm water that pours down my left calf occasionally.

Just remember that it may take a while to find a dose that works for you. You might get it right on the first try, but don't worry if you need to up the dosage once in a while. You'll find what works for you and adjust it as needed.

Until you get to the doc to talk about Neurontin, instead of scratching or rubbing for that temporary sensory substitution, try rolling a tennis ball on the spot. My doc told me about this trick. He's the best.

Varying pressure and rolling helps give the same effect as scratching, but avoids the possibility of scratching your skin or even bruising yourself. In the summer, I've wet them , popped them in a ziplock and then put them in the freezer for a little while for added relief. It is temporary but until you get whatever treatment your doc will rx, it'll keep you sane.

Plus, for those times you have a little psuedo-exacerbation, it can't be beat to help out those weird little things until your sx settle back down.

[rocky282]

Warm Water

weirdest one I have....the warm water that pours down my left calf occasionally.

I have that warm water feeling quite often on the front of my legs and feet and it is so strange. I thought I was the only one, but I see now that it is an MS thing. (laughing hysterically) of all the illness I could have gotten, I got the one that makes you feel like a freak. Oh well, at least the warm water feeling is just strange and not painful, yet anyway.

[kayleeb1218]

thanks everyone for all your help. i knew i joined this forum for a reason. i am soo new to all of this, and its hardfor me to know whats what......

i have been having issues with everything latley. i was hoping i was going to get over this relapse sooner then later, but things keep coming up. a couple weeks ago i had a 3 doses of the prednison IV. which seed=med to help my physical state other then my hands. they are still bad, but manageable. its just those weird/annoying symptoms that sticking around.

i agree with Rocky! out of all the illness' i could of gotten i got the one with all the weird symptoms! its funny when you tell people how you are feeling you gt the weird look, like your nuts!

Shashi thats just as annoying as mine,i don't thinki could handle that one either. what do you do to relieve? other then scratch of course.

Mrs. Bones, i'm going out today to buy me a tennis ball, and i am going to test this, haha! i need some relief, i have been wasting so much money on creams and such hoping for something, but i am really hoping i get something from this tennis ball trick! i will let you know how that turns out!

Redwings thank you for clarifying, i took one whole baclofen last night and all it did was make me extremly sleepy and i slept through all my ichy pain....annnd it make my leg cramping go away! another plus. no more 1/2 a pill for me. lol....

[journeyman]

Gate control. The science of pain/discomfort.

Long but instructional with pain relief techniques for all kinds.
Most areas on our body are controlled by what is called a "Gate." Each area has two nerve tracks going to the spine and to the brain.

One of them is large and carries pains that are big like heavy, strong pressure. The other carries sharp or light pressure. The impulse affecting the nerve passes through a gate. Only one type of impulse can pass. When the impulse goes through the gate, the gate decides which one is more important and closes the gate to the other.

You can selectively close the gate by applying more of the same kind of pressure at or above the spot that is giving you problems. You apply hard pressure above a hard spot and light pressure to the light spot.

When you hit your thumb with a hammer you usually will grab your hand and apply pressure to stop the pain. A mosquito bite is a sharp pain. You hit the spot to stop the mosquito and then rub lightly to stop the irritation. As the mosquito bite turns into a bump If you scratch it the spot becomes irritated and the pain becomes worse. Lightly rubbiing it will stop the pain.

I say all of this to give my advice to all of that above. When your area is giving you problems try not putting hard pressure, give back what it gives. Lightly brush or "tickle" the spot. when it settles down by 50% then you can lightly rub the area. When you get it to that point cool not cold will help. I put a wet washcloth in a baggie and then in the refrigerator. When I have the spot colmed down I apply the washcloth out of the baggie. For me this brings the impulses down to a tolerable level.

Strong pain needs strong pressure. Sharp or light pain needs light pressure. All I can say is try it.

I know how aggravating this stuff can be but this is what I learned as a Medic in the USAF and as a ER/Psych RN.

My thoughts are with you. J. Tampa, Florida

[Jenni O]

Journeyman, you have the most eloquent way of explaining things. Not only have I learned a lot from you and your comments the last few days, but, I have also decided that the next time I need something explained in simple terms, so that not only I can understand them, but also so that my family and friends can understand them...I am going to request that you help me with it! Thank you for that explanation!