Dear friend,

My name is Filipe and I'm Portuguese.

I'm really very depressed with everything. I've got a 10 month baby that needs a healthy father . My case is really a strange case, or a pure bad luck case. I'm gonna tell you everything and I hope you can tell if my symptoms are real or if they are psycossomatic, or if you think I have Neuropathic pain or not, or if it is reversible or not in my case. Because right now I see Neuropathic Pain as a real ghost and my fear is controling my life.

First of all let me tell you that I'm getting better from day to day. I don't feel burning sensations. I only feel sometimes a "pins and needles" sensation caused by presssure especially when I have tight clothes.

I started exercising with dumbells at home one year ago. One of the exercises made me feel something like an electric shock on both elbows. i started feeling parestesias that turned out to be a burning sensation on both forearms including the hands, and stopped exercising in May 2009. I went to the doctor's who told me it was a tendinitis.I began physiotherapy, and immobilised my arms to make them rest but the pain didn't go away. After one month of physyotherapy I had a tui-na (a very strong massage) massage to the whole body. I felt much worse with that. During the massage I felt electric shocks on my elbows and shoulders. Since that my neropathic pain symptoms have reached its highest level. I felt my skin hyper sensitive, I had a glove sensation on my hands/ arms, and my hands felt very "stiff" and burning. It was a nightmare. After 3 months since I stopped exercising I went to a neurologist and did an EMG that was normal. But the pain was still here. I started taking Lyrica. Then I did a magnetic resonance to my cervical. The result was that all was fine, however, I had a strange reaction /allergy to the MRI. I didn't do contrast. Since then, I got a strange dermatographism, and my pain seemed to spread to the whole body. Both have been decreasing,

My problem now is that it's been seven months since I've stopped that exercise and the pain, although weaker, is still here. I'm afraid I'm the one that is extending this sensation because I got very depressed and scared with the situation. I also still feel the hands "stiff". My blood analysis are fine , so I have no disease.The doctors say I'm fine and I don't need a skin byopsy. I took lyrica only two months.

What scares me nowadays is the fact that I almost sure I damaged my small fibers nerves, so despite I'm getting slightly better from my symptoms (or I think I am) and they are intermitent I'm affraid I already developed a Chronic Neuropathic Pain. I'm also taking Antidepressives and Anxiety pills, and I'm affraid they are the ones who are taking my pain away, is it possible?

So I ask you, do you think I developed a chronic neuropathic pain? Is Dermatographism a symptom of neuropathic pain? Should I perform a skin Biopsy? I'm affraid there is no way of knowing for sure if I have a chronic neuropathic pain because my nerves healed and my brain still receiving pain signals... Wit a normal EMG and a negative Skin Biopsy for nerve fibers loss, there is no reason for neuropathic pain, and no desease right? Even Idiopathic neuropathic pain can be seen on EMGs or skin Biopsys, right?

By the Way is the sensitive of a Skin Biopsy the same as LEPs (Laser Evoked Potentials)?

Thank you, and sorry for the long story,

Filipe