Hi,

I'm 39 year old female and this all started in early September 2014. I had some numbness in my big toes and also my hands had days where they ached/felt arthritic but not swollen or anything. This would last a couple days and go away.

Then the symptom that really sent me over the edge in mid September 2014 was I had sudden skin burning sensation /felt similar to how a severe sunburn would feel but there was nothing that anyone could physically see on my skin. The burning was and is hell, in my entire face, down my arms, chest, back, and even buttocks. About a week after these symptoms started, the left side of my face went numb. Thought I was having a stroke so went to ER, CAT scan on my head was normal, released me and said to see a neurologist.

Long story short, got in to see neurologist and did clinical exam, etc., which was normal. Ordered MRI of head which showed a non enhancing lesion in the left frontal lobe. Neurologist said he did not think the lesion is anything serious but to follow up in 6 months. He prescribed Gabapentin for the burning (said my symptoms have nothing to do with brain finding). Have gone for 2nd and 3rd opinion on this. Also have been to many doctors and have many tests, all normal (EEG, EMG, cervical MRI, NCV and many more).

Since September, the burning varies in intensity and I've even had a couple periods of 2-3 weeks where it was totally gone. Right now it's been pretty much gone since 1/22/15 but it always comes back. It moves around, sometimes chest, back, etc but seems to like to settle in to both of my hands (burning is always symmetrical). I can say it has greatly improved since the beginning but hard to know if it's the Gabapentin helping me or if I'm just getting better. Other strange neuro symptoms I've had are internal vibrations, tremors, blurriness, twitching muscles, strange facial pain and numbness and I'm sure I'm leaving some out. Prior to September, I'd never had any neurological problems.

Sorry this is so long but the anxiety and burning has taken control of my life as i know many on here are like me, I think of this constantly and feel like I can't talk to anyone about this anymore. I am very thankful for the days of normalcy, when they occur.

I've been on Ativan for 2 years. I started wondering just recently if all of this could be due to Ativan tolerance. I've read on other sites where people have had horrible burning skin from tolerance withdrawal.

If you are still with me and reading this long post, Im just looking for some support and wondering if this can really be due to Ativan......

Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Keera

Hi Keera, I once had an allergic reaction to Ru-Vert(inner ear medicine) that made my skin burn so that I could not stand clothing. But it was fast and had to go to the ER. Yours sounds like it could be neuropathic w/ the twitches, vibrations, etc. Since it started in the toes, tell us if you are Diabetic or Pre- Diabetic. If you have an idea what might be the underlying cause, let us know. Gabapentin did little for my pain and caused some bleary eyes and a little more brain-fog than normal. Until you know more try Mortons Epsom Salts Lotion on the backs of your hands and tops of your feet. It did me good w/burning and tender skin. Use the search function to read posts you are most interested in. The keywords will be in red. Good Luck, Ken in Texas.

Thanks Ken. I am pre-diabetic with an A1C of I believe it was 5.8. Oddly, it was just a couple of numb toes and that went away. The actual burning seems to be concentrated above the waste. I did not think neuropathic pain could jump around from day to day, one day my face would feel like it was one fire, then another day my arms, etc. I'll have to try the Epsom salts, anything to try for relief.

Welcome Keera.

Keera,

I saw your post on another thread about this all starting after abdominal issues. Mine did as well, but there were other things that happened during the 3 months before the "acute onset" of my full SFN symptoms. Bottom line, I don't know what the trigger was...if any.

Watch for MrsD's posts talking about the gut and things to do for it. My abdominal problems were that I tore up my digestive tract with iron supplements and haven't been right since. Within the past week or so, I've started on a hefty probiotic regimen along with taking Now's Candida Support supplement in case this is all due to a gut problem. MrsD mentioned the latter. Adding to that, I've learned I'm genetically predisposed to abnormal gut flora, so maybe I really did do something really bad with that iron and my gut just couldn't recover from it. At least it's another dart to throw.

Janie

I am so sorry you are suffering. I have CRPS and was not many doctors know about it. I had to go to a teaching hospital in the East coast to find anyone who knew about and know what to do. The doctor diagnosed me right away and did and thorough exam and found a nerve tear also . I have found the East coast teaching hospital neurologists to be great and may be that should be your route.