Nothing visible, but skin all over feels raw ( HCV -G1a)

My skin feels like is raw, tender, when clothes or bed sheets touch it, it is very irritating. This is the second time I have had it, my Dr. has no idea.  Any ideas on what it is? What will make it feel better?  

I just found out I have HCV I have not started treatment yet, the meds I needs for a genotype1 have not been approved yet, they are talking late 2011.  If anyone has experienced this please let me know. Thanks.

[GSDgirl]

It almost sounds like fibromyalgia.  I was diagnosed with this a few years after TX, not saying it was from TX but is definitely worse

Those of you that don't believe it is a diagnosis please do not chime in.  I don't want to hear it.

Denise

[HectorSF]

Have you consulted with a dermatologist? This is their area of expertise.

Hectorsf

[DragonHater]

No I have no met with a dermatologist, just my MD, I'll have to ask the doc for a name of a good dermatologist, the one by my home is a hack.
And
Thank you GSDgirl for posting, I will explore that and I do hope you feel better.

[toughluck]

I am dealing with the same issue as I type. Hi bilirubin can cause this.

[DragonHater]

I just had blood work to see if this is active, still no visable signs of a rash. I took Toradol last night that really calmed it down and I was able to sleep.
Found this, thought I'd share.

More clues: A burning sensation and sensitivity to touch often precede the shingles rash by days or weeks.

Acute Herpes Zoster (Shingles)
Herpes Zoster (commonly called "Shingles") results from reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), the same virus that causes chicken pox in children. Herpes Zoster begins as a severely painful rash in adults when the latent virus that hibernates in spinal or cranial sensory nerve ganglia reactivates. The shingles begin as a burning sensation that follows the path of one or more spinal nerves under the skin. The rash evolves into reddened, fluid-filled blisters, and the patient may experience flu-like symptoms and anxiety. The blisters eventually become cloudy, sometimes bleed, and then crust over within 7-10 days. Once healed, scarring and changes in skin color may remain. While shingles can erupt on almost any part of the body, the most common areas are the torso and the face.
Shingles pain may start several days before the rash appears, often preceded by a prodrome of burning pain, itching or sensitivity of the affected area. For most patients, the pain of Shingles gradually disappears over several weeks or months. Most patients will have no pain or just a small amount of pain one year after the eruption of the rash.
While medications do not cure Zoster infections, they have been found to help shorten the duration and discomfort of the outbreak.

Post Herpetic Neuralgia
If the pain from Shingles does not go away, it is called Post Herpetic Neuralgia (PHN). Overall, only a small number of people with a Shingles outbreak develop PHN. However, people over the age of 50 have a much higher incidence of persistent pain. Sympathetic nerve blocks should be considered part of early treatment to help prevent PHN. Antiviral medications have been found to help reduce or prevent the occurrence of Post Herpetic Neuralgia pain.

Neuropathic Pain Syndromes
Some individuals may suffer from prolonged pain that persists for months or years after an injury, or they may experience pain without any obvious injury at all. This pain condition is usually neuropathic in nature. Neuropathic pain results from a nervous system malfunction set off by nerve damage that may be caused from diseases such as diabetes, trauma or medications- especially chemotherapy and HIV drugs. Rather than the nervous system functioning properly to signal the presence of tissue injury, with Neuropathic Pain the nerves themselves are malfunctioning and become the cause of the pain.
Neuropathic Pain can lead to serious disability. Some patients experience a burning that makes wearing clothes and walking unbearable. This syndrome responds poorly to standard pain treatment and may get worse instead of better over time (especially without appropriate treatment).

[Marcia2202]

I was just going to suggest shingles...

If you have had an outbreak of shingles in the past, you can get these burning sensations for years afterwards. They come and go and often arise when one is under stress, be it physical or emotional.

And then they can go away and never come back. Or some will always have them.

[IMstacie]

I have never had shingles but every so often I have an area on some part of my body (one arm, a leg, etc.) with burning sensation and a lot of sensitivity to touch.  Nothing is ever there, not even red.  It annoys me more than anything.  I've been getting it for years and it last for about 3 days and goes away.  It's always been a puzzle.

[merryBe]

taking a pain killer, in this case an NSAID, helped??

well, pain meds can help lots of things.

the question I would pose is do you get relief from an antihistamine?

Try taking one and see if the skin settles with that.

If so, then it's not shingles it's an allergic response.

It would be nice to know that as you don't want to treat for shingles unless you have them...very hard on the liver that!

Meanwhile, I found that wearing silk, silk charmeuse sheets was the only thing that worked for me. I couldn't even wear soft cotton most days... That and hydrating my skin after showers with an olive oil rub helped.

Of course, my raw skin was treatment related, you aren't on tx.
However, the skin can react badly to changes in brain chemistry...all pain basically is brain pain...nerve perception of pain is always the brains interpretation of pain basically, so the other question is how's your mind doing?  Do you have depression or are you on anything that could be messing with your seretonin levels??  
Any recent changes to life or medications??

[DragonHater]

I found this thread and it seems a lot of people have this but not a lot of info on what it is.
http://forums.wrongdiagnosis.com/showthread.php?t=1944

Also found you can have shingles with no rash its called
zoster sine herpete (ZSH).Shingles without Rash PHN

MerryBe to answer your question about depression I was Very upset as all of us were to find out in July I had HCV, my dad passed last year my brother passed in Sept my dog passed in Oct so as far as life changes it's been a ride, but I feel as though I am handling it okay.


Still no word on the blood work bit I am going to ask for Neurontin and see what they say.

[DragonHater]

well had blood test done, no Shingles virus, so I got the shot for protection in the future.

Mean while this skin sensivity thing comes and goes...I found this it is me to a tee...I found an answer from another poster and I want to say thank you.

http://chronicfatigue.about.com/b/2009/03/07/painful-to-touch-fibromyalgia-tactile-allodynia.htm

[James10500]

I hear you' I have half dollar sized spots all over my back and on my shoulders.  Sometimes they drive me nuts other times I don't notice them.

[GSDgirl]

If you decide to see a doctor to get a diagnosis, make sure it is a doc that is familiar with fibro as not all are.  They run  a battery of different tests to rule out other things.  Good Luck

Denise