lil tiny pin pricks, thousands of them all at once in waves and wavesPLEASE HELP

[jlcartoon]

I am currently suffering from a odd/rare condition where my body is attacked with extremely overwhelming/irritating little tiny pin pricks all over my body which i believe is activated by rise in body temp or any type of adrenaline triggering motions/actions. condition is getting worse and its restricting me from more and more daily routines.

i have seen few doctors already but it is very difficult to convince them since i look physically fine. More and more,i feel hopeless... PLEASE HELP! Doctors,i know you guys are busy but i still truly appreciate your assistance if you could just take some time to read this.

I have posted an entry on this forum on 9-22-05 titled "PINS AND NEEDLES and LOWER BACKACHE"

thankful to this forum, another person with same condition from california found me(i reside in chicago). we are both seeing many different doctors struggling to find out what the cause of this is..

THE ENTRY HAS BEEN UPDATED with his and my most updated conditions. PLEASE HELP US.

we also exchanged emails..please let me know if you are someone who is interested in our condition.  I will foward the emails to you. we would love to hear from anyone else who is suffering from similar terrible condition or from a doctor who will be gracious to give us a advice or a hand with this matter.

thank you so much and i wish every story in this forum will have a happy ending.

sincerely, Aaron
***@****

[CCF-Neuro-M.D.-PW]

If your local neurologist cannot find a definite answer ( and in many cases liek yours we cannot solve at this point in time) it may be useful to go to a tertiary referreal center at a large city hospital where there are specialists in sensory/neuromusclular neurology. Specialized sensory tests to pick up abnormalities could be done like quantitative sensory testing, skin biopsy for epidermal nerve fiber density, or a rectal/conjunctival biopsy for look for amyloid (another cause of a pure sensory neuropathy). Having a normal MRI is a good thing as you do not seem to have anu abnormal growths or a tethered spinal cord for instance.

Good luck

[dadio]

Hi there, its really good to hear that there are people out there with the same condition as me.  I was diagnosed recently after 4 years struggling with small fibre neuropathy which they can find no cause for.  It is so debilitating - started in my feet but spread now to both legs and hips now hands.  Can you tell me if any form of exercise makes it worse?  Even walking drives me crazy - me feet burn and prickle so bad I have to plunge them into cold water for any kind of relief.  The neurologist has told me it will probably be slowly progressive but thats ok if you're 90 but I'm only 46! May I ask how old you are?  The only course of action (so Im told) is drugs like neurontin which make me really ill so God help me - I have no idea where to turn.  I would really like to keep in touch and see if you get any better answers.  Love Pauline

[LDMAN60119]

Go to www.egoscue.com.  Trust me.  If you can get to a clinic go.  Or you can call his radio show live on saturadys 12:00 est. You don't need those drugs

[rhschumaker]

My husband has had the same symptoms for about the past three months.  When his body temp rises, the sensation of pins and needles radiates all across his back, arms, etc.  We thought maybe it had to do with a change in detergent, etc. but nothing has worked.  He's 36, in good health, works out daily.  There is a history of diabetes in his family (his uncle).  Could this in some way be related?  He hasn't been in to see our physician yet but will be going in this week.  Is this a debillatating condition?  Reading the hoplessness of many of you has scared me.  Any information you can send my way would be great.  Thank you!

[nosol]

Hello.

Wow, what a debilitating painful problem.  Looking up heat-induced neuropathy -- a lot of diabetic neuropathy links come up.   Have you been tested for diabetes?   While Neurontin is, in fact, a great drug for this type of neuropathy -- it is not always well tolerated.  Lyrica, on the other hand, has been approved for painful diabetic neuropathies (and there are MANY presentations of it) and, perhaps, should be given a try.

Good luck to all.
ON

[spd184]

I am a very healthy 46 yr old female.  I have been dealing with the same symptons that are described here...for about 6yrs.  The pain in my arms at time is so bad that I wish I could have a car run them over...Other times it is just a very low level burning,pin and needles feeling (100000 of burning pins!)  I have seen a nureologist...had MRI..and no one can tell me what is the matter..I stopped going to the Dr's because I was tired of listening to myself whine! I did at one point develop blisters all over my back and thought I had shingles...but those test were also inconclusive, Thanks for listening

[dadio]

Hi I have the same problem and am also a 46 year old female but have been diagnosed with small fibre neuropathy.  This has taken 4 years as all the tests kept coming up negative.  Tell me, have you had the heat sensitive test?  This will show up any damage to the small fibre nerves and these are the ones that cause pain and tingling and burning.  Also are your symptoms worse with activity or heat of any kind?  Do keep in touch as it feels good to know there are others out there in the same boat!

[jlcartoon]

Hello everyone.
I am sorry to hear all of your stories…
Nonetheless, it seems like my situation is different from all of the stories above.
For me, I have no other symptoms other than the prickling sensation I have mentioned above, along with absence of sweat and sinus congestion problem. In consequence, my prickling feeling goes away when I cool my body by spraying water all over my body.  

This is very confusing for me also, since the “prickling” feeling I am describing could be very similar to of someone with “pins and needles”… however, although I could be wrong, at this point I strongly think what I have is CHOLINERGIC URTICARIA.

I found that many doctors are not familiar with this illness. If you are someone who is suffering from similar condition as mine, please look into cholinergic urticaria.

Please continue to read and write on this thread of your updates as I will also.

Best of luck to all you guys..

[spd184]

TO DADIO...THANKS FOR THE REPLY.  I HAVE JUST SEEN A NEUROLGIST YESTERDAY...STILL NO ANSWERS...AND HE HAS PUT ME ON NURONTIN(SPELLING ISNT RIGHT)   I HAVE HAD THIS FOR ABOUT 5 YEARS..I HAVE LOST TRACK OF TIME..AND AM SO TIRED OF COMPLAINING ABOUT IT.  IT SEEMS TO COME AND GO WITH NOTHING MAKING WORSE. aT FIRST i THOUGHT MAYBE IT WAS WARM WEATHER...THEN IT BEGAN WHEN IT WAS COLD.  FIRST IT WAS ONE ARM... NOW BOTH..AND I FEEL THE PIN PRICKS ACROSS MY BACK..
ANY OF THIS SOUND FAMILIAR?  PLEASE FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME AT
***@**** FOR THE REPLY.!

[DREXEL]

I have a similar problem, with waves of pins and pricks in my lower legs and arms. Sometimes the waves also hit my back, chest and shoulders. I have had this problem for years, but it has been getting progressively worse. This summer, due to the humidity and heat it was extremely burdemsome. My problem typically impacts me:

1) when I move from a climate controlled environment to a humid / hot environment - it appears to be moisture or temperature rooted

2) when i come out of the shower - my batting average is 100% (with the one exception noted below). during my shower i am absolutely fine, but as soon as i get out for a period of somewhere between 20 - 60 minutes I am beyond myself with pins and needles.

I have seen dermatologysts, doctors, etc.. with no luck. I have tried:(i)antiantihistamines; (ii) tylenol, (iii) water alergy (allergy) and other topical allergy creams, etc.. and nothing seems to work. I have also been tested for what i think are the obvious concerns of diabetes and thyroid problems. I have also been tested by an allergist on almost everything on earth - and am generally very non-allegic. I am generally healthy but approx. 30lbs overweight and 40 yr old male. I cannot recall how long i have had this problem (many years), but it has come in waves, and generally worse in the summer when the heat and humidity are at their highest. This past year has been by far the absolute worse, I believe because I have spent more time in a hot and humid climate this summer, but not sure. I also agree that if I have a night of drinking, its almost certainly worse the next morning. I typically feel very stressed out and depressed (emotionally) following a night of drinking. General day to day stress also impacts it more. I wondered for a time whether it was stress or the associated impact of more coffee and less sleep that resulted in the worsening conditions? While I don't have a clear answer, I can tell you I stopped my caffein intake for approximately 2 weeks with no real relief.

I find working out actually helps me. During the first few minutes of a run, I start to feel the priking, but by the time I am into a 20 minute run, it goes away. I can then take a shower without any symptoms (this is the only time I can take a shower without symptoms immediately following).

My next plan of attack is to see if I work out and lose a lot of weight if that would help, although based on your condition, I am not holding out much hope.

The only link I can think of to your particular condition is a severe car accident I suffered from approximately 20 years ago, where I cracked multiple vertebrae and my pelvis (in 3 locations). I also do have a generally weak back and occasional pain from sitting at a desk. For the life of me I cannot recall when my problems began, but wonder if by chance a latent vertebrae or spinal cord complication (in combination with more recent weight gain) could be at the root of the problem? The only other problem which I can link to this is with my stomach. I also have a generally weak stomach and suffered for a hereditary disease (Celiac) which makes an indiviual intolerant to glutens. While the gluten intollerance hasn't impacted me in years, I still often get an upset stomach with many foods, including fish. I often find that my pins/pricks are associated with a period of upset stomach - but this again could be all tied in with stress, as i also typically have a bad stomach following an evening when I've had moderate alcohol intake?

I do not recall ever being exposed to any real toxic chemicals, although recently noted a number of law suites against a drug manufacturer for the neuroligical impact of the "Accutane" drug for acne. Any chance you have used Accutane?

Look forward to hearing more from you and other.

Best of luck!

[spd184]

I have noticed in other posts that alcohol intake has been mentioned...I have this and do not drink....also I have approx 1/2 cup of coffee a day. My Dr.  has just put me on Neurontin..and it seems to have silenced the burning...I just hope it continues. Although this drug makes me VERY TIRED. Anyone have comments on the Neurontin

[jlcartoon]

Drexel, listening to your symptoms, it could very possibly be that we are suffering from very similar condition.

i know how terrible this condition could be and i would like to be anyhelp if i can. but before i go any further please read this and see if you can relate to this.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMPTOMS: Little tiny pin pricks, thousands of them all at once in waves and waves all over body. It could occur and disappear as fast as a normal person would get goose bumps.  The prickling sensation could be strong enough to cause extremely itching/prcikling irritation all over the body at a instant that is physically and mentally overwhleming but also mild as if  they are little tiny electricity going through my body.  The symptom seemed to be triggered by even the smallest increase in body temperature.  Similarly, any activities that trigger adrenaline in the body will activate such symptoms, and even emotions like nervousness, laughing hard, sneezing...
Until early September, I was able to work up a sweat and the prickling feeling will be there only when my body is warming up but then go away afterward once the body reached its high temp plateau.(i remember you mentioning a similar experience)

However, since mid September, during my exercise, I have noticed that my body stop producing sweat except in some part my facial area and hands.  however, if i continue to exercise disregarding the "lack of sweat" and initial temporary initial prickling feeling that soon goes away...after some time, (approx. 20 mins of running)i will experience extreme heat/inflammation on my skin.(you mentioned that you run 20 mins, do you sweat normally? do you see any inflammation on your skin?)In consequence, my body will over heat and grow weary quick. Also I have been experiencing frequent urge to urinate.

COMPARISON: If "pins and needles" is described to illustrate the condition when a body part "falls asleep", this prickling sensation is something far greater in intensity than the "pins and needles" sensation.

i have seen so many different doctors.. all the tests came out negative and there were no help. (some of them, even treated me like iam nuts)
well, I am not a doctor but i have been doing some self analysis along with online research for a long time.. and came to a strong belief that i might be suffering from CHOLINERGIC URTICARIA. DON’T JUST GOTO MEDICAL WEBSITE TO GAIN INFORMATION ON THIS BUT FIND MEDICAL FORUMS WHERE YOU COULD READ PEOPLE’S STORIES, this will help you to gain further knowledge about this condition. http://www.skincell.org or http://ehealthforum.com  

best of luck  to you.
Aaron.
p.s. you may email me at ***@****

[pins n needles]

I'm wondering if any of you have had your b12 level checked. I had a misread lumbar mri, sent to an incompetent w/c neurologist, and diagnosed with back strain (no back pain at first, just bilateral pins and needles inner legs). 10 weeks later, PT making pain worse, occas. palpatations, imbalance, increasing sx with pinpricks up to my eyelids, I finally saw a neurosurgeon of my choice. he told me I didn't have a disc/back problem.(He ordered brain cervical and thoracic mri's, which were normal). Told me it could be possibly ms or guillian-barre. So I went searching on the web and found this site and kept reading. Had my b12 level checked and it was 130. Hx of 3 small bowel resections for crohns in the past. So after seeing 7 doctors and 2 pa's I have been diagnosed with subacute combined degeneration from a low level of b12. I had my first injection 10 days ago, but will presumably take a while to recover. I feel lots more energy but after I do any lifting/bending etc my sx worsen and my back hurts.

[SUFFIEA]

(Also posted to section:  Pins & needles including Numbness)

Hello All. Just wanted to communicate my symptoms to see if anyone is experiencing exactly the same thing as me?  I do read postings from many unfortunate souls who are in a far worse position than me, but it intrigues and frustrates me that relatively little is known about the various forms of Sensory Neuritis.  I suppose that unless we all talk about these conditions, then they may continue to be overlooked, misunderstood or even misdiagnosed.

I am a 38 yr old female.  9 years ago I started to experience mild 'pins and needles' sensations in, what is sometimes known as 'the sock and glove' areas of the limbs.   Gradually, over the years, the pins and needles have become more and more intense.  They are all over my body - felt absolutely everywhere, even under my scalp, in my eye-balls, tongue, gums, ears, face and torso, but especially strong in my extremities.  The pins and needles are constant - 24 / 7 / 365.  However, sometimes, if I am tired or have been on my feet all day or feel under-the-weather due to cold, the sensations are much stronger.   I cannot sit for long in one position or else the pins and needles hone-in on certain parts of my body and the sensation is intolerable.

I liken the condition to a 'noise' going on in my body. Much of the time I just try to ignore it, but sometimes I just can't and it can occasionally get me down because I can't escape it.

I have had 2 x MRI scans and a lumber puncture, plus various blood tests - all (thankfully) confirming no acute diseases.  At a loss for any other category, my medical team told me that my condition is called SENSORY NEURITIS.  Apparently, it is inflammation of the nerves and the pins and needles sensation is because I can literally feel the little spark which jumps from one nerve ending to the next nerve ending.   The other sister-condition of Sensory Neuritis is, apparently, where some people get pain from the spark which jumps from one nerve to another.  This condition of course, is more serious and my heart goes out to folks with it.  

At the moment, I do not suffer from loss of sensation or shooting pains that some complain of, although when the pins and needles are especially intense, it is bordering on being painful - certainly very uncomfortable.

There is just one niggling suspicion in my mind about why the pins and needles may have started... the condition started not long after my first child was born from emergency Caesarean Section, for which I had spinal block/epidural.  Then again 5 years later, for the birth of my second child.  Could damage or effect have taken place on those occasions ??  Maybe, maybe not...

I'd be pleased to hear if anyone (male or female, any age)who has the same or similar symptoms and if they know of any treatment, be it medicinal, herbal or alternative therapy which may at least ease the condition.     Thank you for reading.    Best regards.  

[margepinpricks]

Yes, little tiny prinpricks, waves etc. started on palms of hands and bottoms of feet about a year ago. When it is bad it is awful! But all my tests, MRI, thyroid etc. etc. normal.

My daughter located this site and I am grateful that you have shared what sounds like symptoms we all share. Aaron, your discription especially matches my symptoms very closely.

I am otherwise in apparently excellent health, but this is exhausting. Prickles around eyelids, burning tongue, legs arms back of neck etc.Area around back of neck getting numb. I am 65, but have been in super good health. This began right after a bunch of hear palpitations and my neurologist thinks it may be caused by a virus. She prescribed neurontin 6 months ago, but we agreed that taking a drug to mask symptoms wasn't going to help eliminate the cause I have, because of your suggestions started B12 sublingual. I may suggest B12 test to one of docs. This sure interfers with focus and I find myself irritable and short of patience (unusual for me in the past)

HEAT/COLD connection? Yes, but mine is more itensified by cold than heat. I notice feeling very cold a lot of the time and my hands feet face feel freezing cold. After a bunch of these waves and waves of nerve zaps the palms of my hands may start to burn and then they radiate intense heat. The heat of a shower nearly always helps, but as soon as I get out, the change in temperature will dramatically increase chills/nerve zaps prickles...whatever we call it (peripheral neuropathy, small nerve fiber neuropathy etc.)

Emotion? Or any adrenaline producing activity? definitely increases it as does being tired. I have tried chiropractic, homeopathy, antibiotics which seem to help for a week or so then
symptoms return. While in Europe for two weeks it nearly went away, in spite of getting very tired and being under a lot of stress. ????

Do we all live in big cities with lots of air pollution?  Have any of you considered or been told it could be psychosomatic? My neurologist thinks NO, but I can't help wondering. If people have (ie. WWI) been paralyzed or made blind or deaf by teir own minds...?

Anyway, I hope "we" find a CURE!!! I'm going with B12 for the present (and struggling through the days!) My heart and good wishes go out to you all!

[B19]

Hello Everyone,

I want to share the following comments, which I posted under another topic (PINS AND NEEDLES and LOWER BACK ACHE in the The Neurology and Neurosurgery Forum).  Since I stopped taking Zyrtec around 6 weeks ago, things have *slowly* been getting better.  I am absolutely convinced that Zyrtec is the cause of all my problems, and it's just taking a while for my body to heal itself.  I think I'm going to contact the FDA about this.  If anyone here is taking Zyrtec or other antihistamines, please consider my story:

I recently began having many of the same problems described in this thread. It all started after I had a sinus infection this past summer. I was given a Z-Pack and Zyrtec-D, which got rid of the sinus infection. However, my feet began to itch shortly thereafter. I visited several doctors, who all prescribed different antihistamines (Allegra, Hydroxizine, and Zyrtec) to treat the itching.

After a while, the itching spread, and I eventually stopped sweating -- instead, I felt the "prickly" sensation whenever I would normally have broken into a slight sweat. Three weeks ago, I became convinced that I was actually allergic to Zyrtec and quite possibly the other antihistamines. I stopped taking everything. I am now starting to feel a lot better, although the "attacks" of the prickly sensation return every once in a while. It's only been three weeks, so I'm hoping that things will just keep getting better.

I started doing some research and discovered that in October 2005, a medical journal published an article called "Adverse Cutaneous Reactions of Systemic Antihistamines" (Current Medicinal Chemistry - Anti-Inflammatory & Anti-Allergy Agents, Volume 4, Number 5, October 2005, pp. 521-529(9).

I would love to read this article. It seems the medical community is just beginning to realize that their prized antihistamines may be causing much of the trouble they are supposed to be curing.

-B

[daisyrose]

oh oh some of this stuff sounds too familiar. the bunches of hot little picky needles that just sort of happen out of nowhere. I do have a bunch of problems that I'm being treated for, numbness and tingling are among them, but somehow this is a little bit different. Anybody ever see that commercial on tv where that guy is trying to put his sock on and there's all these nail-like things on his feet? Sort of like that.Only for me it's not my entire foot, and it's not limited to my feet, I get it other places too. And yes I am on alot of meds, one of which is an anti-seizure medicine with a possible side-effect of not sweating! So I have to figure out, is my problem getting worse(because sometimes that happens)or is it just the meds???Good luck to all.

[NoahG]

Yeah, this article hits home real closely. I'm in the National Guard, and after a few years of alot of heavy gear carrying, I started to have those shocks or "tingling sensations" that run up my back to my head, feels like pins and needles. I just went to the doctor for blood tests but after the fact that I read this. Sounds like I have some nerve issues. The fact that the small of my back is constantly hurting and sore I'm sure has something to do with it. And it intensifed after 9 chiropractic visits. Weird. And is the consensus that alcohol isn't a factor? When at times strong heat/humidity, stressful moments hit me, thats when the sensations kick in. Somedays there's a bunch and annoying but not that bad, and some days there are only a few and they just plain suck. Any input?