nervous disfunction exam , chronic neuropathic pain

Hi,

I started exercising with dumbbells  (10 kilos each)seven months ago. Since April I began to feel parestesia in my forearms and hands. I felt my elbows "burning" as when we hit something hard when I exercised my tríceps.  I stopped exercising 6 months ago but I still have "hot", stiff hands. I feel them pumping. The symptoms have been reducing but sometimes they come back. In the meantime, I did a tui-ná massage that mede me worse. Now I feel my back and neck tickling. I went to the hospital and started taking lyrica. I did a magnetic ressonance at my cervical and an EMG. Everything is normal. There is no sign of nerve damage or compression.  But the pain is still here . I got also my skin very sensitive to touch. I stop taking lyrica but didn't notice any difference.

I fell slightl bettter now from my pain, but I went to the Internet and came up with "a real ghost": Chronic Neuropathic pain. I'm in a severe depression since than, and nonone can make me belive that I don't have that disease anymore.  

So I ask:

How can I be sure that having no organic problem nor a disease that I don'tt have a nerve disfunction that makes my pain chronic? Is there an exam that allows one to be sure of that? Can I compare new EMG with old  ones to know that certain parameters of the sensitive nerve tests are changing and coming back to normal? Can this pain became psychological? How can I be sure? I'm so scared... Chronic Neuropathic pain is realy caused by a nervous disfunction or can it be a spine problem, not visible with the regular existing imaging exams?

Thanks

Filipe

PS: are those MR Neurographys the way of having sure I didn't damage my nerves or they aren't compressed somehow?

http://www.medtel.co.uk/coventry/article/197

[1Scarymom]

I discovered I had a problem when I went from 20lb curls to 10, then to 5 then I just couldn't do it at all.  Ungodly bicep, shoulder and forearm pain, weak hands, tingling in my palms. I thought I had stressed something and went into neurologist he gave me a steroid injection in my neck.  That wound up sending me to the ER.  Mri's, Cat scans and 5 doctors and a week later they sent me home saying it was "in my head".  I was sure it was not and I sank into depression because I felt alone and thought maybe I was going crazy.  6 months later and 1 incredible Spinal Specialist appointment later it was discovered I had a destroyed Cervical Vertebrae that was mis-read as normal by the hospitals radiologist.  (I did have an accident that explains it even though it had happened years earlier.)  I went through the rounds of doctors telling me I was crazy and I can tell you that doctors are not magicians.  They are only human.  Don't take what they say to heart if they don't find an answer for you.  BUT never try and diagnose yourself via the internet!  Just because you found one thing that your symptoms match does not mean you have it.  If it did I would have a brain tumor (my symptoms match a cerebral tumor)!  Take a deep breath, get referrals from people you trust and start looking for an answer again, you will find it.  Do what I did, start from scratch.  Collect all your images (you should have them on a cd to carry with you) and find another doctor, the answer is in your reach.  In the mean time go see a doctor that deals with depression it will help you stay focused and relaxed.  I did.