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Tingling, numb sense of touch
Hi, I have this problem and I'm not sure if it is anxiety related. I have strange bouts of tingling/numbness accompanied with a strange problem feeling texture. It only bothers me really when I move or touch anything, including walking. Sometimes it is worse and sometimes it's not bad. It is mostly in my hands/arms/feet/face. When it's really strong I can describe it as waves of tingling. It can get quite painful/bothersome. This usually happens when I'm stressed. The first couple times it happened after smoking weed. I don't do that anymore but I still get this feeling. It used to only last a few hours but the last couple of incidents lasted for days. I just don't see how effects from an anxiety attack could last for days. One doctor I saw said it was anxiety and the other had nothing to say. Does anyone have any ideas?
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Neurology/Terrifying-Tactile-Sensory-Changes---Am-I-going-to-have-a-seizure/show/2231271
I am experiencing a very strong subjective sense of TERROR due to alterations in to my perceptions of touch.
Last year I was on the beach and stood up too quickly, blood rushed to my head while I was rubbing sand between my hands. The alteration in blood flow caused and still can cause a change in my sensory awareness (ie bloodflow altering the electrical activity in different areas predominantly responsible for sensory perception (Thalamus, Somatosensory Cortex) which creates the feeling as if going to pass out). As this alteration took place I felt the feeling of sand between my hands like I never have before. Impossible to describe but I will try... It is as if the sensation of textures has between transformed into a pressure that is ripping my hands into different dimensions, that doesn't even do it justice but you can see how difficult this is to rationalize.
Ever since then I don't dare to rub my hands on anything resembling sand or rough surfaces as I feel the overwhelmingly intolerable confusion created from an inability to comprehend the sensations. If I force myself to rub my hands continuously it builds up and feels as if I am going into sensory overload and all my muscles are just going to lock up and I will have a grand mal.
Another one of my fear reactions to the unkown.
What could likely be the cause of this? Oxygen deprivation damage to the... Thalamic nerve pathways? Somatosensory Cortex? Dorsal Root Ganglion?
I have no other health conditions apart from being ludicrously sexy.
I am experiencing a very strong subjective sense of TERROR due to alterations in to my perceptions of touch.
Last year I was on the beach and stood up too quickly, blood rushed to my head while I was rubbing sand between my hands. The alteration in blood flow caused and still can cause a change in my sensory awareness (ie bloodflow altering the electrical activity in different areas predominantly responsible for sensory perception (Thalamus, Somatosensory Cortex) which creates the feeling as if going to pass out). As this alteration took place I felt the feeling of sand between my hands like I never have before. Impossible to describe but I will try... It is as if the sensation of textures has between transformed into a pressure that is ripping my hands into different dimensions, that doesn't even do it justice but you can see how difficult this is to rationalize.
Ever since then I don't dare to rub my hands on anything resembling sand or rough surfaces as I feel the overwhelmingly intolerable confusion created from an inability to comprehend the sensations. If I force myself to rub my hands continuously it builds up and feels as if I am going into sensory overload and all my muscles are just going to lock up and I will have a grand mal.
Another one of my fear reactions to the unkown.
What could likely be the cause of this? Oxygen deprivation damage to the... Thalamic nerve pathways? Somatosensory Cortex? Dorsal Root Ganglion?
I have no other health conditions apart from being ludicrously sexy.
I agree it is de localized tactile Sensory Processing Disorder or Neuropathy.
Have a Google search for:
"sense of touch feels strange" "weird sense of touch" "tactile sensory dysfunction" "whatever i touch doesn't feel the same" "trouble localizing touch perception" "tactile problems" "strange feeling when touching"
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Neurology/Terrifying-Tactile-Sensory-Changes---Am-I-going-to-have-a-seizure/show/2231271
http://forums.webmd.com/3/welcome-exchange/forum/4496/0
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Neurology/Tingling--numb-sense-of-touch/show/1637747
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Neurology/Tingling--numb-sense-of-touch/show/1637747#post_comment
Have a Google search for:
"sense of touch feels strange" "weird sense of touch" "tactile sensory dysfunction" "whatever i touch doesn't feel the same" "trouble localizing touch perception" "tactile problems" "strange feeling when touching"
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Neurology/Terrifying-Tactile-Sensory-Changes---Am-I-going-to-have-a-seizure/show/2231271
http://forums.webmd.com/3/welcome-exchange/forum/4496/0
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Neurology/Tingling--numb-sense-of-touch/show/1637747
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Neurology/Tingling--numb-sense-of-touch/show/1637747#post_comment
Hello, I just wanted to let you guys know of my experience with these exact same symptoms, and I have actually been through the medical system now and have a diagnosis… you may not have quite the same as me but these are feelings are terrifying and it’s reassuring sometimes to know you aren’t the only one!
Basically I have suffered from these funny medical events since I was 15 (I am now 35), it seems to last around a month on average and it seems to happen every couple of years or so, with no trigger that I can see. Of course family and friends and doctors always put it down to stress/panic attacks, and in fact I actually started to wonder if it actually could be just down to anxiety (except who could go to bed one night with a panic attack and wake up the next morning with the exact same symptoms!)
For me it lasts between 2 weeks up to 3 months at the longest, and although the symptoms seem to vary in intensity during that time there is a background, sort of, tactile ‘confusion’, and at its worst for around an hour at a time it can be downright terrifying.
My background first of all – although I have smoked weed, it has only been a handful of times and these symptoms started well before I ever tried it. Also weed is the only drug I have ever touched, I’m not even a big drinker and am a non-smoker with no other medical problems at all.
Anyway, these are the symptoms I experience:
When it is at its very worst for only approx an hour at a time:
- Delayed sense of touch, up to I’d say about a second. I end up pushing and prodding myself and biting my tongue while I work out what’s going on, and can end up quite hurting myself accidentally as when the sense of touch does hit it seems to be more sensitive… hot/cold seems to come quicker, so if I’m drinking a hot drink the heat hits first then I’m strangely surprised to feel the cup on my lip a second later.
- A sort of tactile confusion – although I can feel that some part of my body is touching something I can’t work out what – all the tactile feelings I’m getting are mixed up and out of perspective. It can feel like I’m numb and being crushed by the feeling of my clothes all at the same time.
- A horrible feeling of dizziness / vertigo – it sometimes feels like I’m falling, then I realize it’s just because I can’t feel my feet touching the floor.
- A sort of a confusion as to where my limbs are – I can’t remember how my legs and arms were laid in bed, until I move them then I can seem to get a grip.
- My tongue feels very strange – almost like it’s split in two, and occasionally almost like it’s lost somewhere outside by body (this must be like a proper hallucination!)
All the while these terrifying symptoms are going on in my head, to everyone else everything looks outwardly fine. Also I experience no headache with any of this, and also no visual disturbance – what I see with my eyes is rock sold steady.
Medium intensity symptoms:
- I also occasionally experience the weird sense of touch flashing rapidly on and off that another poster mentioned (I thought that could only be me!!) usually when I’m laying in bed just going to sleep.
- The horrible tactile confusion. Its weird, it feels almost like an optical illusion in that there are two ways to interpret the tactile things I’m feeling – the normal way or a weird ‘inverted’ way – sometimes I can almost bring on the horrible crushing feelings myself, but mostly I feel like I’m walking this mental tightrope of constantly trying to keep my sense of touch in perspective. It’s worse when there are unusual feelings – e.g. carrying a duvet upstairs can bring it all on. I admit I have occasionally been too scared to shower/bath because of the horrible crushing feelings it brings on…
When the symptoms gradually wear off after about a month, in between I feel completely normal, then a couple of years later it just hits me again out of nowhere.
You can imagine me trying to explain these symptoms to a doctor and their reaction - of course they put it down to anxiety / stress / panic attacks and start asking about my home life, to the point where I decided I would no longer seek medical help but just sit it out.
However last time it happened it was particularly bad and I developed a new symptom I hadn’t had before – at first I developed the occasional slight stutter, but then during the worst part of the attacks the stutter became so bad I was almost completely unable to speak for hours at a time. I made my way to a GP who immediately called an ambulance and said he thought I’d had a stroke… however to cut a very long story short I underwent a battery of tests (CT, cardiac tests, MRI, blood tests, epilepsy tests) and the final diagnosis, to my immense relief, is migraine.
I still suffer from these terrifying symptoms (although the loss of speech and a mental confusion has actually overtaken the tactile symptoms) however I have had lots of advice from a neurologist on coping mechanisms.
- Firstly he said that the migraines do no permanent damage, I just need to sit them out.
- He said that the usual migraine remedies would be ineffective in my case as they are mostly to cope with the pain of the migraine, but I experience no headache. He said the best immediate treatment in my case is the maximum allowed dose of aspirin at the very first sign of onset, something to do with dilation of blood vessels in the brain. Apparently caffeine can help too.
I was also prescribed propranalol as a migraine preventer - this is a beta blocker, and although I’m not entirely sure it helped the migraines it did have the side effect of stopping me freaking out, which I admit made it all a bit easier to deal with. As my migraines where so far apart though I took this for six months then stopped although I may start again when the next one hits.
Anyway I hope this may have been of use to someone, although please make sure you get medical advice on your own symptoms! But I have been experiencing these terrifying symptoms on and off for 20 years now and I’m still here and otherwise healthy so that must say something. If anyone wants to get in touch my email is nicola3 at g mail dt com – best of luck!
Basically I have suffered from these funny medical events since I was 15 (I am now 35), it seems to last around a month on average and it seems to happen every couple of years or so, with no trigger that I can see. Of course family and friends and doctors always put it down to stress/panic attacks, and in fact I actually started to wonder if it actually could be just down to anxiety (except who could go to bed one night with a panic attack and wake up the next morning with the exact same symptoms!)
For me it lasts between 2 weeks up to 3 months at the longest, and although the symptoms seem to vary in intensity during that time there is a background, sort of, tactile ‘confusion’, and at its worst for around an hour at a time it can be downright terrifying.
My background first of all – although I have smoked weed, it has only been a handful of times and these symptoms started well before I ever tried it. Also weed is the only drug I have ever touched, I’m not even a big drinker and am a non-smoker with no other medical problems at all.
Anyway, these are the symptoms I experience:
When it is at its very worst for only approx an hour at a time:
- Delayed sense of touch, up to I’d say about a second. I end up pushing and prodding myself and biting my tongue while I work out what’s going on, and can end up quite hurting myself accidentally as when the sense of touch does hit it seems to be more sensitive… hot/cold seems to come quicker, so if I’m drinking a hot drink the heat hits first then I’m strangely surprised to feel the cup on my lip a second later.
- A sort of tactile confusion – although I can feel that some part of my body is touching something I can’t work out what – all the tactile feelings I’m getting are mixed up and out of perspective. It can feel like I’m numb and being crushed by the feeling of my clothes all at the same time.
- A horrible feeling of dizziness / vertigo – it sometimes feels like I’m falling, then I realize it’s just because I can’t feel my feet touching the floor.
- A sort of a confusion as to where my limbs are – I can’t remember how my legs and arms were laid in bed, until I move them then I can seem to get a grip.
- My tongue feels very strange – almost like it’s split in two, and occasionally almost like it’s lost somewhere outside by body (this must be like a proper hallucination!)
All the while these terrifying symptoms are going on in my head, to everyone else everything looks outwardly fine. Also I experience no headache with any of this, and also no visual disturbance – what I see with my eyes is rock sold steady.
Medium intensity symptoms:
- I also occasionally experience the weird sense of touch flashing rapidly on and off that another poster mentioned (I thought that could only be me!!) usually when I’m laying in bed just going to sleep.
- The horrible tactile confusion. Its weird, it feels almost like an optical illusion in that there are two ways to interpret the tactile things I’m feeling – the normal way or a weird ‘inverted’ way – sometimes I can almost bring on the horrible crushing feelings myself, but mostly I feel like I’m walking this mental tightrope of constantly trying to keep my sense of touch in perspective. It’s worse when there are unusual feelings – e.g. carrying a duvet upstairs can bring it all on. I admit I have occasionally been too scared to shower/bath because of the horrible crushing feelings it brings on…
When the symptoms gradually wear off after about a month, in between I feel completely normal, then a couple of years later it just hits me again out of nowhere.
You can imagine me trying to explain these symptoms to a doctor and their reaction - of course they put it down to anxiety / stress / panic attacks and start asking about my home life, to the point where I decided I would no longer seek medical help but just sit it out.
However last time it happened it was particularly bad and I developed a new symptom I hadn’t had before – at first I developed the occasional slight stutter, but then during the worst part of the attacks the stutter became so bad I was almost completely unable to speak for hours at a time. I made my way to a GP who immediately called an ambulance and said he thought I’d had a stroke… however to cut a very long story short I underwent a battery of tests (CT, cardiac tests, MRI, blood tests, epilepsy tests) and the final diagnosis, to my immense relief, is migraine.
I still suffer from these terrifying symptoms (although the loss of speech and a mental confusion has actually overtaken the tactile symptoms) however I have had lots of advice from a neurologist on coping mechanisms.
- Firstly he said that the migraines do no permanent damage, I just need to sit them out.
- He said that the usual migraine remedies would be ineffective in my case as they are mostly to cope with the pain of the migraine, but I experience no headache. He said the best immediate treatment in my case is the maximum allowed dose of aspirin at the very first sign of onset, something to do with dilation of blood vessels in the brain. Apparently caffeine can help too.
I was also prescribed propranalol as a migraine preventer - this is a beta blocker, and although I’m not entirely sure it helped the migraines it did have the side effect of stopping me freaking out, which I admit made it all a bit easier to deal with. As my migraines where so far apart though I took this for six months then stopped although I may start again when the next one hits.
Anyway I hope this may have been of use to someone, although please make sure you get medical advice on your own symptoms! But I have been experiencing these terrifying symptoms on and off for 20 years now and I’m still here and otherwise healthy so that must say something. If anyone wants to get in touch my email is nicola3 at g mail dt com – best of luck!
hey, did you ever get any medical answers for this?
It is exactly what i've been feeling/dealing with for years. i mean EXACTLY.
It is exactly what i've been feeling/dealing with for years. i mean EXACTLY.
I am also currently experiencing this tingling delayed sensation after smoking weed. I did around 130 yesterday afternoon, not my first time whatsoever, and started to experience the delayed reactions. It went away around 5 but came back at 11 when i was trying to sleep. Since then its been nonstop. If i focus i can make it go away for a few minutes but it just comes back once i relax. Im worried this will never go away. Its happened to me before when i get extremely high from bongs or brownies but its never lasted this long or come back. If anyone can relate please help! I dont want to tell my parents (im 17) if i dont have too
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