What is this?

[shelly360]

I have been experiencing very sensitive/burning type feeling on my left side of my body and the right side of my face. I can't stand it to be touched-even the dog sniffing me is awful. It seriously feels like a sunburn kind of or like some one rubbed my skin with sand paper.

[shelly360]

Hi. Thanks for responding. No history on either parents' side-not that they are aware of. Our daughter was diagnosed 2 years ago with MS.I have had this before,on the face and right hand,but for very brief interludes(Although I have one spot on my lower left back that's been like that on and off for several years).  It has been this way solid since friday evening.  The feeling now also icludes my right thigh, lower back, and back left calf. This sounds weird, but when I lay down on my left side, everywhere that touches feels cold.
I have an appointment with a Neurologist on July 29.
I saw my doc today. She said it didn't sound like a neurology thing. She was quite focussed on new lotions or detergents, etc. Sheesh. I am old enough to know what an allergic reaction to a topical product is. She prescribed 100mg Gabapentin x 2/day.
Had a CT scan done early March. Showed nothing.
Thanks for your time.
shelly

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hello.

Let's talk about the left sided burning sensations. It is obvious that they are neuropathic symptoms. The job is to find out the cause of neuropathy. For this, well need help of the other symptom, the face. To me, it looks likes the pain and hypersensitivity to touch as seen in Trigeminal Neuralgia. You have described the facial pain in exactly the manner in which Trigeminal Neuralgia strikes.

I am concerned here. If this is trigeminal neuralgia, and you do not have any other indication that would tell that this is a herpes virus infection, the next option is MS. I feel this should be kept in mind and ruled out accordingly. Can you ask you neurologist for a MS work up?

Do you have a family history of MS, in any of the parents?

Regards