Multiple sclerosis is getting under my skin A new sensory symptom Everyday Health
Multiple sclerosis is getting under my skin A new sensory symptom Everyday Health MenuNewslettersSearch Multiple Sclerosis
Trevis Important: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not Everyday Health.See More NEWSLETTERS
Multiple sclerosis is getting under my skin A new sensory symptom
By Trevis GleasonFor Life With Multiple SclerosisReviewed: March 12, 2008Everyday Health BlogsFact-CheckedMy nurse practitioner, Bobbie (you may remember her as my guest on last month’s Webcast) loves the way I describe my symptoms to her. Maybe it’s because I’m a nominal writer or maybe it’s because of my Irish heritage; likely it’s because ever since I was diagnosed with MS, I seem to live in metaphors. She once had me repeat the description of my legs, in clinic, so she could get it down verbatim. “My legs feel like two dead sticks, surrounded with liver and wrapped tightly with cellophane. And, the cellophane is the only thing I can feel; it’s like my skin is moving my legs.” I have had skin hyper-sensitivity, off and on, for most of the past six plus years. It’s like, if my skin is touched, grabbed or bumped it’s ok, but if I’m lightly brushed, stroked or scratched, I’M THROUGH THE ROOF! When it’s really bad “post intercourse cuddling” is almost painful. So, this is not a new sensation for me, but it’s added a new thing to it that I get to describe on my next visit to the MS Center. Bobbie’s gonna love this one. Here it is: If I’m sitting in one position for any length of time, not moving much, I experience this new symptom and it was quite surprising the first time. I must have spent a half an hour looking for a leak in my ceiling the first time it happened. It felt akin to water dripping onto my legs and back, but the second time it happened there was more to it. Once I had my second episode, I really tried to describe it (and being that I was in another room altogether, I knew it wasn’t a leak). It is almost as if liquid, molten (yet icy-cold) wax is being dripped on me. I say it’s like wax because we’ve all seen a drop or two of candle wax on the dinning room table now and again. You know that spatter pattern it makes, like an amoeba with a few drops radiating from the “splat?” Well, that’s almost exactly what these drops feel like they would look like, only cold. They feel like a splash and then that splatter and it sticks there for about 10 seconds, like that wax hardening. No water on my clothes or skin, no burn marks or marks of any kind. It has even happened under my hand (as in if my hand is placed over, but not touching my thigh). So I know it’s not falling on me. I’ve heard of people living with MS reporting “creepy-crawly” skin, odd itching, tingling, burning and even loss of sensation all together. I don’t know that we’ve covered these sensational symptoms in our blog before, so let’s have a go. Who would like to report on odd skin sensation (or maybe any sensory) symptoms today? Wishing you and your family the best of health. Cheers,Trevis Important: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not Everyday Health.See More NEWSLETTERS