Skin feels sunburned and hands feel swollen.... What is this??

[jenn81]

My skin literally feels like I have a horrible sunburn on my arms, legs and face, but I have no redness to my skin. I also feel sooo cold, just like when you have a sunburn. I'm wondering what in the world this could be??

Also, I keep getting these weird pains in my arms and hands and lower legs and feet... It feels like they are swollen or full of fluid or something and if I stand up with my arms to the side they will start to get red with white spots on them. They are not swollen though but the only way to describe it is a full feeling and it's painful. I'm starting to get worried about what this all could be.
 
Has anyone had any of this? Please respond! 

[jenn81]

No one?..... Wonderful! Should I be worried?

[pb]

I have had the sunburn thing. I thing it is caused by overactive nerves. Sometimes it hurt so bad I couldnt even put a shirt on. Exactly what you described. I am positive it is caused by anxiety. I had this on and off and convinced myself I had many things and I dont. I have had every mri, nerve conduction test done and nothing. Anxiety is horrible, but it will go away.

[forestbythesealady]

I didn't respond earlier because I have no idea what this is. Does it happen all of the time? Or just here and there? Do these things happen separately from each other or all at the same time?

[jenn81]

It comes and goes... The thing with my skin is so odd it literally feels like I have a bad sunburn on my skin in random parts of my body and it will at the same time burn but make me chilled. It's freaky..

The thing with my hands and feet feeling swollen or full happens seperatly. I've been having this happen alot and it seems worse right before my period. There is no swelling and my blood pressure is normal so I have no idea what is. I also get pains in my lower legs that feel as if I have been standing or walking all day. I worry about what all this can be. I think maybe Fibromaylgia ,even though I know it is not fatal it still scares me.

  I was diagnoised with Lupus 5 years ago and Thank God it has been mild so far and is controlled well with medicine but I feel doomed since alot of these dieases go hand and hand.

I just don't know what to think, could it be something serious or just another symptom on my anxety list. I guess that's the million dollar question.... I can't stand it!

 

[forestbythesealady]

The swelled up feeling you get before your period is really common. You are probably retaining some water. Does it go away after your period? You don't have to be physically swelled up when you are retaining water. Sometimes my fingers would be a little fuller when I retained water and I just felt swollen...but then would get back to normal after my period.

The burning feeling. I get that on my face. I've taken my temperature when it happened, and it was always normal. Other people have posted about the burning feeling on this site. What PB said about the overactive nerves makes sense. My body gets hypersensitive when I am in anxiety mode.

[Crush]

My skin literally feels like I have a horrible sunburn on my arms, legs and face, but I have no redness to my skin. I also feel sooo cold, just like when you have a sunburn. I'm wondering what in the world this could be??
 
Has anyone had any of this? Please respond! 

Actually I get this all the time.

Right now it's on my left forearm and very mild. I actually made a post lats week about a sunburn feeling on my face and no one responded either so I dont think everyone gets it.

A lot of people get a sore back and I do not so everyone symptoms are different. But wow yeah I get the burning. On the sides of my neck too.

[gridder]

I get it on my back occasionally, usually when I am sick.

[jenn81]

That's crazy cause I get the burning feeling on my face and side of neck too and not on my whole arms just the forearms, sometimes I'll get this weird nerve type pain where my skin there feels sensitive to touch ( hard to explain) I get all types of weird feelings... And I swear I always thought I was the only one. This site has been life changing for me! It's really calmed me down quite a bit.  It helps to know your not alone since HA is a lonley thing to suffer from, unless if you have it you can't get it.

You know I never thought the swollen feeling feelng in my hands and feet could be period related because Ive never really had it untill recently and I always thought fluid retention was a noticeable swelling. I need to keep track to see if it goes away after my period is over cause I do notice that I don't have it all the time but do get it every month. Also last nght when I was laying down I could feel my pulse just beating everywhere in my body including my hands. Could that be fluid retention too?
I'm due to start my period tommorrow s that would make sense if that's what it is. But of course my mind always goes right to the horid deadly diseases, I never think about simple logical explanations to anything. Damn HA! I hate it....

[Crush]

Hey jenn...

Yeanh we seem to have a lot of the same symptoms. The neck and face burning, pulse at night. Oh yeah.

If you are feeling your pulse at night (as I was lately), don't worry it's anxiety and please do not google this at all. You might also hear your heart beating in the back of your neck or head. Again dont google this. It's caused by anxiety.

You can have blood pressure which is induced by anxiety, or, you can have standard health problems that cause higher blood pressure. If you do have anxiety induced high blood pressure, it's 'safe' because it's temporary and only based off anxiety so your palpitions are harmless.

Does your heart speed up after eating or walking up the stairs? I bet it does. The 'anxiety heart rate' seems to be very 'responsive' to eating, moving around, etc. Your always on edge for it to beat faster.

Eventually, you'll get back down to a low pulse and wont hear or feel your heart beating.

[jenn81]

That's the weird thing as my pulse is always in the 60's at night. I rarely ever get a fast heart rate with my anxiety. I did when I was a kid but haven't since. If anything sometimes I feel as if my heart beats to slow but yet I'll still feel it beating in my legs and hands and yes my head... It's crazy

[southbeach]

I feel my pulse too, i have probably felt it everywhere...tonight it was in the back of my neck and head aswell! Sometimes in my fingers...feets...it switches up all the time

[Crush]

Yeah the back of the neck, back area below the neck are all common areas. Inside of lower head too. And if you interlock your fingers with both hands, you can feel a big pulse.

Your heart might not necessarily be beating faster so much, but it's beating harder and really pushing out blood to those extremities. Pay attention to what happens like 20 min after you eat and if it goes faster/harder.

All this beating and pressure is harmless by the way. No damage done. You could even say it's healthy.. but it's still uncomfortable and no one likes it.

[blusmomma]

Hi Jenn,

I sent you a pm but not sure you will get it because I only have one other post. Anyways lately I have for the first time been experiencing the swollen arms/hands, legs/feet feeling. They are NOT swollen though. I just had my bp checked as well (not sure if that makes a difference) but it is totally normal. I have GAD and have for a loooooong time and never felt this before, though lately I am a wreck! I am under ALOT of stress. I also have very achy legs, like growing pains alot especially after walking and I am very concerned what is happening to my body. I wonder if this is stress? could it be Fibromyalgia? I have alot of those symptoms too...

Sarah

[lorithegnome]

I was up late tonight dealing with my skin being on fire and came across this post.


It started for me 8 years ago and to sum it up quickly: I deal  with wide spread pain plus the skin feeling sunburned and feeling like i'm coming down with the flu ALL the time.

I went through a huge regimen of meds for anxiety, depression, restless leg syndrome, fibromyalgia, and also many narcotic meds for pain.

After going through a dozen of doctors who treated me as if I was just nuts finally one night I quit breathing.  I had to spend the night in the ER.  Lab work came back that my thyroid wasn't working. Of course by this point I have suffered so long with hypothyroidism that permanent damage was done to my body because no doctor cared enough to truly listen to me.

I have no stress. No anxiety. I have mild depression due to my pain.

Now I see a wonderful endocrinologist who has helped me to understand that while I have extreme hypothyroidism I also have fibromyalgia which will never go away due to the perm damage.

My wide spread pain started out 8 years ago with leg cramps while I slept.

The burning skin is a new symptom for me, started 3 months ago.

I have to now use sensitive soap and alot of sensitive skin lubriderm. 

I am still new to my endocrinologist but he is hopeful in a few months some of my symptoms will vanish.  He gives me hope.

My advice is this: If you truly don't think it's anxiety, see your doctor.  Talk to them.  Ask to have lab work done.

[Chicubs1978]

Jenn, you said you were diagnosed with Lupus.  I work in medicine and have a friend with lupus...and the burning feeling is quite common with them.  Also, I've had similar feelings and came to realize my anxiety was causing my back muscles to tighten up making my already poor back worse...pinching nerves and causing the same burning feeling on my right side (per my doctor).

[miika]

I have these sunburn feelings all the time, comes and goes. It must be anxiety.