Weird problem with arms...

Thanatos

This is really weird. I keep having this burning sensation on my arms, both in the same place: on the top of the forearm, right below the elbow. It happens on both arms, it'll burn pretty intensely for a few seconds, then stop. It seems to happen a lot when I'm getting out of my car, but I just brushed my hand along my right arm, and it burned like hell. Then, a few seconds later, the sensation is just gone.

It's just really fucking weird, and starting to freak me out.

Corvus

Is this a burning sensation on the skin, or inside the arms (as in, something funky with muscles, tendons or nerves)?

gundam470

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/sym/forearm_burning_sensation.htm

Does any of that help?

Thanatos

Corvus wrote:

Is this a burning sensation on the skin, or inside the arms (as in, something funky with muscles, tendons or nerves)?

This is on the skin. No visual difference between the area that burns and the rest of the arm, though.

gundam470 wrote:

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/sym/forearm_burning_sensation.htm

Does any of that help?

Some of it freaks me out, but no, not really.

The only thing that really might be it is diabetes (I have a family history), but I've been tested a couple of times, and my eating has gotten much healthier, so I seriously doubt it.

Corvus

Hrm. Maybe a skin allergy of some kind? Change your soap or laundry detergent recently?

Thanatos

Corvus wrote:

Hrm. Maybe a skin allergy of some kind? Change your soap or laundry detergent recently?

Nope. And if it were an allergy, why only that particular point along both arms? I mean, I use the same bar of soap over my whole body. So why only a reaction there? And why no visual cue? And why does it only flare up occasionally?

Like, I just got that one flare up, from brushing my hand across my arm at that spot, and now I can rub it just fine, with no reaction.

Feral

Thanatos wrote:

Corvus wrote:

Hrm. Maybe a skin allergy of some kind? Change your soap or laundry detergent recently?

Nope. And if it were an allergy, why only that particular point along both arms? I mean, I use the same bar of soap over my whole body. So why only a reaction there? And why no visual cue? And why does it only flare up occasionally?

Like, I just got that one flare up, from brushing my hand across my arm at that spot, and now I can rub it just fine, with no reaction.

Could you be laying your arms against a surface you're allergic to?
Like maybe the fabric on the armrest in your car?

The other possibility is nerve damage - the burning sensation could be neuropathic. Brushing your arm or flexing your muscles in a certain way could be stimulating the damaged nerve. This could be detected at a neurologist's office by a nerve conduction test.

Thanatos

Feral wrote:

Thanatos wrote:

Corvus wrote:

Hrm. Maybe a skin allergy of some kind? Change your soap or laundry detergent recently?

Nope. And if it were an allergy, why only that particular point along both arms? I mean, I use the same bar of soap over my whole body. So why only a reaction there? And why no visual cue? And why does it only flare up occasionally?

Like, I just got that one flare up, from brushing my hand across my arm at that spot, and now I can rub it just fine, with no reaction.

Could you be laying your arms against a surface you're allergic to?
Like maybe the fabric on the armrest in your car?

My car doesn't have armrests.

I suppose it could be, like, the vinyl on my shoulder belt...

But why would that just be happening all of a sudden? Can you spontaneously develop an allergy like that?

The other possibility is nerve damage - the burning sensation could be neuropathic. Brushing your arm or flexing your muscles in a certain way could be stimulating the damaged nerve. This could be detected at a neurologist's office by a nerve conduction test.

Assume I don't have insurance. Would seeing a neurologist be cost-effective, given the likelihood of something like that?

Feral

Thanatos wrote:

Feral wrote:

Thanatos wrote:

Corvus wrote:

Hrm. Maybe a skin allergy of some kind? Change your soap or laundry detergent recently?

Nope. And if it were an allergy, why only that particular point along both arms? I mean, I use the same bar of soap over my whole body. So why only a reaction there? And why no visual cue? And why does it only flare up occasionally?

Like, I just got that one flare up, from brushing my hand across my arm at that spot, and now I can rub it just fine, with no reaction.

Could you be laying your arms against a surface you're allergic to?
Like maybe the fabric on the armrest in your car?

My car doesn't have armrests.

I suppose it could be, like, the vinyl on my shoulder belt...

But why would that just be happening all of a sudden? Can you spontaneously develop an allergy like that?

If your shoulder belt is rubbing against that skin, could it be a friction burn?

The other possibility is nerve damage - the burning sensation could be neuropathic. Brushing your arm or flexing your muscles in a certain way could be stimulating the damaged nerve. This could be detected at a neurologist's office by a nerve conduction test.

Assume I don't have insurance. Would seeing a neurologist be cost-effective, given the likelihood of something like that?

I don't know. If it were neuropathic, you'd probably have some loss of sensation, tingling, or weakness. If you don't have any of those things, it probably wouldn't be worth the expense.

I'm just trying to think through some possibilities here.

Incenjucar

I've heard that some allergies do develop spontaniously when exposure is high; basically the body saying "We are getting way too much of this crap, that stops now."

So it's possible.

oniian

Could it be eczema? Maybe describing what the area on the skin that is feeling this sensation looks like would help?

Thanatos

Feral wrote:

If your shoulder belt is rubbing against that skin, could it be a friction burn?

My arm only brushes the shoulder belt on the way out of the car, doesn't sit there for long periods of time.

And about 3/4ths of the time getting out of the car, it's the other arm, the one that doesn't touch the shoulder belt.

The other possibility is nerve damage - the burning sensation could be neuropathic. Brushing your arm or flexing your muscles in a certain way could be stimulating the damaged nerve. This could be detected at a neurologist's office by a nerve conduction test.

Assume I don't have insurance. Would seeing a neurologist be cost-effective, given the likelihood of something like that?

I don't know. If it were neuropathic, you'd probably have some loss of sensation, tingling, or weakness. If you don't have any of those things, it probably wouldn't be worth the expense.

I'm just trying to think through some possibilities here.

Negative on all of those.

oniian wrote:

Could it be eczema? Maybe describing what the area on the skin that is feeling this sensation looks like would help?

It's not eczema. I do get mild eczema on my hands occasionally; this is totally different. And, like I said earlier, there is nothing visually different about the portions of my forearm with the burning sensation and the rest of the forearm.

I didn't think about it earlier, but I do have a minor bit of what I'm pretty sure is psoriasis on my elbows. Could it be related?

Zen Vulgarity

gundam470 wrote:

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/sym/forearm_burning_sensation.htm

Does any of that help?

Not to de-rail, but that place having well over 600 different things when it comes to "abdominal pain" scares the shit out of me.