Just wondering if anyone else experiences this. Things like my hair laying on the side of my head or bracelets cause a medium-intense aching pain on my head or arm. Some days, I’ll have a pretty bad headache just from wearing a shirt, and I’ll occasionally just have to take it off. It sounds like a milder form of allodynia, maybe? I know touch sensitivity is definitely a thing, but I’ve never known anyone who experiences it quite this way. It definitely scales with how well rested I am, too.
Anywho, I’ve tried searching for this before, but it only somehow just now occurred to me to ask my fellow neuro-spicies if this is common. Thanks!
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When I’m overstimulated or migrainey my skin becomes sensitive to touch. So that when I am touched I have a burning sensation and oddly enough light touches are more painful than a normal touch. I often describe it as the same feeling from when I am running a fever that makes my skin burn and I get painful goosebumps all over. (The painful goosebumps happen with a migraine more than being overstimulated.)
Also I can’t stand repetitive touch, like when holding hands and the other person rubs their thumb back and forth over your hand. These repetitive motions quickly become painful and can often set off my whole body becoming too sensitive. Another weird touch thing is light touches on my back, this almost always causes my how body to start itching. It’s sooo annoying and something I have to constantly remind my partner about.
I wouldn’t say I’ve had it to such a degree, but I do have a sensitivity to touch (well, every sense). I don’t have a problem if I am touching the thing (I am initiating the touch), but if the thing touches me (I am the recipient of the touch) I get this growing impulse to get away from it to the point of getting shaky. In some extreme cases it will feel like my skin is on fire even though there is no rash.
I do not know if your severity is common but I can easily see it being a thing.
I can get a version of this, but instead of heat it feels like my skin is full of bees.
I have fibromyalgia along with audhd and this actually sounds a lot like my experience. You should look into that maybe!
I’ve considered it before, but maybe I should look into it a bit more concertedly! Every time I’ve gone into a doctor for a long term condition, they inevitably tell me to take B12 for 2 months and come back, and by that time I’ve usually lost my motivation for doing something about it. 😆
I’ve only ever found two real studies on topic of tactile processing issues. reading the descriptions of tactile defensiveness made me feel less crazy.
The neurological process of light touch and movement being miss communicated to include a fight or flight response. The stress to muscles and joints that goes with constantly supressing a low level fight or flight response.
I’ve found it helpful when explaining to people hoe it is for me at least. To ask them to describe their physical response to something like a jump scare, someone startles you from behind kinda thing. then i ask if lightly moving their own hand over their arm causes the same feeling at like 1/3 the intensisty. Sure they usually say something along “thats not real”. But damnit i was at least able to explain the experiance.
these links shouldnt have paywalls. i can poke around for new links if they do.