Anyone know what could be going on with my arm?

Anyone know what could be going on with my arm?

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qube_TA

Original Poster:

8,402 posts

246 months

Monday 11th October 2010
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Last 3 weeks it's been particularly sore, from just below the elbow to my hand, arm looks fine but it feels like it's burnt, pins n needles / slightly numb feeling with super-sensitive skin (anything cold properly hurts). hurts most at the forearm. I've not done anything, muscle control is fine, not stopping me doing anything, just hurts, a lot, pain killers don't do anything. Makes no sense. Wouldn't be so bad if I knew what it was or could attribute it to something.

Any Dr. Houses about?

I'd register with a GP and get them to scope it out but as there's nothing visible they'll just give me some pain killers and send me home, be a complete waste of time.


LMC

918 posts

214 months

Monday 11th October 2010
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What kind of pain-killers are you taking ? Sounds like you need anti-inflammatories as you are describing a sensory nerve involvement, could be an impingement at the elbow joint. Nerves are sensory (feel hot, cold, pain, itch etc), motor nerves contract the muscles (yours seem to be fine), or mixed nerves which are both senory and motor.

Definitely sounds like a sensory nerve to me. I assume from the post you haven't cut yourself, so it'll most likely be the nerve is trapped, sending weird signals to the brain.

With no history of actaul traumatic damage, it should settle.

Take Ibuprofen 400mg 3 times a day for the next 3 days (as long as you don't have stomach probs or asthma), see how that goes. Don't miss a dose, it needs to build up in your system. Add a painkiller (over the counter Co-codamol) too.

HTH smile

Edited to add: if the sensations you are getting are specific to a part of the arm (say the little finger side, suggesting the ulnar nerve) then its what I say it is, and I win this weeks prize ! If its general pain and sensations over all aspects of the arm then I'm taking crap, as its unlikely all the nerves are being compressed at the same time...unless there is gross swelling of your elbow joint, which you would have said.

Edited by LMC on Monday 11th October 20:30

qube_TA

Original Poster:

8,402 posts

246 months

Monday 11th October 2010
quotequote all
Hi, thanks for the advice. There's a spot just below the elbow on my forearm that is the area where it hurts the most but the pain from that extends towards my hand and fingers. It's not swollen or anything and looks fine. Hot water on the arm hurts but cold is fantastically painful. Not really had any painkillers as I tried a few different ones and couldn't tell any difference. Wondered if it was a trapped nerve, really odd sensation.


drfrank

785 posts

203 months

Monday 11th October 2010
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Not always as cut and dry as LMC suggests, the radial, ulnar and median nerves all give both sensory and motor innervation (pedantic I know but anatomy is important !). Usually if one of these nerves is being compressed at the common anatomical sites then motor and sensory signs can be elicited.

qube_TA

Original Poster:

8,402 posts

246 months

Tuesday 26th October 2010
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So I went to the doctor as my arm was getting worse, numb the full length and she prescribed some anti-inflammatories.

Seems that I've had a reaction to these and now the left side of my face is all swollen to the point I can't open my eye and it's all covered in sores (including my eye, under my hair and in my ear). It's kinda gross and very uncomfortable.

Don't know how long this will take to sort and my arm is still not right either.

I believe they shoot horses for much less.

Now on some more smarties to fix my face.


Feeling sorry for myself, please direct any spare token sympathy you may have in my direction.

Thanks.

biggrin


MacGee

2,513 posts

231 months

Tuesday 26th October 2010
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Gout

The_Doc

4,895 posts

221 months

Thursday 28th October 2010
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nerve pains, sores,

shingles (varicella zoster virus)

go back to your GP

bull996

1,442 posts

210 months

Thursday 28th October 2010
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well when my fingers and toes went numb, slowly making its way up my arms and legs, turns out it was liver failure.

(When I say numb, it felt numb, but was actually hyper sensitive and painful silly)

qube_TA

Original Poster:

8,402 posts

246 months

Thursday 28th October 2010
quotequote all
Awesome.

I went back to the Docs other than waiting for my face to put itself back together they've not suggested anything.