I bet you're saying "hyper-what?". It's called hyperesthesia. And here's the painful truth of it. Have you ever been out in the sun too long; and you come in to take a shower and the moment the water touches your charred skin you're up and out of there? How about this one. . you put on a pair of your favorite jeans and once it touches your shin you feel a pain. This pain feels like a bruise so you look down and see nothing. This happens over the day, looking and checking for that bruise to appear. A bruise is never going to appear because the condition you're experiencing is a case of hyperesthesia.

Hyperesthesia is one of a number of neurological symptoms that come with any neurological condition such as: numbness, tingling, hyperesthesia (increased sensitivity), paralysis, localised weakness, dysarthria (difficult speech), aphasia (inability to speak), dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), diplopia (double vision), amaurosis fugax (temporary loss of vision in one eye) difficulty walking, in coordination, tremor, seizures, confusion, lethargy, dementia, delirium and coma.

My own case is the sunburn and jeans. This went on for years and I thought I was crazy. I never linked this pain to my PN nor thought about telling my doctor. And how do you look that up on the Internet? You can't. And now that I do know what it is good luck researching it because you will find very little and all cat related, yes I said cat. Don't believe me? Try it.

This is one of those cases where you think you're having some kind of "stupid" pain or condition that you don't want to bother your doctor about. I finally did and he brushed it off like "oh it's just hyperesthesia, no big deal". That was until I made him explain it to me and then did a little research. Some medical websites don't even have it listed.

I went for years in horrible additional pain because my doctor NEVER told me about this. You see nerve damage, while doing it's worst in the feet and legs, isn't restricted to those parts. PN damage will attack whatever it's little heart desires. This includes a sensitivity to stimulus of the nerves in the skin. Oh and you'll know when the attack is going on. It'll be a pain that has no cause, no reason, and no resolution. It may feel like a glass shard in your knuckle but it isn't. It may feel like hot water on a sunburn, but it isn't.

The dictionary describes it as "An abnormal or pathological increase in sensitivity to sensory stimuli, as of the skin to touch or the ear to sound."

The disease database hails it as ""An increased sensation to painful stimuli that may follow damage to soft tissue containing NOCICEPTORS or injury to a peripheral nerve. Hyperalgesia can occur both at the site of tissue damage (primary hyperalgesia) and in the surrounding undamaged areas (secondary hyperalgesia); excessive sensitivity to painful stimuli, increased sensitivity to cutaneous stimulation due to a diminished threshold or an increased response to stimuli."

Imagine raw nerves firing at every move, every touch, everything. I've even had areas swell at the pain, but I still figure out it's hyperesthesia and move one.

Remember: Be Aware, Ask Questions, Take care of yourself, Research.
This illness may get you down but only you can let it hold you down. Break Through!

Learn more about this author, Dawn Taylor.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Living with chronic pain?
We want to hear your view. Write now!