Very scared: cold sensitive feeling on skin.

[Toffeeapple]

Hi I am very very anxious at the moment, and on top of that, I am experiencing an extra temperature sensitivity (especially the cold).
It started in my feet, when I touch the floor or a surface with them it feels like I am putting my feet on ice.
Also now it's gone up to my legs, buttocks, groins, stomach, lower back, up to my neck, even sometimes my head (at the back).
It only happens when I touch something initially and then subsides when the skin gets used to it.
It's really scary, although I haven't lost any feeling or anything like that and usually if I focus on something else it goes away, but because I'm always focused on it, it's really hard to tell if it's just anxiety.
Hard to believe anxiety alone could create such symptoms as well.
Those symptoms have started Friday in the night, and admittedly there were accompanied with severe symptoms of anxiety, the worst I have ever had so far, and all at the same time as well.
Please could someone reply, I'm scared to death.
I'm about to call the doctor about it anyway, but I really don't want to google it.

[Toffeeapple]

By the way, the question was: Has anyone had such a feeling before, and more importantly, have they got better?
I noticed now that it is not noticeable if I don't think about it, and also that it's only when I have got socks or clothes on. It doesn't seem to be too different on bare skin.
How weird.

[no_name]

I haven't had such experiences, but when i am in HA/depression the cold/warm sensitivity of my body really changes. My body then just reacts abnormally on the environment (i feel very cold when outside is 25 degrees for example). It's because of the nervous system for sure
edit: if this really concerns you, pay a visit to your doctor for your assurance. But these mental conditions can really make your body feel strange things, believe me. Over the years i have had so many different and strange symptoms that i can say- there is hardly anything i haven't had felt on my body, all because of the anxiety/depression (the body reacts on these conditions with these "fake" symptoms)

[Toffeeapple]

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply, yes if it doesn't subside I will visit my doctor (trouble is I find it hard to believe anything they say).
I know when I move about or when I stop focusing on it it seems to go away. But when I'm resting and getting cooler again I just seem to get cold quickly and get that cold feeling again.

[anxietyoverload]

i suffer from anxiety and sometimes get warm rushes up my legs x

[DontPanicMrMannering]

It sounds like your Anxiety has made you Hyper Sensitive, the fact that your sensations change if you distract your thoughts means that its not physical but Psychological, anxiety can amplify the smallest of sensations.

Dale

[Toffeeapple]

The other way I could describe it also is a cold feeling. It is doing my head in and worrying me to discraction!! I was that close to googling it earlier, but I resisted. No point, I'm going to end up with MS or a heart condition. In fact I'm already thinking MS or heart condition :weep:

[Toffeeapple]

Sorry I meant a wet feeling:blush:

[Landers]

Hi,

I used to get cold skin/very sensitive when I was very anxious, especially feet and fingers.

I remember during reading about anxiety and the physiological changes that are involved with the fight/flight system upon the body.

Specifically, the fight or flight system is there to try and protect us and one of the things that it can do is trigger the drawing away of blood away from the extremities and the skin and into the internal organs (The really important bits that you want to have enough blood/oxygen to do the stuff they do, in case you get mauled by a bear or whatnot). It doesn't happen every time or for every person with anxiety, (I had lots of anxiety symptoms that would come and go) but then the list of things that you *can* feel when you are anxious is as long as my arm :)

As this happens, you get tingly or cold skin or extremities, and as you are feeling very anxious and searching your body for any sign of distress, the more you think about it, the more you feel it too.

I could actually think myself into it, think if I was cold or tingly, and then when i started to feel it I'd focus on it more and more, and then that was all the confirmation I needed to go into a full-blown panic.

xx

[Toffeeapple]

Yeah I know, I could litterally create some physical symptoms too, just thinking about them, but this is really freaky.
Plus I know I said "cold" and "wet" feeling, but actually when I do touch the skin, the skin itself is warm. Oh I don't know, it's doing my head in!!
I hope it goes away soon before I have to go to the doctors.

[no_name]

The skin is warm but you feel it cold and wet because of your nervous system, as i said i've had all kinds of strange feelings through the years but none was "real". It's just your body saying "i'm stressed mentally"

[Toffeeapple]

Just a quick update in case someone has the same issue one day, who knows.
I spoke to the doctor about my symptoms and he said that I probably irritated my sciatic nerve by doing yoga (admittedly I do feel a pain in my lower back and it keeps making a cracking sound there).
He said that a mild irritation to the sciatic nerve sometimes causes temperature changes to the skin, then if it gets worse you get pins and needles and numbness and if it's a trapped nerve then you get the pain.
Also since then I spoke to my step father who gets sciatica problems and he said he also gets that "damp" feeling in his legs and also the pins and needles.
Now I'm waiting for the anxiety symptoms to completely go away, and that will be another episode over with!! Result!
Thank you for all your replies, you have helped a lot!

[Meg37]

Hi

I am glad you have got this sorted :) I think I may well have trapped a nerve somewhere as I keep getting the feeling of having water splashed on me, I joined the gym about three months ago and this has steadily come on, I think I might be steadily irritating a nerve or something.