Hi!
I have spent the whole day looking for what this could be and finally I think I could have found it. If you lovely people wouldn't mind having a read of what I describe and see if this is could be erythromelalgia.
I only suffer from these symptoms on my FEET:
Itching with a little pain and tenderness.
Bright red colour.
Very hot.
Burning/tingling sensation (the burning doesn't hurt they're just hot and inflamed)
The pain is very bad if I stamp my feet or walk hard/fast. It's brief weird pain like a shooting pain.
I occasionally get it when sitting down but I usually get it standing up.
For a while, I thought it could be psychological because I get it when I cooking even though my feet are on cold tiles, when I am in the bathroom eg. Running a bath. I have recently been decorating and after 10 minutes it's there. I also get it when I am stressed eg. getting ready to go out and a little nervous or angry. So I wondered if it's just my mind and a trigger from what I am thinking. However having spoken to people it's just not normal. I was even out once and one of my friends asked me if I was wearing red socks. I have suffered from the symptoms for a few years but, recently I have noticed I am getting flare-ups more often and the itching is worsening. I am unsure if this can be erythromelalgia as it does effect me but not drastically and some posts are quite extreme. I can carry on with my day to day life, it is just uncomfortable at times. I am very doubtful my Doctor could help in anyway, although I will try. In addition, I have looked at some photos and they're exactly the same as what mine look like.
I really appreciate you reading this and thank you.
Best wishes,
Grace
Sounds along the right lines, or Fibromalygia...
Have you seen a Rhumatologist, Neurologist or Dermatologist?
I agree, my erythromelalgia was progressive, it still doesn't prevent me to do my daily activities, but it is a major discomfort.
Itching and tingling make me think Small Fiber Neuropathy too.
Thank you for your help. I have an appointment with my Doctor and will ask to see a Rhumatologist, Neurologist or Dermatologist. I think she will refer me to a Dermatologist however, I know getting an appointment with them will take months.
Thanks again.
My tip on that is to call as many place as possible and take the appointment is fastest, or look on the internet for who's the best and fastest to see patients.
People can have a mild form of EM and it may even resolve itself over time. Some have EM and it gets very bad, but not everyone has EM turn into a really bad version where one can hardly do anything. Those may post more or longer posts.
One can have feet that burn from a number of reasons. A person that has a colder form of neuropathy, my term for it, which may numb the feet and cause them to be cold can have shooting pains and have the EM symptoms at times and perhaps more occasional flares. Other forms of EM may have a lot more flares and very few or virtually no time when the hands and feet are cold and numb. And some of course may have burning conditions that are from something else that can be cured and seems like EM to their imagination. For example you could have hot feet from a fungal infection or a skin infection. With a skin infection you might see raised blisters on your feet and chilling the foot will likely not cause the blisters and burning to go away. With EM often you can "bring on a flare, by simply putting your feet in warm water and having your feet down perhaps in a pan of warm water warming the foot. Heat will cause flares. Cooling the feet in cold water will often help stop the flares. So those tests which you can do at home may give you an idea what you are dealing with. If you have some kind of infection then pills that treat that, for example antibiotics for a skin infection or perhaps medication for a fungal infection can clear up the infection and the burning would likely go away.
My mom seemed to have a mild form of EM from a drug she was "taking for anxiety" or a mental health condition issue, depending on which story we'd go by from our memory and the records. That pill gave her EM conditions which were rather mild, likely pain of a 4 or 5 scale which was temporary flares. Those flares completely resolved for years and she had a normal life without any flares. Then she took another pill given to her and six weeks after taking it developed a really bad case of EM. Which would be one of the more severe cases. Many have cases which are not as severe and are EM. And of course there are other causes as well. And many may have more than one disease which can be a nerve damage condition so they may have something else and EM as well or as a result of their disease. EM is a syndrome based on how your body is acting up. It can be caused by many primary diseases, see other descriptions on the web and wikepedia for some basics regarding it.
Stress and diet can cause it, heat often causes it. People may have high blood pressure which makes it worse or as a result of the pain it gives them. They may have low blood pressure as well and develop high blood pressure when they have a lot of EM flares. Sometimes a person with EM can have a pain flare, with low blood pressure as well. There are so many variables and it's so rare, it's hard for doctors to diagnose it.
Tests can be made by neurologists and pain clinics and some doctors will do this that can start to determine what may be causing your symptoms or at least what is NOT causing your symptoms. A lot of times the tests will rule out problems, but you may still have the EM symptoms and some known causes are just removed, it can be a time consuming road. Some ER doctors may see your EM and if they see the skin condition and the redness, they may assume it's a skin infection. That can happen, if your having a bad flare and go to ER. That is natural because they often see infections and these other more common problems and may not see EM cases ever in their practice.
Take photos of your feet during a flareup to show the doctor.
It sure sounds like EM to me. Does the redness subside when you elevate your feet? That’s one indicator of EM.
Beth
Lots of doctors are stumped by this condition. From the sounds of your symptoms it certainly seems like a possibility to me. Some more things to look at are: during a flare does the burning and itching get worse as the day goes on, peaking at bedtime? Some people will experience flare ups by just raising body temp like when exercising or even walking in closed shoes. Does cooling with water or wrapped ice packs ease the burning and itching? Whatever the cause of your discomfort, I hope you find some answers and strategies for comfort.