Extremely sensitive skin on arm?

[Eaglesong3]

I have an appointment with a doctor on Thursday but I'm looking for any ideas to give to him and want to know if anyone thinks I should try to seek care sooner.

On Friday I was doing some yard work. Nothing terribly strenuous. Pretty light lifting and all. I did handle some old tumble weeds and got poked a few times though.

Since Friday my arm has been VERY sensitive to touch. It's not aching or sore but if I even take and brush a feather duster over the skin it feels like someone giving me a hard slap on a bad sunburn. Harder pressure doesn't hurt it more (maybe even slightly less pain)

I can't rest it on the arm of my chair or even wear a loose fitting jacket. With the jacket the constant touching on the arm seems to intensify the pain even more than just brushing against it once.

Anyone have an idea of what could be causing this? It's unlike any muscle pain I've ever had (no pain with extension, flexing or tension) and there is no redness or swelling and no sensitivity to temperature as there would be with a burn.

Hehe, I'm not sure my doctor is a trained professional :-) He's a nice guy and all but he's a little on the wacky side...East Indian, wears his pants up around his armpits (uses suspenders to keep them in that vicinity) and usually has on an old baseball cap. Everyone in the office knows why you're there 'cause he seems incapable of talking any more quietly than a jet engine. Nice guy though, did I mention that? :-)

Also, with general practitioners I like to know what possibilities there are so that I have some inclination if it seems they're missing something simply because it's too specialized a problem for a general practitioner to be immediately aware of.

[Chelsea]

It could be a surface skin reaction (which can be very had to visibly see). It could be a chemical reaction from something you were handling from your yard work (old tools with rust, chemicals agents in gardening supplies, expired supplies, etc.) that may have just irritated your skin. There is also a possibility that you were bitten by a house spider, so check for bumps or itchy areas.

If it feels like it is underneath your skin, your may have pinched a nerve that could feel like it's the surface of your skin.

Definitely talk to your physician about these symptoms. If you are concerned to a point where it is scaring you, I'd suggest to call the medical office again and talk to a nurse over the phone.

[msako]

You shouldn't be giving your doctor ideas! You may lead him/her to the wrong conclusion. You should just give facts and leave out your opinion when you see the doctor because you aren't a doctor or trained professional.