I have wondered for a long time now, if there was a correlation between one being very ticklish and one having pain sensitivities. As a kid even the slightest touch would feel overly ticklish, and for me this ticklishness has morphed into a feeling of pain. Areas that were not ticklish before have become so, and the areas that I had the most intense tickling kind of feeling have become the most painful. It is like all my skin and tissue are just one giant over active nerve.
I am extremely ticklish, to the point that as a young person, I had severely wrenched both my wrists on multiple times trying to twist away from some one who was tickling me for fun. Not fun for me. And as soon as I have been tickled in one area my whole body becomes super sensitive to touch to the point it is painful. I actually can have muscle spasms if anyone or thing touches me when I am in this state. I cannot go for a pedicure, because no one and I mean no one can touch the soles of my feet, and barely the top. I find it hard to touch my own feet, but work at it daily. My extreme ticklishness has been with me as far back as I can remember, and I was wondering if having such extremely sensitive nerves in my skin that make me ticklish, may be somehow connected to having nerve related problems or fibro now.
Let me know if you were/are ticklish? Do you think there could be a correlation between being overly ticklish and having pain sensitivities later on in life? This is not a scientific study, lol, just thought I would put this out here? Hugs to you all!
I too am very ticklish. As a kid my sister would torture me until I cried. Now Nobody touches my feet. My feet have always been tender. Just walking on my tile floor hurts my feet, (the cracks). I make sure to have my shoes on where ever I go. Inside and out. This is not limited to my feet although my feet seem to be the worse. If someone were to attempt to tickle me at the ribs I would feel bruised for days. Other places just the slightest touch and I am jerking away because it tickles.
I have never had a Pedicure...just the thought of someone touching my feet makes me cringe.
Wow, Singingtrees, it sounds like you've had fibro since you were a young kid. Yes, ticklishness is associated with nerve pain. Some people feel pain, some feel ticklish, some feel like bugs are marching on them or biting them. You may well have hit upon a truth by saying that your entire skin and tissue felt like it was a giant nerve. I thin that in a way, it is. Fbro has apparently irritated/stimulated those nerves, everywhere. Yeah, everywhere.
I wish I could say that I was overly ticklish so I could fit into this pattern but I'm not and never have been. However, other people may have been. I think this is a fascinating topic and definitely worth looking over to see if it's found in a lot of us with fibro. I know I'll be reading all of the answers to see what's what. And meanwhile, it really doe sound like you've inadvertently found out that you had fibro from an early age on. )The other question that seems to tie in with fibro as a kid is: did you have growing pains, aka calf/leg cramps?)
Thanks to you all for your replies. Very interesting. I am sorry that some of you are so ticklish, but at the same time this is the first time I have met others who had similar experiences to me. I am not alone, lol. I hope others do chime in and share their experiences whether they are or not extremely ticklish. And thanks for you who shared that you can enjoy a pedicure, lol, it is nice to know I can live vicariously through you.
Avenk, you poor dear having a torturing stepbrother. That is one of my worst nightmares to be tortured by tickling, it makes my skin crawl. I hope that was a for short period of your life. Makes sense why you are cautious of massages. Can you rub your own feet or are they too ticklish for that too?
Ibsain, I feel for you, another person who was tortured by tickling. For some reason people think it is okay to tickle and that there is no harm done, but it does really overwhelm our bodies. Your feet do sound tender; if you touch your own feet is that okay or are they too sensitive even for your own touch? I can’t lightly touch my feet, it has to be a firm touch or the sensitivity kicks in. I find that is the same for my palms.
Petunia, thanks for your comments. I am glad that you don’t fit the pattern, as we already connect on other things and I wouldn’t wish this condition on anyone.Smiles!! I did have growing pains as a child with muscle cramps, but I thought most people did! Don’t they??? This looks like something I will need to explore more. I wonder how many of our members had symptoms going all the way back to when they were children.
I too will be watching to see the responses others share!!!
Hugs to you all, I hope you have a wonderful evening.
I don't particularly like to be tickled but I am not overly ticklish. I do enjoy a pedicure as long as I am not in a bad flare. I also was lucky and don't recall having growing pains. I did go thru a time where I would spike fevers as a young teen and my mom took me to several doctors and no one could figure out why. This lasted a few months and then they went away.
Hi Auburnm, thanks for your reply. I am glad that you aren’t overly ticklish. I think there are a fair amount of people out there who really don’t like being tickled. I too had some strange fevers as a teen. Do you still get fevers? I run a low grade fever most evenings.