I'm wearing soneone else's back and it ITCHES!!!

[skoshi314]

I've had that same itching on the ridge of my rib hump and I'm pre-surgery. Geish is right, the more you rub or scratch, the more it itches. I've tried to describe it before and couldn't find the right analogy, but I like the ants. That's exactly what it feels like!

Pam, it's amazing to me how different meds affect everyone so differently. Some that you've mentioned in the past (can't recall which ones at this moment) that haven't had an effect on you just kick my a**! The Gabapetin makes me relaxed but I haven't noticed any problems with depth perception. I refuse to drive once I've taken it for fear of becoming SO relaxed I'll float right through a red light. So I take it about an hour before I go to bed. My doc did say that you will build a tolerance of sorts to it and won't feel the loopy effects. Maybe that'll give you a little hope!

FeliciaFeliciaFelicia, if I took 300mg 4 times a day I'd be a Jello jiggler just lying in the bed jiggling. I'm impressed!

[lisanicole]

Ant bites!!

Ant bites is the PERFECT description. I know exactly what you're talking about... it is nerve regeneration, like they're reconnecting. You'll be sitting there and just bolt straight up at the these little electric shocks. I never came online much after my surgery, but 7 years later it's SO great to hear that you guys are experiencing what I was experiencing and I wasn't totally nuts.

And "wearing someone else's back" is so right! I called it my "new body", your ribs are in different spots, and after a lifetime of your insides being in one place and then so drastically moved, it takes some time getting used to. I remember always having a numb itchy feeling in my right ribs because they rotated them so much during surgery, my skin wasn't used to the sensation of having ribs under it in this new location.

You guys are great.

[txmarinemom]

Yes, it does take time to a body that's been "rearranged".

I could not walk a straight line for ±10 days - LOL ... my entire center of gravity was OFF - lol.

[rainbow2010]

I was told years ago that itching is a form of pain. I have a spot on my face that when I scratch it, I feel it on my back. My daughter had a spot on her stomach that she feels on her back. Some of the itching is the nerves growing back. I had to put up with the itching inside a body cast. I learned to ignore it.

[txmarinemom]

That's so weird - but I can relate! I occasionally have itches on my fingers, and the place to scratch is NEVER where it itches (it's usually on the other hand!).

Pam

[dalmatica]

It took about a year for that itching/tingling/numbness to subside. I would feel itchy but yet couldn't feel myself scratching. So don't worry, the sensation should come back in some form or another.

As for Lyrica (Gabapetin), I can't take it. Tried again the other night and 75mgs will hang me over the next day big time yet I live on Oxycodone. I know it can be a miracle drug for some but I can't tolerate it. I have tried it several times over the years and same results. Krysi

[trulyaries]

FeliciaFeliciaFelicia, if I took 300mg 4 times a day I'd be a Jello jiggler just lying in the bed jiggling. I'm impressed!

I LOVE that mental image!! It's amazing to me once again the varying effects that drugs have on different people. Like me on valium - just plain loony tunes!!!

[samsmom]

Samsmom,
I hope you don't mind a word of warning. When I went to my two week visit, I was told not to use a heating pad. Since areas are numb a burn could develop without that person being aware of it. When I had used it, I used the lowest setting. Advised to use ice packs instead.
I have not developed that "itchy" feeling. My back does not feel like it's a part of me. It seems so swollen at times and that is when it really bothers me. I wore a
Milwaukee brace as a teen-ager and now it feels like it's inside me. It feels like I am leaning against bars when I lean back in a chair. Anyone experience this?
Thanks for replies. Sorry, I don't have an answer for the itchiness, Pam. Hope it goes away soon for you.

Thanks for the word of warning. I honestly never thought of that!