Allodynia feels like sand paper rubbing across a sunburn
By Sophia Galpin
Allodynia is pain produced by a non-painful stimulus–something that shouldnāt normally cause you pain such as wind or light touch.
Usually, when you hurt yourself, whether it be from a burn on a hot oven or if you fall over and scrape your knee, your brain receives a pain signal. These painful sensations are interpreted by our nocireceptors (specialized nerves where pain signals originate).
In patients with allodynia, however, those receptors are being triggered incorrectly. They react to stimuli that for most people are harmless and shouldnāt cause a pain response.
What does it feel like? Like having really bad sunburn all the time. And when clothes, sheets, or people touch you, it feels like sand paper rubbing across your sunburn. Even other peopleās hair touching you feels sore.
There are 3 types of allodynia
- Tactile allodyniaĀ (pain caused by something touching your skin, i.e., when brushing your hair, shaving or showering or even being in a light gust of wind).
- Dynamic mechanical allodyniaĀ (pain caused by movement across the skin such as stroking or massage)
- Thermal allodyniaĀ (mild heat or cold temperatures causing pain)
When I last posted, I was suffering from all three types of allodynia from the waist down. That alone was incredibly difficult to manage. I have since traveled to America and back, and had many months of intensive Lyme disease treatment. This caused an almighty flare which has not receded, and I now have all three types all over my body. The severity has also increased.
I made a video for Lyme Disease Awareness Month in May this year highlighting some of the ways allodynia now affects my life:
My allodynia is so severe that I spend 95% of every day on my bed, or my day bed downstairs. I cannot lie on any sofa (due to the fact sofas are not completely flat and have ridges). I canāt sit for more than ten minutes maximum due to the pressure causing pain. My neuropathic pain and allodynia mean I am in excruciating pain all of the time ā it feels like my body is on fireĀ 
My tips to make everyday living with allodynia a little easier:
1. A shower head specially designed for sensitive skin
I have theĀ Mira Switch Four Spray Showerhead.Ā It has four differentĀ spray modes to choose from, including a soft pressure spray that means instead of big water droplets like a regular shower, it sprays a very fine mist. Itās much gentler than a regular shower head. I wouldnāt be without it anymore!!
2. Bamboo flannels
I havenāt been able to wash my face as much as Iād like to since the allodynia spread there. Flannels are typically rough and rough fabrics are incredibly painful. I recently purchased some bamboo flannels fromĀ amazonĀ and theyāre wonderful ā very soft! Yay for having a clean face again!Ā 
Ā I now need a bamboo towel!
3. High thread count sheets
The pressure and feel of bedsheets on my skin is very painful. I cannot tolerate any bobbles (which often happens to polyester/cotton sheets) and they have to be as soft as possible. ThisĀ 400 thread count fitted sheetĀ has been great for me ā itās both soft and silky.
4. Soft stretchy loose clothing
The softest fabric I have found is made with a combination of modal and cotton. Itās light, stretchy and very soft.
5. Soft loose bras
As you can imagine if you have such severe sensitivity, you donāt want a tight bra strap going around your chest. I have been wearing non-wired, soft bras like this one fromĀ Ted Baker. Primark also do a good selection and are just as good. The bras with silky straps are the softest. I am a size 8/10 in clothes but buy a size 14 in these bras to ensure the strap isnāt too tight.
If I can help someone else who suffers from this dreadful symptom I will be very happy!Ā Remember youāre not alone.Ā
Sophia Galpin lives in the UK, and writes Spoonie Sofia, a food, health, and lifestyle blog.
For your American readers, a flannel is a washcloth, not a shirt! So sorry you have to deal with that pain. My son seems to have a milder, intermittent version – sometimes a friendly pat or gentle touch makes him yelp or recoil in pain, other times he’s fine.
Haha Cat! I forget all of the American words for simple things like that.
Sorry about your son, I hope he finds some relief soon!
sophia, thank you for sharing your touching, painful story of living with pain 24/7 in the most awful ways.
your video was good; pretty music as we read.
best wishes on overcoming this so you can once again be gently hugged. prayers to you always.
betty gordon, iowa activist
48 yrs. chronic lyme with fibromyalgia pain; i’ll take that any day over what you/others live with daily!! so sorry ….
No problem at all Betty! Thanks for being so kind about my video <3
Sorry to hear you're a Lyme sufferer too! Healing love x
I was suffering with severe allodynia from Lymes and neuropathy – My doc high dosed me on magnesium 2000 MG at night – within an hour – the allodynia subsided and has not come back as long as I’m on high doses of magnesium!
Hey Tanda! That’s amazing!! What type of magnesium was that? And was it orally?
I also suffer from allodynia all three types as well as various neuropathies. Painful. Dont have the words to describe the place that it has taken me to in my life. Things I once did without any trouble whatsoever are now very hard to get through without pain.
I am so sorry Angela š I wish there was something I could say to help. I can totally relate. Sending so much healing love x
Thank you so much for sharing your post. I have had these symptoms intermittently since 2012, when my stress increases. In 2012, my bladder stopped working and I was sick for 2 months. I had pain throughout my body but mostly in my legs and feet. It was miserable. I was tested for MS and ultimately they thought that I had a rare form of shingles.
Thank you for reading my post. No problem at all. I hope some of that pain has subsided now? It sure is miserable. But we have to hold onto that hope that one day soon the pain will lessen.
I thought I was crazy for telling close friends that i felt like I was on fire. Some days are from my scalp to the soles of my feet. It is awful but now I know I’m not a real head case. Thank you for sharing! C. Trovato
You definitely aren’t mad cate! Allodynia is a very real and debilitating condition. No problem at all, thanks for reading my post! Sophia x
I have this horrible neuropathy. I found a mixture of 10 drops Margurum and 1/4 cup olive oil. Mix it and rub on the nerve pain. It helps! I tried everything under the sun and nothing worked.
I will look into that, thank you! Sophia
Thank you for this well-written post Sophia. The treatments that helped me the most with this type of pain were gamma globulin infusions. I had monthly infusions for about a year, and after three or four months the worst of the worst was over. I used to stand at the bathroom mirror just to show my brain that I wasn’t actually on fire most evenings! And yes, sheets felt just like sandpaper on a sunburn.
See if you can get tested for hypogammaglobulinemia and if you have it you ought to qualify for the infusions. Certain labs are better than others at testing for this, and certain brands of gamma are preferable. I hope your doctor knows about this. There is also a skin biopsy test that can diagnose small fiber neuropathy.
Best of luck to you, and let us know how it goes.
Virtual hugs, Emily
Thank you for sharing your story. It is so great that you made this educational and suggested products that could help others. I suffered with late stage lyme disease but most of my symptoms have subsided, so I hope you will also recover. Until reading your article, I did not know that i had experienced Tactile allodynia – living in Texas I just assumed my head was sunburnt.