Why does my skin hurt whenever I have a cold?

Skin sensitivity associated with a fever <——-with tips to treat it.

Personally, I recommend a nice bath when you feel a virus coming on and a good night of rest. If you already have a virus, then keep up with OTCs, take a warm bath, and put on the coziest jammies you have and stay warm & rested.

@AshLeigh I hurt all over too. The only thing that feels good is a back rub, gentle at first. It’s a little sore but then it works its way out. Plus I’m getting pampered so that helps too.

Reading @SpatzieLover‘s link, one of the things (step 3) claims that rubbing the skin with a mixture of rubbing alcohol “helps to draw out the impurities that caused the fever,” which is definitely not correct in any way. Alcohol on the skin does not cure or kill viral or bacterial infections. To me, that completely compromises the legitimacy of that website.

As for my advice, probably the best things to do are the same age-old advice for when you get sick: have a lot of rest and drink a lot of fluids. For me, cold baths help relieve the fever.

Colds generally do not cause fever in adults. Do you have a fever? Fever is generally more associated with body aches, but can cause skin sensistivity. It could be that your nervous system is very sensitive amd easily creates heightened pain on the skin. Some people have very sensitive stomachs, some get headaches, you get some skin irritation. That’s my guess anyway. Tylenol probably would relieve it best.

My mom made me come to the hospital. She thinks I have strep. :/

@AshLeigh What color is your throat?

Oh strep. Then you do have a fever I am guessing. Does it hurt like crazy to swallow? Has it been sore more than 48 hours?

I don’t usually look at my throat…
And yes, it’s been three days, and it hurts to swallow.

Look and see if it looks like raw meat. Sorry for the gross image That’s a sign of strep but only a test can tell.

Fever?

They should do a throat culture. The real kind, the kind it takes 48–72 hours to get the result and also check for mono (blood test). That is assuming you have a fever.

You don’t have urgent care instead of an ER?

Yes I think I have a fever.
And we’re sitting in the ER.

@AshLeigh And if you have to take the full course of the drugs.

You think? Strep usually causes a high fever. Can’t miss fever. But, every so often an individual gets lucky and the fever is not very bad. If it is strep @Adirondackwannabe is right take the medicine as prescribed. If it is three times a day, that means every 8 hours, not morning, noon and night. Take all of it.

The fever comes and goes. :/

@beachbum76 She wrote a question, we are answering it. So? We are not telling her to ignore her doctor on not take care of herself. We are just taking educated guesses based on the info.

Maybe we should take bets?

By the way @AshLeigh Strep is not a cold. If you do have a cold your sore throat should go away soon and the stuffy nose would start, but, sounds like the sore throat is dragging on too long to be a cold.

@AshLeigh Have you been taking Tylenol or ibuprofen? Anything for pain and fever?

I took tylenol about five hours ago.

I second the motion to take bets. :)
@AshLeigh I hope you get better soon, and please ignore our bet taking.

Well, if you took tylenol your fever reduced from the drug I am guessing, not because it comes and goes.

I’ve always wondered that, too. My skin will hurt, even my hair will hurt. Not my scalp, my hair. I do that sometimes when I’m extraordinarily tired also.

Awwh, I care for you guys too:)
I’m still in the waiting room. :/

I think the painful skin is technically tactile allodynia? Not sure. It is for when things that touch the skin cause pain when it shouldn’t. I have had it in the past, various episodes sometimes lasting months or years. Sucked. But, it was not related to a cold or flu for me. Not that I know of. One doctor thought I had it from a shingles episode. The pain was mostly on my upper thighs, not where the shingles was. Again, not sure. I was more sensitive all over my body, but most intense on my thighs. I did not enjoy being touched at all. It sucked. Now, every day the sheets of my bed feel comfy, and my husband’s touch feels good, I am greatful.

Tangent: So I am really annoyed the universe put me in this horrible accident I had two weeks ago and am sore, cut, and bruised all over. I already learned the lesson to appreciate absense of pain a long time ago. But, let’s not talk about me.

I had shingles before too. :(

Have you ever had mono? If so, it could be epstein barr syndrome, the virus that causes mono. I suffer with a chronic case of epstein barr and it causes white streaks of drainage and a red, raw throat that really hurts and causes a headache and my ears to hurt (due to the severe irritation of my throat). It can cause fever too, but I rarely get a fever with it. It feels like I have strep throat when the virus activates. Good luck and I hope you find out what it is. This virus can cause all kinds of sensitivities and that could be why your skin is sensitive, if EBV (epstein barr virus) is what you experiencing.

AshLeigh Good luck to you, sorry you are feeling sick. Hope you feel better soon!

They put q-tips in my throat. :(

Just a virus. Got my medicine, my snuggie, and three seasons of Xena to keeps me going for the next few days.

Oh good! Hope you’re back up and running soon! Enjoy your Xena…and your snuggie

Thanks Earthgirl!

I always get sensitive skin with a fever. I just wrap up in the softest clothes I can find, and dose myself up with cold/flu medicine until it goes away. A cool bath sometimes helps.

If they said just a virus they did not do the real deal 3 days culture. Meanwhile if youe throat is better already, it is 7:30am central time right now, you went to the doctor too fast, waste of your time and money, and the congestion will set in. Pay attention, really pay attention to the course of the cold so you remember for next time. I know you are young, but it shocks me again and again how adults 50 years old cannot remember that a cold most of the time starts with a sore throat that goes away. If you still have a sore throat this morning, I think the diagnosis is wrong. But, and big but, every so often there is a weird virus that comes along and acts unusually, so all I said could be wrong, but not likely. Unless you habe a cough? But you did not mention a cough. And, you did not mention being so exhausted you can’t get out of bed.

@JLeslie, I thought I had mentioned the cough, but I guess not. It was just a mild cough, but it got pretty bad last night. :(
I’m feeling a lot better now. My throat is still sore, but a lot less than it was.