Can it ever be confirmed that I dont have MS through tests?

[Lucasb780]

So all my doctors are telling me my symptoms are most likely from anxiety, anyone with anxiety and hypochondria knows that is not enough to get your mind of it. Im 16M with an anxiety disorder and started showing these symptoms out of nowhere. My symptoms in order of occurrence: loss of balance, fatigue, weird vision, occasional weird feeling in pinky/ring fingers on both hands like a dull numbness. The vision and finger feelings are pretty dull and could probably just be from me over analyzing my body. Whatever the case, my problem  is i need to see some test results. if im feeling this way from anxiety i need to be 100% confident i dont have MS to start making a recovery, considering my biggest fear/source of stress in from the thought of having MS. Is it even possible after 2 weeks of showing symptoms to confidently rule out MS from test results? What tests should I ask for? When could i start to feel safe?

[supermum_ms]

Hi Luca and welcome

One of the most beneficial life lessons when your dealing with a mental health condition like Health Anxiety, Hypochondria, Conversion Disorder etc is to become educated about your particular medical condition, to learn your anxiety triggers and do what ever tip and trick works for you to get it back under control again!

The types of symptoms you've mentioned experiencing are very vague and associated with a lot of different things and to be totally honest, it could be nothing more troubling than sleep deprivation if your anxiety is running at high levels.

Unfortunately a typical part of health related anxiety is the pattern of googling symptoms, hyper focusing on a specific medical condition, experiencing similar symptoms to that condition after reading about it, and their anxiety and fears escalating of having that condition drives them to seek reassurance and related medical tests.....  

This has been happening for only a couple of weeks and you've seen more than one dr already "all my doctors are telling me my symptoms are most likely from anxiety", the collateral medical opinions that you've had so far are not giving you the level of reassurance you think you need......you need to seriously refocus on getting extra support, guidance and discus your alternative treatment options with your psychiatrist or psychologist before you even consider doing anything to escalate your anxiety!

Diagnosing MS is complicated, the first step is with your family dr, if he/she thinks its necessary your family dr will run all the common tests before considering a neurological abnormality is going on (common tests eg basic blood tests to rule vitamin deficiencies, viral infections, common childhood diseases etc etc) Most family drs do a mini neuro exam, which is typically abnormal to be suggestive of a neurological condition like MS and then refer you for a neurological consult...

As a 16 year old male dealing with anxiety and hypochondria you might not have noticed whilst reading about MS that the average age for a person to be diagnosed with MS is between their 20's and 50's, and more typically they're female.

MS is one of the most common neurological condition that someone with health related anxiety becomes convinced they have, and thousands and thousands of dollars are unnecessarily spent on test after test whilst seeking the reassurance that's a part of their mental health condition...

Hope that helps........JJ

[aspen2]

If you have a pre-existing history of anxiety, those symptoms are most likely due to your anxiety.  You may have started out with a lack of balance because you didn't get enough sleep one night; you become anxious about the balance, other "symptoms" arrive, you google the symptoms and see the words "ms" and all health chaos breaks out.

What sort of "weird vision"?

If I were you, I would examine your lifestyle and use this scare you've had to re-evaluate how you eat, how much you exercise, how you sleep, what meds you are already on (and check the adverse effects because MANY meds can cause symptoms like these), etc.  Immersing yourself in a healthy lifestyle will also help correct nutritional deficiencies and increase natural endorphins, which would be good for both your physical and mental health.

It would be pointless to start doing a whole lot of tests.  There is no single test involved in a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.

Trying to put myself in your shoes, I do see what you are saying.  But hear me out; say you had a brain mri.  If it was perfectly clear, would that help your anxiety?  Would you deep down believe you are totally fine?  With health anxiety, likely not. You might worry that it was "too early" or that the radiologist missed something (they don't tend to do that).

What if there was a single lesion in your brain, caused by  a random bump of your head when you were 6.  This would only escalate your anxiety because you would then be positive you had a neurological condition; yet you still likely wouldn't, and may not even remember the bump.

Big breath.  Immerse yourself in living life.  Your symptoms will very likely settle down. If you were to be exhibiting signs and symptoms of ms, I'm quite certain one of your doctors would have picked up on it.

I hope this helps.