New to MS and new symptoms. Worried sick

[SCARED OF DEATH]

I know this is a big chunk to read but please do so. The answer is always within the details...

Hello. I am a 25 year old female. I can't even believe I am on here writing for I was a picture of health just a year ago. That's when it all started.

I started experiencing shortness of breath. It's as if I am working hard to get a full breath and I am in need of more oxygen than usual. I was started urinating more often at night. But that has stopped now. Back then I had no obvious MS symptoms such as tingling in the limbs or pain or numbness or anything like that. However, it seems as though the symptoms just keep adding on. I guess I sort of learned to live with the shortness of breath. After doing almost EVERY medical test in the book and they ALL came back normal, I started to think maybe it was just anxiety or in my head as they kept telling me. However, lately I have become more and more uneasy. There are new symptoms that are scaring me. About a month ago I started having eye issues. My eyes just hurt and I sort of lose focus if I look at something for too long. It hurts day and night and it's become annoying to try and read or drive or be on the phone or the internet and so on. I went to the eye doctor and he said that my vision is not great and that I have eye muscle issues. It feels more like strained eyes. I am waiting for my lenses to arrive but I somehow feel like there is more to it than just a bad eye sight. Right around when my eyes seemed the worst (they have improved a bit) then I got hit with the worst vertigo. That happened twice. That was it for me. I went to the ER and I told the Dr. how I was worried about MS or a brain tumor. He ordered a brain MRI (MS protocol with and without contrast) which came back normal. The doctor told me that if I was presenting with this many symptoms and issues that they would have at least seen a tiny lesion or something. He also told me to go and see a neurologist just to be safe but that he felt I didn't have much to worry about. Now the past few days (now I don't know if this is because I am thinking about the MS symptoms so much that I am manifesting it or imagining it for it could have always been there and I might have just never cared or paid attention to it before) I have been having these shooting pains in my fingers, legs and arms. I also feel like I am a little shaky. I just generally have a lot of pain everywhere. I have not gotten another vertigo attack for about a month now. However, I find that I am also just tired all the time (side note: I just quit drinking coffee and soda which I used to have A LOT of so I associated that tired feeling to that) But what is up with the random pain that comes and goes in my limbs, shortness of breath, EYE problems (this is new and the most annoying. It feels like there's no escape from it. It's like this nagging dull pain, sometimes shooting pain and it just makes my eyes feel tired all the time which makes me feel tired). I just don't know what to do. The tingling and the pain in my limbs are very limited and are not extreme at all. However, I have become so paranoid that I pay attention to anything that seems different in the slightest, even though it might be routine and nothing to be concerned about. I also have some joint pain. I am worried sick. I don't' exactly have a good insurance situation going on right now either so it will be a few months before I can get to a neurologist. I guess I am wondering what this all means. Could I have MS? 25 seems so young to be progressing so fast. At htis rate, Im not gonna be able to walk by 30 or 40. What am I looking into and are my symptoms classic of MS?


I should also mention this very important fact. In 2006, I had a surgery for hyperhydrosis (over-sweating). The surgery is called ETS and basically they cut your sympethatic nerve. They disturb your nervous system. I have been told by some people who have also had the surgery that the shortness of breath is all from that. But I don't know what is what anymore. I know that my surgery and MS are both nervous system problems. I wonder if that could be what's causing all the similar symptoms. However, Every time I put my symptoms in the Internet to search, it comes up as MS. I am worried sick. Please share with me what you know and your early experience with MS. Thank you

Just for the record, I have had done:
CT scans and X-rays of my chest
My heart completely checked out (stress and nuclear test, echo, ekg)
Most blood work (negative for lupus)
Pulmonary Function Test
MRI of Brain with and without contrast (also chacking the ear canal)
Ultrasounds of pretty much my whole body
Eye exam
Endoscopy
Colonoscopy
and on and on....

And everything has come back negative. If I am so effing healthy than WHY do I feel so terrible????!! Help :(

[sllowe]

Hi again,

I'm glad that relieved you a bit.
Your shortness of breath, MRIs coming up clear and w/MS protocol and joint pain.  I think it may be something else causing your problems. So many syndromes and diseases have overlapping symptoms that it's going to take a good Dr. to sort through your history and zero in on a culprit.

I understand how the anxiety can ramp up symptoms. It's actually very much the other way around - symptoms like this get us anxious. I very much understand that.

I think that the lack of answers are making you fear the worse, i.e., a brain tumor or PPMS, etc.  

I'm sorry you are feeling so badly, truly I am. That's just my thoughts and also why I encouraged you to see a regular MD because I think a good one would be able to get to the bottom of what is causing all of these symptoms.

Sorry I didn't explain my thoughts better earlier. I think you have the good beginnings of a timeline for a Dr. with what you've provided us here. If you can add dates to your testing and then list out your symptoms it can be a quick go-to list for you at the appt.

ttys,
-Shell

[Quixotic1]

Hi, and another welocme.  I would like to read what you wrote, but I can't.  I (and others) need you to copy and paste it below, but then add several paragraph breaks so we have something to track.  My eyes do not track such large pieces of unbroken text without getting lost - a problem from the MS.

BTW - If you are equating MS and death, you are mistaken.  People being diagnosed with MS now are expected to have a normal life expectancy - 78-80 years or so.

After your story is easier to read, we can give you reasons why is does or does not sound like MS, though Shell has a good feel for these things.

Thanks

Quix, MD

[SCARED OF DEATH]

I shouldn't worry about MS? I mean it makes me happy to hear that but may I ask why? Thank you :)

[sllowe]

Hi there,

Welcome to the MS forum.  I'm so sorry for all you are experiencing. My short answer is, no, I don't think you should worry yourself about MS.   Though, it's a compliment to us you trust us with your history and thoughts.

Best advice I can give you is to talk to a regular MD. No matter what you are dealing with it's going to be important for you to be honest and straight forward, with all your thoughts and current situation.

Hope this helps and you feel better,
-Shell