What's going on with me - is it really Anxiety??

[sshobbss007]

Over the past three months I've experienced a bunch of different symptoms.  Started my numbness/tingling in hands and feet.  Then I had a week where I was dizzy - never off-balance per se, just annoying dizziness.  That has since gone away completely.  Then I started having numb sensations on my lower back, butt area, down the backs of my legs, inner thighs, outer calves, encircling my biceps and across my upper back, lower neck, chest and lower abdomen.  The worst part was my the bottoms of my feet - they would feel numb and freezing cold, which then turned into burning and hot.  Most symptoms have subsided or are more intermittent, but now I have numbness in my face (chin and cheeks) and my left shoulder and elbow are sore and the palm of my hand and outer fingers go numb and the back of my hand and forearm have a burning sensation.  I have been to my doctor twice - the first time she did some bloodwork and it was all normal (B12, Vit D, Iron, Hemoglobin, TSH etc.)  The second time she told me it doesn't sound like a typical MS presentation and chalks it up to anxiety.  Well of course having weird things going on in your body would make you anxious!!  Not sure where to turn next??  

[Nitsuj242]

Same thing going on with me. Exact same thing. Lower back pain, numb from waist down, twitches or spasms, blurred vision, headaches, waking up with a strange painful neurological thing going on first thing in the morning, I hope you find relief of your issues and find out what is going on. I hope it's just anxiety. Please hang in there and keep us posted. Sounds like a great idea on the neurologist referral.

[supermum_ms]

Its quite common for people dx-ed with a chronic medical condition, to also have some levels of anxiety and or depression, as a direct result of the condition it self or due to the loss of self, ability, future expectations etc. Mental health is a vital component for everyone on the planet, in being able to handle and get through some of the worst times people face through out their life time.

Chronic health conditions like MS though, are not a one time situation that you can put behind you and move on like in normal life situations. Support of any kind is a necessity for today and the future, because having instability of your emotional self, will only make everything that much harder to deal with and life doesn't need to be harder, its already hard enough.

"However I keep wondering - are my symptoms caused by anxiety or are my symptoms causing further anxiety??  When you know you're an anxious person it's hard to accept reassurance and just forget about it - especially if it doesn't go away."

The truth is it could be either or even both, general anxiety (GAD) is one type but 'if' your thoughts lean more towards being specifically about your health, then that type can actually cause mimicking sx's. Health anxiety is not as common as general but you'd typically know if the anxiety you experience makes you focus on your health or not. Basic clues on if there is a possibility that you 'could be' dealing with HA, is if the more you learn about a specific condition, the higher your anxiety and the worse your fears consume your thoughts.

With HA there is often a more rapid decline than whats typical, fast  development of the commonly known sx's associated to their focused condition, their sx's multiply and or spread the more they think about them but when they do experience enough repeated reassurance for them, their sx's completely go away. There is a pattern to the health anxiety and the reassurance is a big part of the mental health condition, and the cycle continues the next time their anxiety increases.  

Please reconsider seeing someone about helping you lessen your anxiety, it may do absolutely nothing to remove your sx's but it will help in changing how you handle things and that can only be help full to you in the long run!

Cheers..........JJ
          

[SarahL2491]

she needs to have run more blood tests to rule out things like lyme and other diseases.......I'd go for a 2nd opinion and look for a neuro who specializes in MS so you can rule that out.  However, that said, MS is a slow moving train.

Perhaps if you tackled the anxiety issue, and if it isn't that after trying something for it, then you can rule that out.

[sshobbss007]

Hi,

Yes I had mentioned to my doctor that I was concerned about MS which is why she assured me she didn't think that was the case.  

I have had anxiety in the past - nothing I've ever seen anyone about - just managed it in my own.  I'll admit that I am a chronic worrier and am going through a very stressful time right now.  She did ask if I was interested in counselling or meds for anxiety which I said no to at this point.  

However I keep wondering - are my symptoms caused by anxiety or are my symptoms causing further anxiety??  When you know you're an anxious person it's hard to accept reassurance and just forget about it - especially if it doesn't go away.  

I also asked about Lyme disease, but she kinda blew that off too.  

If I were to see a neurologist I'd need a referral.   I'm going to see my doctor one more time and then maybe someone else if I'm not happy with how she handles things.  

Thanks for listening.  

[LisaJF]

Hello there and welcome to the forums.  I'm glad you chosen to be here because it is a great group to be around.

I'm going to go out on a limb and ask if you had mentioned to your primary that you were concerned if you were having MS symptoms?  The reason why I have asked this question is because of your answer, "it doesn't sound like a typical MS presentation," as if she was to console YOU that it's not.  I could see if that were the case, why she swayed to the "anxiety" explanation, instead of giving you a referral to a Neurologist.

If you're electrolytes, Vit D, Vit B12, thyroid function tests where normal, I do not know why she would not order a MRI of brain, c-spine and t-spine to investigate a little bit further.  Then if something does show up suspiciously on the MRI she could then send you to the appropriate specialist.  If nothing showed up suspiciously, then at least state to you that she will keep watch on you and to give her a call if these symptoms persist.

I know that I wish I went to a psychiatrist early on to rid of the stigma that anxiety is the cause of my symptoms, even though as JJ said, anxiety can cause a lot of strange things to a person's body and everyone is different.  Go get that taken care of and off the plate.  It won't be nagging you in the back of your mind wondering if they could be possibly right.

However, I do not believe anxiety causes "burning" sensations in the areas you describe.  


If your insurance allows, make an appointment with a Neurologist or get a referral by your primary MD if that is what is needed to be done.  He'll order additional diagnostic and laboratory tests.

I hope this helps some and again, welcome to the forums.

Lisa

[supermum_ms]

Hi and welcome,

I think you would benefit from finding a different Dr! If the only investigation has been basic blood work and nothing else, then it seems to me to be a little presumptive to blame it on a psychological issues. I'm not saying that what you've described can't be caused by anxiety, because anxiety can do some pretty strange things to people, so it's possible. BUT if you don't have any history or specific reason for the psychological storm, then its just as likely to be an incorrect dx.

If a Dr suspects anxiety as cause, over all the physiological possible explanations, then it is in your best interest to get your mental health professionally assessed. Anxiety is a medical condition like any other, you'd get specific tests done if the dr suspected a spinal condition, psychological conditions if suspected, should be tested just like any other plausible cause.

Cheers...........JJ
    

[carrieblackwell77]

I think you should maybe see a different doctor.  I'm not a doc and don't know what your symptoms necessarily are but I think that you have something going on, whether it's MS or not and shouldn't be blown off.  I was blown off for awhile by my doc too and I do have MS as it turns out.  I found a new one depending on your insurance, can you just go to a neurologist or do you need a referral?  I'd at least see a new doc who won't blow you off.  Good luck, sorry you're going through all of this!