im scared

Two days ago I woke up feeling pain in my right index finger. I kind of ignored it and it would just hurt sometimes when I did something in some positions like holding the mouse, typing on the keyboard and etc. Yesterday I woke up and realized my index finger is kind of swollen but not a lot. Like you could barely tell it was swollen. Now today my whole hands hurts like deep inside I feel this painful sharp pain and I think my finger is still a bit swollen. I don’t feel the pain all the time only when I get my hands into some positions. My right hand feels kind of weak and the muscles feel dry. What this could be? I have anxiety but I don’t think that is causing the pain. I’m scared I might have MS. I’m 19 by the way. Any ideas what this could be?

[Lulu54]

Hi John,
I think you can relax about this being MS.  A very unsubstantiated guess on my part is  that you overuse that hand - straining muscles and ligaments.  Are you on the computer a lot?  How about other video games or any use with repetitive movements?

If your hand continues to bother you in a few more days after letting it rest, be sure to have it checked by your doctor.  I hope this helps to ease your mind - swelling does not come with MS symptoms.

be well,
Lulu

[John23a]

thank you Lulu
i suffer from health anxiety and the hand symptoms is not helping that either. And i have always had fear of having MS. I have done an MRI from my neck which came back normal but never an MRI from my head. but thank you for the post it gave me some relief.

[Lulu54]

John,
Is there a particular reason why you worry about having MS?  Do you have family members with this MiSerable disease?    If MS really does worry you, how about you take some time to learn more about it - the prognosis for most people with MS is not as bad as you might imagine.  

Learning about MS might ease some of your worries.

my best,
Lu

[John23a]

No LuLu

i dont have anyone in my family with MS. Last time i was suspecting myself of MS i did a lot of research and at time i could relate to a lot of symptoms. I'm not sure but it seems that anxiety and MS symptoms are very similar.

Today i woke up and my whole hand is swollen and the joints hurt a lot. My mom keeps telling me you probably twisted it in sleep but im not sure because i sometimes get these sharp pains in my other hand too.

[biowham]

Hi, John--

Is your hand discolored in any way? What kind of pain are you talking about--throbbing, stabbing, aching, sharp, dull...?

Bio

[John23a]

not sure if its discolored right now but yesterday it seemed darker compared to my other hand. the pain is not always there but every like few minutes i feel this pain in my fingers and wrist and sometimes it moves up to my whole arm..i also get this sensation when you like write really fast for few minutes and your hands become numbed and tired i feel that in my wrist and that also moves up sometimes to my arms. My hand is more swollen compared to yesterday. My hand also feels very weak and stiffed and useless. My mom keeps telling me its just some sort of strain cause by sitting on the computer or sleeping on it or something. Im not sure though its kind of making me worried. I also get these random sharp pain similar to my right hand in my other hand and also legs but im pretty sure thats my anxiety doing this to me because im worrying so much about my hand that i feel the pain everywhere else on my body.

[Heather3418]

I understand your worry.  Especially when you add anxiety in the mix.  I suffered from severe anxiety for years....so I REALLY do understand.

Your may have what they call Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in your hand.  If you are predominately right handed and you spend alot of time typing on the computer, this could be the cause.  Repetitive movement.  Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is one of the worrisome problems that acts up every now and then and then goes on to bother you everyday.

Your family physician could perform a very simpple, non-invasive test in his office to see if you have this problem.  He will bend your hand up and back towards your arm.  If you have any pain or tingling from that movement, he may suspect CTS.

Just a thought John, since I have had it in both hands.  It's best to let your doctor sort it all out and be sure.  Please remember, I am not a doctor.  Do some deep breathing exercises, John, when you are feeling anxious.  Take in as much air as your lungs can handle and SLOWLY release the breath.  Very slowly.  Do this three times, but do not do it, until you get light headed.  You will find if you do this exercise, whenever you are feeling anxious that it relaxes you tremendously.  I swear, John, it really helps.

I wish you well, my friend,
Heather  

[John23a]

i was just wondering how some people say you should stop thinking about MS when all my symptoms match

i get these sharp pains in my fingers, arm, legs, toes 40 times a day and the pain lasts for 1-2 sec and comes back every now and then

i also get muscle twitches all over my body...and when im falling sleep my whole body shakes and i have no control over it..

here are also some other symptom of MS that i can relate 100%

Fatigue . This is the most common symptom of MS. It is typically present in the mid afternoon and may consist of increased muscle weakness, mental fatigue, sleepiness, or drowsiness.

Abnormal sensations. Many people with MS experience abnormal sensations such as "pins and needles," numbness, itching, burning, stabbing, or tearing pains. Fortunately, most of these symptoms, while aggravating, are not life-threatening or debilitating and can be managed or treated.

how can i not think about MS when i see my symptoms all match with MS. I havent done an MRI from my head yet. because my doctor thinks everything i say is anxiety related.

i was just wondering for people who have researched about MS i have heard that with MS the sharp pain and muscle twitching happens only on one part of the body. Like you would get a sharp pain in your legs and numbness and just that not anywhere else in your body. How true is that? Like the muscle twitching happens all over my body its just not one part of my body. The sharp pain and random shooting pains mostly happen in my right arm and that is the main reason its been making me a little worried.

Is MS related to genetics? no one in my family has it. Does this lower the chance of me having it? i have also done an MRI from my neck, but im pretty sure MS would show on head MRI and not neck. I dont really get numbness as like i dont feel my hands. I just get random shooting pains and sharp pains in my body and recently its more focused on my right hand.

Once i remember posting on this MS forum and everyone said that their MS started one day with loss of vision, eye pain, pain in one leg/arm. No one really said that it started all over my body. But im still kind of worried. I'm seeing my family doctor tomorrow to get my fourth Rabies shot. I will tell him that im scared of having MS again maybe he can somehow give me some relief that what im experiencing is Anxiety and not MS.

I have been also urinating at night like i wake up few times during the night and go to bathroom although i dont urinate a lot. I just get the feeling that i need to go. And this has been happening in the past few months nothing i had before. ANd i dont drink 2 hours before going to bed. And i was reading symptoms of MS and this is one of them !!!

everyone tells me this is anxiety even my doctor..he doesnt believe i have MS..and i did have few panic attacks so im not sure if its MS or health anxiety...

[Lulu54]

hi again John,
Let me try to put your mind at ease here -

When you first wrote, you said your hand /finger was swollen.  MS does not cause swelling of the joints - it is a disease on the central nervous system and confined to the brain and spine.  

You have sharp pains that are happening all over - again this is not MS.  To have the conneciton to MS with this symptom you describe, you would have to have lesions all of the brain that are moving to short circuit all these different spots in your body.  This would be highly unusual with MS.

MS is not a genetically inherited disease, but people can be genetically predisposed to be susceptible to what ever it is that sets off our immune system.  Its good that you have no immediate family members with MS. Yes, that lowers your odds of getting MS significantly.

Lesions can appears anywhere in the CNS - a brain mri is a good diagnostic tool.  You could also have lesions on the spine, so the spinal mri was a good thing.  Your doctors must not have seen anything on that spinal MRI.

Nocturia (night time urination) is common to many causes - have you had a urinary tract infection?  Of course if that were the case, you would be urinating 24/7 and not just at night.  Your anxiety may be helping to signal the need to urinate.

Are you experiencing fatigue or is it just exhaustion? That is a big difference.  With fatigue, you can't push through with the effort regardless of how much you want to do something.  Exhaustion is usually caused by sleep deprivation .  What type of sleep pattern do you have?

If your doctor thinks this is anxiety but you are still unsure of his dx, you can always get a second opinion.

come back if you have more questions,
Lulu