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Do I have MS?
My great grandma on my mom's side is a hypochondriac. So is my dad, he used to always think he had a heart attack or testicular cancer. My mom has depression and my dad also had some anxiety. I have never had any problem until last year in July 2008 after my grandpa on my dad's side died. He had heart problems and a heart attack did him in. It hit me pretty hard. Faced with my first real death and mortality. I started having really bad headaches every day. I went to the doctor and they told me allergies/sinuses. Pain started going into my shoulders and burned. A friend at work jokingly mentioned MS. I became obessessed and researched it online. Started manifesting symptoms like brain fog, blurry vision (even had to go get glasses), bad coordination, couldn't get back to sleep when i woke up, had sharp pains and twitching. I went to the doctor and told him of my MS concerns and my grandfathers death. He diagnosed me with dysthymia and anxiety and sent me for an MRI. Gave me Zoloft. Zoloft didn't do much. I came back and he checked me over, looked in my eyes, and said my MRI had no signs for MS. I still had bad depression (almost derealization and depersonalization) and lost my appetite. My medicine wasn't working so I threw the Zoloft away and started to beat it on my own. Eventually I just forgot about it and kept occupied. I pretty much defeated my anxiety and depression. This was about December 2008. Then about two weeks ago (now May) I started feeling those same, sharp stabbing pains in my fingers and toes. Thought it might be nerves. Then it went away for about three days when I didn't think about it. It came back and I started wondering what it could be. They were all over my body along with headaches and burning pain. The pains are very random in when they come, where they are, and how long they last. It seemed to go away when I was very occupied but seemed worse when I thought about it. Then I started looking up things...fibromyalgia, Parkinsons, bone cancer, ALS, etc. It all came back to MS again. I realized my MRI might have been wrong because it was so early. It also seemed to match perfectly with the fact that MS has remission and then attacks again. Maybe my depression/anxiety going away was remission. This time I have those pains, sometimes burning, sometimes soreness. Sometimes I seem a little hazy and also have some twitching in weird places. I swear I felt a cold sensation in my hand once. I've had some tingling at times in my extremities as well. Not sure if this is just extreme stress and tension or poor circulation. I really thought I had beat this but now it's come on strong again. I'm very worred I have something seriously wrong and have a doctor's appointment next week. I've not had any complete numbness or dizziness...but I also know not all MS patients get that. Also haven't had weakness in my legs or stumbled...never had to drag any limbs. Never had any very spastic movements. Haven't lost my vision or anything. But it does say that in the beginning the symptoms can be so mild you might not even notice it. I just want to know what's wrong with me...it's driving my wife crazy for sure. I'm back to losing my appetite a little and having periods when I wake up and can't get back to sleep. For what its worth, the pain seems worse as the day goes on. Also I have had a bad pain in my shoulder for a few months now as if I've pulled it. It hurts to move a certain way. Pain meds don't seem to help the pain oddly enough. It only goes away if I'm totally pre occupied which doesn't last very long.
Yes, it is psychosomatic. No need to worry, we all go through times like this in our lives and stress about things a little more than we should. I still occasionally think i have it (MS) but then i think about what my doctor says and then i have some meds to relax me & the thought of it goes away. I really think you should go on meds and work it out. I really feel for you because i am in the exact same boat as you. Good luck! :) :) :)
Yeah it's pretty funny, as long as I'm really preoccupied or thinking about something else I either don't feel the pains or don't notice them at all. I'm starting to think they're psychosomatic.
Man i say its ANXIETY.stress can give you all the simptoms under the sun. Listen to people in this forum we have all that you have and even more. The lady LGK54 is not understanding one thing you dont talk like that to anxiety person , it makes ur thoghts run faster with more simptoms. Listen to your doctor he knows best and go back on meds.
I am a visitor to your forum was browsing to learn stuff, Check out Lyme disease, your symptoms could be it ,have you had a tick bite or a rash ?
Went to the doctor finally. Pain in my shoulder ended up being a rotater cuff issue. Bump on the side of my face ended up being a cist, knot in my neck ended up being a lymph node. Said the shooting pains and funny feelings were normal and my anxiety made them worse probably. He wants me to go on zoloft again.
Awwwww I totally understand how you feel I am the exact same! I have a 6 month old daughter and I don't give her as much attention as I should because I am constantly worrying about having MS or some other terrible condition. I am only just starting to feel good now & I’m only just starting to lose my anxiety because I am on an anti-depressant "Prozac" and I am also on valium...this combination together is really helping me...I’m not saying drugs are the answer but a temporarily relief. I haven’t felt this good in soo long & it’s only been the last couple of days. It takes 6 weeks for Prozac to work. I strongly suggest you try some anxiety help wether it be counselling or anti-depressants...I’m finally starting to realise that it's just anxiety and i don't have MS!!!!!!
Well last time I had an MRI it was free so I may try to get one again. Maybe on my spine. I'd like to get some blood work too. I'll take any test he'll give me because if it is anxiety I need something to help me stop worrying. It's getting bad again like it did last time, leading to depression, I'm losing my appetite, etc.
Look I bet you don't have it! That lady " LGK54" is just trying to make you more scared! She's probably just nasty and is getting off on the fact that she is freaking you "US" out! My Doctor told me that they're so really accurate and it's so rare for them to be wrong. How long did you get your MRI after you first got your symptoms? When I got my results back he said to me clear and loud "YOU DON'T HAVE MS" Now for a doctor to say that and to be so adamant about it I probably don't have it! It is more than likely if you have hypochondria and anxiety running in the family U probably have it too! Anxiety is so powerful and can actually make you believe and feel what you fear or think might be wrong. Please don't stress, you don't have MS I’m not a doctor but I really don't believe you do. Have a read through those anxiety symptoms again & when ever you have doubt...seriously, like I said anxiety is crazy how it works but it can really mess around with your mind. If it makes you feel better go get another MRI six months after you had the first one and surely there would definitely evidence by then that you have MS "but I’m telling you, it's not likely"
Cheer up, your fine, like I said if it gets the best of you go get another test but I recon u'll just be wasting your money.
:)
Cheer up, your fine, like I said if it gets the best of you go get another test but I recon u'll just be wasting your money.
:)
That's what...5%? So then it's 95% accurate. Which is almost 100%. At least to me it is.
*My doctor said that MRI scans are really good and are very reliable when it comes to finding MS he said that it if the scan shows no scaring of the brain then you don't have MS, he said it almost 100%. *
I hate to fuel your anxiety here but this quote from your post is wrong and needs to be corrected. The MRI is not almost 100% in dx'ing MS. In fact 1 in every 20 cases of MS will not have visible lesions on an MRI. That's a pretty large number.
if you want to learn mmore about MS I would invite you to join us on the MS forum here at medhelp.
be well,
Lulu
I hate to fuel your anxiety here but this quote from your post is wrong and needs to be corrected. The MRI is not almost 100% in dx'ing MS. In fact 1 in every 20 cases of MS will not have visible lesions on an MRI. That's a pretty large number.
if you want to learn mmore about MS I would invite you to join us on the MS forum here at medhelp.
be well,
Lulu
Hi vinny,
I saw your mention that you had posted a separate thread and see thaat you put it here in the anxiety forum. You may want to repost this in the MS forum if you want our input.
Also, please please please break the text into small paragraphs. Most of us have eyeballs that don't work great and honestly when there is this much text we can't make visual sense of it and stop reading.
hope to see you there with your questions,
Lulu
I saw your mention that you had posted a separate thread and see thaat you put it here in the anxiety forum. You may want to repost this in the MS forum if you want our input.
Also, please please please break the text into small paragraphs. Most of us have eyeballs that don't work great and honestly when there is this much text we can't make visual sense of it and stop reading.
hope to see you there with your questions,
Lulu
The thing is I've already had an MRI. And the doc said there was no signs of MS. But I read these things about how it may not show up right away and it makes me want to get another one to make sure. I'm pretty sure I'm just a paranoid hypochondriac but I don't know. It ***** that anxiety symptoms are so close to MS. If I can just get the doc to look me over and maybe do some tests and give me the all clear...it should clear my head enough to get ahead of the anxiety/stress. I still have these pains everywhere though..so something is going on. Unless they're completely psychosematic.
Hi, i just got my MRI results back and all is clear!!! yep! it's just anxiety, you should work on getting rid of your anxiety and you will feel so much better! :) good luck!
Also you might have "BENIGN FASSICULATION SYNDROME" It's harmless and can happen to anyone!
*Benign fasciculation syndrome (BFS) is a neurological disorder characterized by fasciculation (twitching) of various voluntary muscles in the body. The twitching can occur in any voluntary muscle group but is most common in the eyelids, arms, legs, and feet. Even the tongue may be affected. The twitching may be occasional or may go on nearly continuously. Any intentional movement of the involved muscle causes the fasciculations to cease immediately, but they may return once the muscle is at rest again.
*In addition to twitching, patients with BFS often experience pain, paraesthesia, generalized fatigue, exercise intolerance, globus sensation and/or muscle cramping.
Another common feature of the disorder, when seen by physicians, is an increase in the patient's level of anxiety, especially health-related anxiety. It's not uncommon for the patient to fixate on ALS, MS, ME, Parkinson's, vCJD, Wilson's Disease, or some other serious neurological disorder, refusing to believe the BFS diagnosis.[citation needed]
*The precise cause of BFS is unknown, and, in fact, it's not known if it's a disease of the motor nerves, the muscles, or the neuromuscular junction. Mitsikostas et al found that fasciculations "were slightly correlated to the body weight and height and to the anxiety level" in normal subjects. [1] Another factor that seems to be common in many cases is a history of regular strenuous exercise.[citation needed] Attention deficit disorder (or drugs used to treat it) and/or a related disorder may be a contributing factor,[citation needed] and people with essential tremor appear to have a greater than normal likelihood of developing BFS.[citation needed] In addition, there are likely other genetic and environmental factors that make the patient more susceptible to BFS.[citation needed]
There are some intriguing similarities between BFS and chronic organophosphate poisoning,[citation needed] but these similarities have not been explored. It may be that chronically elevated levels of stress hormones in the body cause symptoms similar to those caused by organophosphates.[citation needed]
BFS can also be attributed to long term use of anticholinergics such as diphenhydramine.
Magnesium Deficiency can cause both fasciculations and anxiety
I GOT THE INFO ON "BFS" FROM "WikipediA"
Just so they know I'm not taking credit for there writting....
Anyways I really just want to say stay positive and stop thinking to worst because it only makes all worse! ALL THE SYMPTOMS OF "MS" are all the symptoms of ANXIETY!!!!!! hope this made you feel better.
xxx lemme know how things go in the future...
:) :) :) :)
*Benign fasciculation syndrome (BFS) is a neurological disorder characterized by fasciculation (twitching) of various voluntary muscles in the body. The twitching can occur in any voluntary muscle group but is most common in the eyelids, arms, legs, and feet. Even the tongue may be affected. The twitching may be occasional or may go on nearly continuously. Any intentional movement of the involved muscle causes the fasciculations to cease immediately, but they may return once the muscle is at rest again.
*In addition to twitching, patients with BFS often experience pain, paraesthesia, generalized fatigue, exercise intolerance, globus sensation and/or muscle cramping.
Another common feature of the disorder, when seen by physicians, is an increase in the patient's level of anxiety, especially health-related anxiety. It's not uncommon for the patient to fixate on ALS, MS, ME, Parkinson's, vCJD, Wilson's Disease, or some other serious neurological disorder, refusing to believe the BFS diagnosis.[citation needed]
*The precise cause of BFS is unknown, and, in fact, it's not known if it's a disease of the motor nerves, the muscles, or the neuromuscular junction. Mitsikostas et al found that fasciculations "were slightly correlated to the body weight and height and to the anxiety level" in normal subjects. [1] Another factor that seems to be common in many cases is a history of regular strenuous exercise.[citation needed] Attention deficit disorder (or drugs used to treat it) and/or a related disorder may be a contributing factor,[citation needed] and people with essential tremor appear to have a greater than normal likelihood of developing BFS.[citation needed] In addition, there are likely other genetic and environmental factors that make the patient more susceptible to BFS.[citation needed]
There are some intriguing similarities between BFS and chronic organophosphate poisoning,[citation needed] but these similarities have not been explored. It may be that chronically elevated levels of stress hormones in the body cause symptoms similar to those caused by organophosphates.[citation needed]
BFS can also be attributed to long term use of anticholinergics such as diphenhydramine.
Magnesium Deficiency can cause both fasciculations and anxiety
I GOT THE INFO ON "BFS" FROM "WikipediA"
Just so they know I'm not taking credit for there writting....
Anyways I really just want to say stay positive and stop thinking to worst because it only makes all worse! ALL THE SYMPTOMS OF "MS" are all the symptoms of ANXIETY!!!!!! hope this made you feel better.
xxx lemme know how things go in the future...
:) :) :) :)
Hi, i also have all of those symptoms & too have been stressing like crazy, but what i have realised is that worrying only makes everything worse! I will get my MRI results back tomorrow and im hoping for the best. My doctor said that MRI scans are really good and are very reliable when it comes to finding MS he said that it if the scan shows no scaring of the brain then you don't have MS, he said it almost 100%. Anxiety is a really powerful conditon that can really mess around with your mind and body, u'll be amazed of just how it can make you feel! Here are some symptoms that of ANXIETY :
*Burning skin, itchy, “crawly,” prickly or other skin sensations, skin sensitivity,numbness on the skin
*Chronic Fatigue, exhaustion, super tired, worn out
*Clumsiness, feeling clumsy, co-ordination problems with the limbs or body
*Difficulty speaking, moving mouth, talking, co-ordination problems with the mouth or tongue
*Dizziness, feeling lightheaded
*Muscles that vibrate, jitter, tremor, or shake when used
*Muscle twitching
*Neck, back, shoulder pain, tightness/stiffness
*numbness and tingling
*Sometimes you get a feeling like a particular area of your body is numb or frozen. Other times you may feel a burning sensation in various parts of the body. These areas may change, or remain at the same spot. Repeated visual inspections show no skin abnormalities.
*Shooting pains, stabbing pains, and odd pressures in the neck, head, or face
*The floor feels like it is moving either down or up for no reason
*Tingling sensations, anywhere on the body, including the hands, feet, legs, arms, head, mouth, chest, groin area
*Unsteadiness, dizziness, feeling dizzy or lightheaded
*Urgency to urinate, frequent urination, sudden urge to go to the washroom (similar to urinary tract or prostate infection symptoms)
*Weak - feel weak, weakness, low energy, light, soft, like you may faint
*Weak legs, arms, or muscles
*Altered state of reality, consciousness, or universe feeling
*Difficulty thinking, speaking, forming thoughts, following conversations
*Depersonalization, Derealization
*Difficulty concentrating, short-term memory loss
*Jolting awake
*Distorted, foggy, or blurred vision
*Eyes sensitive to light
*Spots in the vision
*Pain
*In addition to these anxiety symptoms, you may also find yourself worrying compulsively about:
• Having a heart attack
• Having a serious undetected illness= ie MS
• Dying prematurely
BUT IT'S JUST BECAUSE OF YOUR ANXIETY!
You might have a condition like me i have "GAD" an you sound the same!
GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder)
Most people experience anxiety on and off throughout the course of their lives. Those who suffer with generalized anxiety disorder, however, do so on a day to day basis. Their anxiety becomes chronic and fills their lives with exaggerated worry and tension, even though the subject they are worrying about doesn’t logically warrant it.
Individuals with GAD are always anticipating doom, disaster, and the worst-case scenarios. They worry about their health, money, family, work, and the world in general. Their reason for worry is often hard to pinpoint. Even the thought of getting through another day can bring on anxiety.
Individuals with GAD feel that they can’t stop worrying, even though they know the subject they are worrying about isn’t that serious.
Those who experience GAD commonly experience accompanying symptoms, such as acute or chronic fatigue; headaches; muscle tension, stiffness, and even debilitating pain; general aches and pains; difficulty swallowing or feeling like there is something stuck in their throat; trembling; uncontrollable twitching; irritability; hot and cold flashes; profuse sweating for no apparent reason; and lightheadedness or dizziness. They can experience many or all of the symptoms common for anxiety. (View our Anxiety Symptoms section for symptoms commonly associated with anxiety.)
Individuals with GAD feel they can’t relax and think that they always have to be on alert for danger. Worry has become their protection mechanism. They often startle more easily than others and have difficulty concentrating. Many also feel persistently joyless, frustrated, and frequently depressed. Their sleep patterns can also become regularly disrupted with their inability to sleep becoming yet another reason for worry and concern.
Many with GAD appear fine on the surface, seem to go about their day normally, may seem calm and relaxed, or may be perceived as the last person to have an anxiety problem. It’s their internal life (thoughts, beliefs, and emotions), however, that undergoes intense and persistent turmoil.
GAD affects about 6% of the population and affects twice as many women as it does men. The disorder usually comes on gradually and can begin at any age, though the onset of it is more frequent between childhood and middle age. Those who experience incessant worry for six months or more are typically diagnosed as having generalized anxiety disorder.
GAD often co-occurs with other disorders such as depression or substance abuse.
I GOT ALL OF THIS IMFORMATION OFF "ANXIETYCENTRE.COM" CHECK IT OUT, IT'S FANTASTIC! IT HAS ALL THE ANSWERS YOU WANT AN MORE!!!
*Burning skin, itchy, “crawly,” prickly or other skin sensations, skin sensitivity,numbness on the skin
*Chronic Fatigue, exhaustion, super tired, worn out
*Clumsiness, feeling clumsy, co-ordination problems with the limbs or body
*Difficulty speaking, moving mouth, talking, co-ordination problems with the mouth or tongue
*Dizziness, feeling lightheaded
*Muscles that vibrate, jitter, tremor, or shake when used
*Muscle twitching
*Neck, back, shoulder pain, tightness/stiffness
*numbness and tingling
*Sometimes you get a feeling like a particular area of your body is numb or frozen. Other times you may feel a burning sensation in various parts of the body. These areas may change, or remain at the same spot. Repeated visual inspections show no skin abnormalities.
*Shooting pains, stabbing pains, and odd pressures in the neck, head, or face
*The floor feels like it is moving either down or up for no reason
*Tingling sensations, anywhere on the body, including the hands, feet, legs, arms, head, mouth, chest, groin area
*Unsteadiness, dizziness, feeling dizzy or lightheaded
*Urgency to urinate, frequent urination, sudden urge to go to the washroom (similar to urinary tract or prostate infection symptoms)
*Weak - feel weak, weakness, low energy, light, soft, like you may faint
*Weak legs, arms, or muscles
*Altered state of reality, consciousness, or universe feeling
*Difficulty thinking, speaking, forming thoughts, following conversations
*Depersonalization, Derealization
*Difficulty concentrating, short-term memory loss
*Jolting awake
*Distorted, foggy, or blurred vision
*Eyes sensitive to light
*Spots in the vision
*Pain
*In addition to these anxiety symptoms, you may also find yourself worrying compulsively about:
• Having a heart attack
• Having a serious undetected illness= ie MS
• Dying prematurely
BUT IT'S JUST BECAUSE OF YOUR ANXIETY!
You might have a condition like me i have "GAD" an you sound the same!
GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder)
Most people experience anxiety on and off throughout the course of their lives. Those who suffer with generalized anxiety disorder, however, do so on a day to day basis. Their anxiety becomes chronic and fills their lives with exaggerated worry and tension, even though the subject they are worrying about doesn’t logically warrant it.
Individuals with GAD are always anticipating doom, disaster, and the worst-case scenarios. They worry about their health, money, family, work, and the world in general. Their reason for worry is often hard to pinpoint. Even the thought of getting through another day can bring on anxiety.
Individuals with GAD feel that they can’t stop worrying, even though they know the subject they are worrying about isn’t that serious.
Those who experience GAD commonly experience accompanying symptoms, such as acute or chronic fatigue; headaches; muscle tension, stiffness, and even debilitating pain; general aches and pains; difficulty swallowing or feeling like there is something stuck in their throat; trembling; uncontrollable twitching; irritability; hot and cold flashes; profuse sweating for no apparent reason; and lightheadedness or dizziness. They can experience many or all of the symptoms common for anxiety. (View our Anxiety Symptoms section for symptoms commonly associated with anxiety.)
Individuals with GAD feel they can’t relax and think that they always have to be on alert for danger. Worry has become their protection mechanism. They often startle more easily than others and have difficulty concentrating. Many also feel persistently joyless, frustrated, and frequently depressed. Their sleep patterns can also become regularly disrupted with their inability to sleep becoming yet another reason for worry and concern.
Many with GAD appear fine on the surface, seem to go about their day normally, may seem calm and relaxed, or may be perceived as the last person to have an anxiety problem. It’s their internal life (thoughts, beliefs, and emotions), however, that undergoes intense and persistent turmoil.
GAD affects about 6% of the population and affects twice as many women as it does men. The disorder usually comes on gradually and can begin at any age, though the onset of it is more frequent between childhood and middle age. Those who experience incessant worry for six months or more are typically diagnosed as having generalized anxiety disorder.
GAD often co-occurs with other disorders such as depression or substance abuse.
I GOT ALL OF THIS IMFORMATION OFF "ANXIETYCENTRE.COM" CHECK IT OUT, IT'S FANTASTIC! IT HAS ALL THE ANSWERS YOU WANT AN MORE!!!
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