Numb, Tingly, Worried

[ThingyStuff]

Monday night my leg fell asleep while I was sitting on the couch.  I thought nothing of it, but Tues morning my arm and leg fell asleep.  I got a bit nervous, and by the end of the day they were still asleep  so I called this health line and they told me to go to the hospital immediately.  

Anyway, by that point the feeling started shifting around, side to side, and feeling a bit less asleep.  The triage nurse checked me out, told me I wasn't having a stroke, and took some blood.  Later, I was seen by a doctor who did a bunch of tests - poked me with a needle, made me fell him what colour something was, did some stuff to my feet, maybe spent 20 minutes.

He asked what I was concerned about, and I said I was worried it was MS because people online said it started with numbness, and my friend's sister has recently been diagnosed with it.  He shone a light in my eyes, and said he was looking at the backs of my eyes because sometimes they're pale if you have MS.  Mine were fine, and he said nothing else was concerning (other than the fact that half my body was asleep) but that I was right to come in.  He said to wait a couple weeks, and if nothing changes to go get checked out.

I know ER / A and E doctors are sometimes overworked and just looking to save lives and not make complicated diagnoses, but I felt at least a bit reassured.  

Anyway, I went home and called my friend who's sister has MS, and told her the whole story.  She said that her sister's leg went to sleep for a week, and that's how she was diagnosed.  That made me nervous again.  

Yesterday, I felt like pins and needles for most the day on both sides.  Today, it was the same in the morning, and then in the afternoon, my right arm went to sleep again and it's been like that ever since.

[ThingyStuff]

Thanks to you both for getting back to me.  

It absolutely started with half my body falling asleep, and has stayed mainly on one side but has shifted every now and then, and is just generally giving me the weirds.  I've never had anything like this before.  Even now, it's been almost a week and I can feel my hands and arms going all weird off and on.

I'm generally pretty clumsy anyway, and scuff my feet when I walk, so of course I'm noticing every time I drop a pen or stub my toe.  

I've registered with a new GP, and I'll hopefully make an appointment by mid next week once my registration thing goes through.

Thanks again.

[supermum_ms]

Hi and welcome,

I wrote a very long detailed explanation as to why (imho) your symptoms are not consistent with what typically happens to people who have MS but there seems to be a glitch in the system my reply didn't post, sorry but this one will not be brief.

Basically "the feeling started shifting around, side to side" and it rappidly changing from unilateral to bilateral, these types of sx behaviors are whats called red flags, MS is just not capable of producing symptoms that behave this way. Honestly how this started actually sounded perfectly normal to me, and considering that you freely admit to freaking out over health related issues, is there a possibility that your freaking out (anxiety?) has exaserbated the situation?

I would suggest you still consult your dr, and let him/her know every thing thats going on with you.

Cheers..........JJ

[SarahL2491]

ERs do not diagnose MS, they might refer you to a neuro or call one if they are suspicious but it is not their specialty when you consider all of the things that they have to be "generally" familiar with.

We are not doctors, just MS patients helping each other,

If it doesn't go away, ask your GP to refer you to a neuro.  It would not hurt to see your GP anyway.  But don't obsess with MS just because someone else told you numbness happens first with them or someone they know.

MS is an individual disease, it affects everyone differently.  Which is why its so hard to diagnose.  It is also slow moving train, so no panic.  Relax!

[ThingyStuff]

... continued

I'm a bit prone to freaking out about stuff like this, but... my arm is numb and it's scaring me.  

I don't THINK I've had any other symptoms.  I had a sore knee a while ago, but it went away when I stopped training for a marathon.  I had some weird hip pain a few weeks ago, but it came and went in a day, and I work one day a week in a pub, and it happened during that so I figured it was from walking around all day.  I'm clumsy, but no moreso than usual I don't think.  

I'm scared, I'm far away from my family/support system, and I've just started a new job...  I'm really not sure what to do next.  Should I wait like the doctor said?  Go to my GP ASAP?