Looking for some input

[Wonderingguy22]

Hello all,

I am a 30 year old white male in michigan.  I have some questions regarding anxiety or MS

I will start out by saying I am just trying to get an idea of what I may be having. I know you can not tell me if I have MS or not,but I would like your input on what has been happening.

To start I have had anxiety for years, when I was in high school my arms or face would become numb, picky feeling in the body, hot flashes, vision issues, fast heart beat, cold sweats, thinking I had illnesses that were causing these things etc. this was about 13 years ago when this all started. At that time I just moved to a new high school, I have very bad social anxiety to began with. I would eat alone etc but still functioned.

When I was 15 I always thought I was having a heart attack or stroke, I would have times where my hands and feet would feel asleep and tingle

Since then I have always had off and on anxiety, I've always grinned (smile) from I'm assuming anxiety (not I have wrinkles around my eyes from doing it 13 years later and I still do it almost everyday). Friends always ask why I'm grinning.

About 7 years ago my father passed to cancer and 2 years after that my mother passed in an auto crash. I'm sure that didn't help my mind games any. Just wanted to mention that.

Little over 5 years ago the day my daughter was born at the hospital it all started again, I started having  ibs, panic attacks, aches and pains in my legs, arms, neck that lasted weeks to month, most all of these would come and go within a week. These symptoms were off and on for a few years and then would stop for awhile.  About 4 years ago I started having muscle twitching in my calves, fingers and eye. The leg twitching happened the most and I thought I had restless leg syndrome then but forgot about that.  I also started getting ring worm a lot. The doctor told me it was due to my high anxiety. But he never gave me good pills for only .5 Mg Ativan but I'm 6'6 270 lbs so they don't do much. I went on a road trip to Florida this February and had a few times where my hands and feet had the falling asleep feeling. If I got my mind on something else I wouldn't really notice it.   Lately I've been getting a light shaky feeling, muscle twitching in legs and fingers, some light aches and pains, but now after looking online I see that this type of thing is common in MS and I am now I the age range.

Nobody in my family has MS but most have anxiety issues.  After reading the MS symptoms etc I have felt a bit tired in the afternoon the last few days.

I guess just from what I have told you, do you think this is more of my anxiety or could this be more likely MS

[supermum_ms]

Hi and welcome,

To be honest, i would of been thinking it was quite likely a Psychological issue, even if you hadn't mentioned your history of anxiety since childhood, because from what you've mentioned your sx's minimise with distraction eg "I got my mind on something else I wouldn't really notice it".

You seem to be implying your sx are connected to your thoughts and the significant events in your life and over the years you've become aware that they will stop (or increase?) with the amount of attention you give them "I thought I had restless leg syndrome then but forgot about that".

If you do find your self sometimes reading about a specific condition, and then experiencing more sx's associated to that condition or identify something as more significant than it really is eg "After reading the MS symptoms etc I have felt a bit tired in the afternoon the last few days." because it could be related to the condition you've read about.............then i do think there is a distinct possibility that it 'could be' relating to your levels of anxiety than anything else.

Having said that though, i do think it would be a good idea to consider changing your general doctor because "I also started getting ring worm a lot. The doctor told me it was due to my high anxiety." and ring worm is caused by a fungal infection and has nothing to do with a persons psychological mind set.

"Ringworm can spread easily from one person to another. You can catch ringworm if you touch someone who has the infection, or if you come into contact with items contaminated by the fungus, such as combs, unwashed clothing, and shower or pool surfaces. You can also catch ringworm from pets that carry the fungus. Cats are common carriers."
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001439.htm

I think it would also be in your best interest, to consider getting better help your identified anxiety, it's an issue your very aware of and there are many treatment options that can help you minimise it's impact on your life. I am a strong believer of being proactive and looking after your mental health to better your future, so please seriously consider exploring treatment for your anxiety because it really will help regardless of if there is anything else going on.

Cheers.........JJ

[Lulu54]

Hi and welcome to this special place - thanks for saying up front you know we can't diagnose you but we can share some opinions. You have done an excellent job of outlining your history - there are plenty of reasons in your story for anxiety and stress - and I would lean toward the physical symptoms as being a byproduct of the stress.

that said, I would still say you need to be evaluated by a doctor, and preferably by a neurologist. But do yourself a big favor and don't go into the social/family history about the anxiety - I'm concerned that would bias the doctor and would immediately get this labeled as a psychological problem.   Of course if the doctor would ask, you need to be honest abut everything.  it would be great if you could get a neuro exam based strictly on your physical problems and not consider you mental state.

I hope this makes sense- and be sure to ask any and all questions you want.  we're pretty good at answering everything.
~Laura