help with ms pain?

[jaypolak123]

i had ms for 6 months now i'm having really bad panic attacks or anxiety attacks never had them before so don't know also having really bad lower back pain all day don't know if it's from the rebief or what can some one please help

[Joe79]

I have had increased anxiety over the last few years too.  I guess I have never really thought of it as a symptom until your post here.  I've always been a nervous shy kind of guy but now faced with a social or possible physical situation my heart rate sky rockets, my whole body shakes, etc etc.  Not too long ago my buddy at work put me on the phone with a girl he wants me to meet and I couldn't hardly hand the phone back to him I was shaking so bad.  I have lot's of examples.  It's getting embarrassing!  (it wasn't the girl, it was his wife, he was playing a joke on me)  I'm also a lot more careful and jumpy at things now.

My theory, let me repeat it is just MY theory, is that the body is acting kind of like an animal would.  A wounded or sick animal will act or react in manners different than normal.  With the lesions and everything the brain isn't operating at 100%.  So when faced with certain thoughts, social interactions, challenges either mental or physical the brain reacts.  Conciously you might know everything is fine, why the heck is this happening, but unconciously the mind knows it is at a disadvantage, that it is not firing on all cylinders at the moment, and if it deems it necessary to be at 100%, for whatever it is, it can react with anxiety/panic.  I think, at least for me, that maybe it is somewhat normal for the situation of MS, just the body's natural instincts kicking in.  Not talking about depression just the strange bouts of anxiety/panic.

I am in no way saying to ignore it-- please discuss it with your doctor in Jan.--especially if the attacks are coming from thoughts of MS and your future.  Also, stick around on this site there is a wealth of information and help here.

[Quixotic1]

Hi and welcome to the forum!  How crummy it is to be young and have this disease!  (I am 57).

Wow, if you are having panic attacks for the first time in your life, that is enough to cause more anxiety right there.  First, you have to know that MS can cause problems with your emotions directly.  It's not just that you might be anxious about the illness.  MS involves the gray matter of our brains and can cause depression and anxiety/panic all by itself, just like it causes pain or weakness.  We wrote a couple little articles on this you might like to read.

http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Multiple%20Sclerosis/Depression-and-MS/show/752?cid=36

http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/Multiple%20Sclerosis/Emotions-and-MS/show/753?cid=36

If the anxiety is interfering with your life it is a good idea to get some treatment for it, just like you would seek treatment for pain or dizziness.  Sometimes it is enough just to know that these weird emotions are common and don't mean that you are losing your mind.  Soooooo many of us have had problems with unruly emotions with our MS.

The Rebif is more likely to cause depression,  but depression can have an anxiety side to it also.  Be sure to tell your regular doctor and your neurologist about the anxiety/panic.  Often they are easily treated.  If you don't have an appointment coming up soon, call the office and leave a message about the problem and ask for a call-back.

You are not at all alone here.  Stick around and you'll find that for everything you have going on, some of us have had it, too.

Quix