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ANXIETY, MS,SPINAL STENOSIS or What on earth is going on with me?
I am 65 years old and have always been fit & healthy.
I started with sudden onsets of numbness at Christmas time, really scary and I thought I was having a stroke! It started in my tongue then ends of fingers on right hand. It disappeared initially but then the events reoccurred and worsened. Several visits to A&E over Christmas, and by now numbness buzzing up my right arm and sensations in my right leg and foot, also the right side of my face. I would wake up around 3am and suddenly find I couldn't feel my face on my right side.
So... after 2 - 3 weeks my numbness and tingling in my right side became permanent, and so as well as the numbness sensations, my hand and arm felt hot as if I was scalded or holding it against a radiator. In bed my feet burn slightly. Occasionally prickly sensations to my feet.
My salivary glands affected too as I feel wet in my mouth whilst trying to sleep on my side. My face feels cold or hot and swollen all the time.
A&E doctors initially suggested stress & anxiety coupled with high blood pressure and advised me to get my BP down. I had clearly sufferred stress with caring for my 90yr old Mum and I had recently taken steps to move her ino a care home. All stressfull stuff!
Meanwhile, CT scan and MRI scan of brain, all ok. Bloods all good. Strength and reflexes all good. Not diabetic in any way, no vitamin shortages, in fact nothing at all clinically wrong with me.
It's now MAY 5 months on, and my symptoms have moved across to my left side just slightly, but I'm really scared I may lose my left hand too, as the overall discomfort is already too much. Some nerve pains in hand mostly, but not continuous and not really enough for pain meds - I want to avoid them for as long as I can.
I'm now on a waiting list until my neuro appointment in AUGUST!!
I'm on Amlodipine for blood pressure and this has worked well. I no longer feel anxious all the time, but of course there are still underlying worries about myself.
I'm keeping fit, doing the gym when I can drag myself there, but I feel I'm doing everything I can in terms of looking after myself body wise. I am not obese, dont overdrink alcohol, weighing 83Kg at 5ft 11. I look well but I feel a complete disaster area.
So what on earth can I do next?
Any ideas?
I started with sudden onsets of numbness at Christmas time, really scary and I thought I was having a stroke! It started in my tongue then ends of fingers on right hand. It disappeared initially but then the events reoccurred and worsened. Several visits to A&E over Christmas, and by now numbness buzzing up my right arm and sensations in my right leg and foot, also the right side of my face. I would wake up around 3am and suddenly find I couldn't feel my face on my right side.
So... after 2 - 3 weeks my numbness and tingling in my right side became permanent, and so as well as the numbness sensations, my hand and arm felt hot as if I was scalded or holding it against a radiator. In bed my feet burn slightly. Occasionally prickly sensations to my feet.
My salivary glands affected too as I feel wet in my mouth whilst trying to sleep on my side. My face feels cold or hot and swollen all the time.
A&E doctors initially suggested stress & anxiety coupled with high blood pressure and advised me to get my BP down. I had clearly sufferred stress with caring for my 90yr old Mum and I had recently taken steps to move her ino a care home. All stressfull stuff!
Meanwhile, CT scan and MRI scan of brain, all ok. Bloods all good. Strength and reflexes all good. Not diabetic in any way, no vitamin shortages, in fact nothing at all clinically wrong with me.
It's now MAY 5 months on, and my symptoms have moved across to my left side just slightly, but I'm really scared I may lose my left hand too, as the overall discomfort is already too much. Some nerve pains in hand mostly, but not continuous and not really enough for pain meds - I want to avoid them for as long as I can.
I'm now on a waiting list until my neuro appointment in AUGUST!!
I'm on Amlodipine for blood pressure and this has worked well. I no longer feel anxious all the time, but of course there are still underlying worries about myself.
I'm keeping fit, doing the gym when I can drag myself there, but I feel I'm doing everything I can in terms of looking after myself body wise. I am not obese, dont overdrink alcohol, weighing 83Kg at 5ft 11. I look well but I feel a complete disaster area.
So what on earth can I do next?
Any ideas?
To clarify any misunderstandings regarding MS...
For someone who is a pwMS, while stress does 'not' cause the disease, a link between stress and the 'risk of MS relapse' is supported by numerous clinical studies, stress can definitely trigger a pseudo or a true MS relapse in some people who have MS.....a pseudo relapse is the temporary return of recovered symptoms and or the worsening of everyday symptoms of MS.
Keep in mind though that life stresses are interpreted by everybody differently, and IF you are experiencing 'anxiety' you will also be dealing with a lower stress tolerance level, so even if you remove MS from your thoughts entirely it's always going to be in your best interest to make a point of focusing your attention on learning how to control your anxiety, reduce your stress levels to help improve your tomorrows!
"Vitamin D deficiency is thought to play a role in MS since geographical areas of lower levels of UV radiation, and hence lower vitamin D synthesis in the skin, have higher incidences of MS. Variations in genes involved in the vitamin D metabolism pathway have been implicated in susceptibility to MS and vitamin D deficiency has also been shown to be associated with a higher rate of relapses in people with established MS." Australian MS society
Vitamin D is a hot topic of MS research, and the research is still on going into whether or not vit D is a cautionary factor or a consequence of chronic disease, there is currently no direct evidence that vitamin D deficiency is the cause of MS......Recent studies have also found that Vitamin D is closely associated with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, and neurological conditions like MS, anxiety-depression etc
There are many different 'risk' factors associated with most chronic medical conditions, vit D deficientcy is just one of 'many associated risk factors' with MS, and a casual or significant association does not in any way over ride a patient requiring the suggestive-consistent medical history, system pattern, MRI's, nerve conductor tests etc, abnormal clinical evidence etc with a neurological condition like MS to get any where near their potential conditions list!
"Summing it all up
So, in conclusion, how does MS develop? Well it is a complex interaction between genetics and the environment. Of course how you respond to your environment depends on your genetics. Your genetics determine how your immune system responds to an EBV infection, how you process vitamin D and which sex hormones you have also influence your immune system. Your sun exposure determines how much vitamin D your body makes and smoking adds additional inflammation into an already volatile mix. Diet, physical activity and stress may also contribute to this mix. Potentially, there are other, as yet unknown, factors which may also lead to an increase in inflammation or be able to mimic or add to the role of some of the factors listed here.
Only a few of these factors may come together in some individuals to trigger MS. In others it may be an accumulation of many of these risk factors together – the combination will be different in different people. There is no doubt that MS is a complex and varied disease. Through research we have come a long way to understanding these complexities. In 2016, there was an international workshop assessing and summarising the extensive knowledge of the factors that contribute to MS and their report was published in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal. This consensus will now help us to start taking action with further targeted research and, importantly, advice and guidance to the community on how we can go about reducing the risk of developing MS.
Risk Factors can have different effects on MS, they can enhance the risk of developing MS and/or increases the risk of disease progression once MS has developed. The evidence supports the risk of developing MS, but research is ongoing in both areas. https://msra.org.au/news/unravelling-causes-ms/
You asked what you should do next, i would suggest you additionally look into getting some specific mental health support to help you cope with what your dealing with eg behavioural cognitive therapy, psychologist, carers friendship group etc
I hope that helps a little......JJ
For someone who is a pwMS, while stress does 'not' cause the disease, a link between stress and the 'risk of MS relapse' is supported by numerous clinical studies, stress can definitely trigger a pseudo or a true MS relapse in some people who have MS.....a pseudo relapse is the temporary return of recovered symptoms and or the worsening of everyday symptoms of MS.
Keep in mind though that life stresses are interpreted by everybody differently, and IF you are experiencing 'anxiety' you will also be dealing with a lower stress tolerance level, so even if you remove MS from your thoughts entirely it's always going to be in your best interest to make a point of focusing your attention on learning how to control your anxiety, reduce your stress levels to help improve your tomorrows!
"Vitamin D deficiency is thought to play a role in MS since geographical areas of lower levels of UV radiation, and hence lower vitamin D synthesis in the skin, have higher incidences of MS. Variations in genes involved in the vitamin D metabolism pathway have been implicated in susceptibility to MS and vitamin D deficiency has also been shown to be associated with a higher rate of relapses in people with established MS." Australian MS society
Vitamin D is a hot topic of MS research, and the research is still on going into whether or not vit D is a cautionary factor or a consequence of chronic disease, there is currently no direct evidence that vitamin D deficiency is the cause of MS......Recent studies have also found that Vitamin D is closely associated with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, and neurological conditions like MS, anxiety-depression etc
There are many different 'risk' factors associated with most chronic medical conditions, vit D deficientcy is just one of 'many associated risk factors' with MS, and a casual or significant association does not in any way over ride a patient requiring the suggestive-consistent medical history, system pattern, MRI's, nerve conductor tests etc, abnormal clinical evidence etc with a neurological condition like MS to get any where near their potential conditions list!
"Summing it all up
So, in conclusion, how does MS develop? Well it is a complex interaction between genetics and the environment. Of course how you respond to your environment depends on your genetics. Your genetics determine how your immune system responds to an EBV infection, how you process vitamin D and which sex hormones you have also influence your immune system. Your sun exposure determines how much vitamin D your body makes and smoking adds additional inflammation into an already volatile mix. Diet, physical activity and stress may also contribute to this mix. Potentially, there are other, as yet unknown, factors which may also lead to an increase in inflammation or be able to mimic or add to the role of some of the factors listed here.
Only a few of these factors may come together in some individuals to trigger MS. In others it may be an accumulation of many of these risk factors together – the combination will be different in different people. There is no doubt that MS is a complex and varied disease. Through research we have come a long way to understanding these complexities. In 2016, there was an international workshop assessing and summarising the extensive knowledge of the factors that contribute to MS and their report was published in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal. This consensus will now help us to start taking action with further targeted research and, importantly, advice and guidance to the community on how we can go about reducing the risk of developing MS.
Risk Factors can have different effects on MS, they can enhance the risk of developing MS and/or increases the risk of disease progression once MS has developed. The evidence supports the risk of developing MS, but research is ongoing in both areas. https://msra.org.au/news/unravelling-causes-ms/
You asked what you should do next, i would suggest you additionally look into getting some specific mental health support to help you cope with what your dealing with eg behavioural cognitive therapy, psychologist, carers friendship group etc
I hope that helps a little......JJ
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