Anxiety or something worse?

[DetGuy]

I have been suffering from anxiety issues.About a little over a month ago,I had a severe panic attack,but recently,its been more in the line of generalized anxiety.After that,I was fine but had a general sense of malaise for about a week and some tension headaches.In trying to figure out what was wrong with me (some horribe things ran across my mind,including aneurysms),I accidentally ran across a site and article about MS.This scared me to hell.I can't get MS out of my head.Soon I started having various neurological symptom.These symptoms also shift.It started with prickling feelings in the fingertips, then right arm,then left arm,then across the body.The pricks were not very localized,but as if I was getting poked by needles.That led to a pain in my left elbow,later my right elbow.Both times,the pain (like a burning) starts at the elbow and then radiates.After that, I started having the same sensation in both knees, also radiating. After about a week,the prickling left,but I woke up in the middle of the night a couple of times,with that burning-like pain.Finally,this stops,but I started having this sensation that my muscles in my legs were trembling (not visible, but I can feel it).The next day, this turned into (the best term I can describe it as) a buzzing sensation in both legs.I seemed to only notice it when I sit down or rest.Now even the tension and stiff neck is gone, but not the feelings in the lower part of my legs.This has been a little over a month of changing symptoms. None of them have been to the point that I couldnt go about my daily routine, however. Help?

[AMIOK]

Tomy...others.....I am a first time poster -39 y/o male 5'10" 180, BP 130/85 - no previous history of anxiety or depression).

Up until now I've been quite healthy but I have had some similar symptoms over the last several months - and they're disturbing.  I'd call them more like numbness/tingling and aches in the hands, feet, legs, arms (including being awakened at night by these symptoms) - in addition to a number of other weird symptoms including dizziness/vertigo/"spaciness", ear-popping, nausea, temperature sensitivity and extreme drowsiness-

I've had several Neuro tests (basic in-office neuro exam for reflexes, coordination etc., Brain MRI, EEG, and several blood tests including B-12, CBC, Lyme, Lupus) and all have come back "normal"....The "normal" results do quite a bit to mitigate my anxiety (in addition to some xanax), yet the symptoms remain - so I'm in a chicken and egg dilemma - I feel like the normal results should be calming...and they are to a point and I feel like I've licked the anxiety, but then the symptoms come back and I start to worry and over-analyze again about worst case scenarios....and I wonder where the hell these symptoms came from in the first place.....so I'm looking for some answers

Two questions for the board:

1.) Are the symptoms noted above consistent with anxiety?  What if I don't "feel" anxious? - I know they're consistent with a lot of other scary stuff, but "normal" test results would tend to take many of those out of the picture statistically/logically - unless they missed something (there's the "what if" thinking the pscycotherapists talk about)
2.) I've tried to post to this board numerous times to engage a 2nd Dr. to see what his/her opinion is about my symptoms and test results thus far, but every time I try the "quota" is filled and they steer me to "AnswerSoft" - for a small fee. Has anyone here used that with any success?....Are the folks who answer for that service specialists in the field of Neuro or something else?

Thanks in advance: AMIOK

[DetGuy]

Can someone please tell me what all can cause this buzzing sensation?

[Kit1]

Those who are suggestible to feeling pain and other symptoms as a result of anxiety or stress are also more suggestible than average to the ministrations of the psychologist.

Tomy7, if what you do helps some people, that is good. (Although I would be highly suspicious of immediate "cures." If the pain goes that easily, it can come back just as easily). But not all will be helped by that method and will need other options.

The best method is not the one any given person practices, but the one that actually helps the patient.

[tomy7]

I appreciate your struggle and I am glad you were to find resolve.  I believe there is a difference between "research" and frequenting or taken up residency on message boards which has a huge attraction to people with anxiety-driven symptoms.  

Statistically speaking my comments still stand.
My own group's research has gone quite a bit beyond this little board and has taken an exhaustive amount of time for study...Our sample includes almost 200 health related sites and about 2400 cases.

There are strong emotional components to generalized symptoms that occur in Fibromyalgia or CFS.  It's not an accident that these diagnoses are both successfully treated with anti-depressants.

[CyndyisMe]

Tomy, you write:
"Of course, there are people with real diseases, however, I am writing a paper on the fact that very few of them actually frequent boards like this. I am a psychotherapist in NYC."
Because my symptomology does not match any "one" diagnosis, my physicians actually encouraged me to do an on-line search and I have found much information to share with them, for which they are thankful, not having time to do extensive searches themselves.  A note of caution about immediately attributing "physical symptoms" to "anxiety or conversions disorders".  Once that "diagnosis" appears in your medical history it will haunt you forever. From personal experience with a family member who DID have anxiety attacks, her other "real symptoms" were dismissed as "anxiety-related" because that had been previously noted in her chart... and she almost died because of it. (She had meningitis). As for "conversion disorders", that is a scrap heap that "idiosyncratic disorders" are thrown into when medical "professionals" often don't have or are to taxed (time-wise) or lazy to search further for answers.
From personal experience: In 1996 I was hospitalized following cervical osteomyelitis. Even after cervical fusion, I was having problems with my legs. My orthopedist said, "That's from the trauma to your cervical cord... and you'll probably always have it." and dropped the matter. My neurpsurgeon, said, "Be patient with me, there are a few more tests I want to run before we decide if this is permanent or not." After some extensive tests in neuclear medicine it was found that messages were being sent from my brain through my nervous system with no problem BUT the problem came when the return responses from the body back to the brain showed slowing in the thoracic region. Further studies showed huge disk herniations between T6-T9 with loose disk material that had migrated anteriorly and posteriorly compressing the spinal cord. If I had just listened to the orthopedist, this would never have been discovered. However, that same orthopedist ended up saving my husband's life when, after 6 months of upper back pain (dismissed by our PCP as referred pain from GERD, probably caused by anxiety) a CT scan of his spine was performed and a 5cm upper aortic aneurysm was discovered right where the aorta leaves the heart. He had immediate surgery and is alive and walking today because he did not accept the "anxiety" diagnosis.
And for the original poster... I am sorry your original question was not answered. About the MS, your first bet should be to go to a neurologist. While there is no definitive test that can prove MS, there are sets of symptoms as well as (often but not always) plaques and lesions that form in the brain and neural pathways, each provoking its own sets of symtoms. Also, you may want to check with a Rheumatologist as some of your symptoms sound like fibromyalgia. For reference, you can check out the Arthritis Foundation site (www.arthritisfoundation.org) which has alot of info on fibromyalgia, as does the chat/info site:
www.efibro.com   Good luck in your search for good health.

[DetGuy]

I know i'm bordering on the line of being obnoxious, but the "buzzing" or mild vibration or whatever is starting to go away but i'm getting more burning. Particularly, my legs and knees burn when sitting (especially the back part). Last night, my left thigh had a burning sensation. Now, i can feel it in my back and shoulder blades incremenatally. Can stress or depression manifest themselves in burning? What about circulation? I might be getting over my MS fascination but i'd still like some answers. Thanks! Sorry for being so annoying!!