Can slight numbness throughout body including face and vagina area be MS or anxiety?

[jesswabbit26]

I am 24 yr old femal , 5'7 ..132 lbs. Over all good health except the last six months. It began with numbness in my big toes, and stiffness in my hands.  I saw a nuero who did EMGs and said that I def. had some pinched nerves somewhere but that I also had nueropathy and she wanted to do blood work and MRIs to see where it could be from.  Bloodwork came back clean (Lupus, Lime, Rheumatoid, Thyroid, Diabetes etc) except I was slightly hypoglycemic. MRI on my brain showed I had a slight arnold chiari malforation 2-3 mm with no crowding.  MRIs on the cervial and lumbar showed some straightening of the neck and slightly in the lower back which inadvertantley is causing some degeneration in the  discs.   So the toes were some what explained and even the hands, but my concern is that my face and scalp also go numb and along with my 'girly parts.' I read on here that you can have MS and it not show up in your MRIs. I'm am deeply concerned.  I also have muscle twitching from time to time and a buzzing feeling in my foot from time to time.  I don't react to heat at all but sometimes I can get really itchy, especially when I am on my feet for a long time.  At night my hands and arms fall asleep often and I have to change positions, its really annoying.  I'm just wondering basically if the numbness that is not related to my spine could be caused from MS or anxiety?
  

[jesswabbit26]

Thank you so much for your response.  I also had one other question that I'm not sure if you could answer or not, I also have 'cold sensations'  throughout my body. They do not burn or hurt, they actually feel good.  I am hypoglycemic (which was found only through a glucose test to check for diabetes) I'm wondering if maybe that could also attribute to some of these things?  I also am curious if it is possible that the slight numbness in the 'girly parts' could be coming from the spinal area? Thank you so much for your time.

[Christopher R Newey, DO]

Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with a doctor.

Without the ability to examine and obtain a history, I can not tell you what the exact cause of the symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.

These are all legitimate concerns. Anxiety is a psychological and physiological condition with a multitude of symptoms which can include heart palpitations, muscle tension, fatigue, nausea, chest pain, shortness of breath, headaches, and GI symptoms such as diarrhea to name a few. It can also cause sensory changes (particularly if hyperventilated).  Anxiety can also be accompanied with panic attacks such as a feeling of impending doom or death.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that primarily affects the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord, nerves from the eye, the optic nerves). Symptoms may be mild to severe, ranging from tingling and numbness to paralysis. There is not one test alone or one symptom that can diagnose MS, but there are well-established criteria that help neurologists make the diagnosis. These include taking a thorough history, doing a thorough physical exam, conducting an MRI of the brain and sometimes the spine, and sometimes ancillary testing such as lumbar puncture and evoked potentials. If an MRI of the brain and spine is normal, the diagnosis of MS becomes highly unlikely.

It is possible that your symptoms are all from anxiety; however, I do not have the luxury to examine you or follow you clinically. I would suggest that you continue with monitoring of your symptoms and following up with your established neurologist.

Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.