might i have MS?

[loofa]

I am a 21 year old male.

got out of the hospital about three weeks ago for bad constipation and bloody stools.

recently having episodes where i feel like i'm drifting in and out of reality and panic sets in.

have had odd tingling sensations in my left and and foot, occasionally in their counterparts on the right.

developed pain in my arms and hands (and toes) over the last few days, not severe.

no limb/muscle weakness and no problems walking or seeing.

no loss of coordination and no loss of balance. memory and cognitive functioning seems fine.

just odd tingling and occasional random, sharp shooting pains throughout random areas of my torso.

any ideas, comments, suggestions, etc?


3 doctor said i have an anxiety disorder but things just keep getting weirder and more scary.

thanks,
loofa

[jenna4567]

I am so happy for you that you are taking something on a daily basis!  one or two pills a day can make all of the difference!  best of luck

[loofa]

Thank you so much, jenna 4567, for actually taking the time to respond.

The clinic doctor has me on a very low dosage of xanax. its only .25 so i don't even physically feel its muscle-relaxant effects. supposedly its just supposed to fix some stuff working in the background.

i don't feel too much different when i'm on it, but its when i ran out for the first time that all the tingling and stuff started happening, so who knows, maybe it is helping to an extent.

and its amazing. 2 nites at the hospital = 20,000. i laughed when i saw the bill

[jenna4567]

It is unreal what anxiety can do to the body.  With the blood workup and tests they ran, I think it is safe to not worry about the "big stuff."  It sounds like you may have just pinched a nerve and its resolving on its own.  The tightness in the chest sounds also anxiety related.  It might be worth it to talk to a clinic doctor about starting some meds on a daily basis for anxiety.  It might cost you w/out insurance but its a heck of a lot cheaper than a hospital stay.  

[loofa]

unfortunately i don't have a primary care dr. no insurance. when i get sick, i usually just see my local clinic doctor, but that never gets me too far.

i was hospitalized 2 days. they gave me a ct scan of my ab, said everything was fine except that my spleen was alittle big, but that was nothing to worry about.

then they gave me laxatives the whole night and a colonoscopy the next morning. also pumped some antibiotics into my IV. colonoscopy came back absolutely normal. no final diagnosis made, attributed solely to anxiety.

i never experienced any numbness at all. just tingling, which has died down alot, if not completely gone away. now i just deal with tightness in my chest and the very occasional tingle/zap. my BMs are totally back to normal now.

they say all of this is anxiety-related.

[jenna4567]

I would not worry too much.  I understand (from personal experience) that when you are hospitalized so young, you start to worry about everything.  if you have a primary care MD, go see him/her.  For how long were you hospitalized for the constipation by the way?  and how did they treat you?

As far as the numbness and tingling, if your not having weakness, odds are that you just pinched a muscle/nerve.  I would be very shocked if you have MS or anything heart related.

By your height and weight, shooting pain and tingling, I would bet money that its something going on with your back.  NOT a big deal though.  I would see a primary care MD and get an ok to see a chiropractor or massage therapist.  If a MD recommends it, its usually covered by insurance.  

Let me know if Im missing something that you have concerns about

Jenna

[loofa]

all i know is that they tested my blood for the following:
liver, thyroid, kidneys, sodium levels, protein levels, blood sugar, blood cell count, cholesterol, and a bunch of other chemicals. i'm not sure if they also ran the tests you mentioned.

my bowel movements have been completely normal now since i was discharged from the hospital, which was about a month and a half ago, so i highly doubt it's Crohns.

I've never experienced numbness, just odd tingling and vibrating sensations and the occasional shooting pain throughout my hands/feet/extremities/torso. i've also had a constant headache.

for a week now, i haven't had any headaches, the pain has gone away significantly, and the tingling has more or less ceased as well. i'll experience what feels like "small, stabbing pinches of pain" that only come rarely, usually on one of my feet. Basically, the symptoms have died down significantly.

I understand the chances of this being an anxiety disorder are high.

i am 21 and weigh 270. i'm 6'4". so yes, i am overweight. maybe this is just my body telling me to make some changes?

does this sound like anything heart-related?

[michiganCMA]

Sounds like extreme anxiety or stress doesn't add up to much like MS.   how old and how much do you weigh these things could be considered. Sometimes just low vitamin levels can cause the numbnesss. And just because they don't see the skip lesions on the scope doesn't mean you don't have Crohn's disease that is still  very possible. Look into chaning your diet eatting less trans fats and try to avoid  Gluten's all together and see if that helps. Have you have blood tests done like CPK, chem 12 panel, and sed rate?

[loofa]

i was tested for all of the above and my bowel movements have been back to normal for a little over a month now. the colonoscopy would have showed any physical abnormalities as well.

i had a full ct scan of my ab, too. everything came back normal.

new symptoms keep coming up though.

[lea35]

Alot of your symptoms sound like crons disease or ulcerative colitus which affects your small intestines and bowels. Have you been tested for these if not demand them as it is very common in people your age and  bloody stools and constipation can be a symptom also pain which can radiate into other places such as arms and legs i dont think you are anxious and it makes me mad that if there is no obvious answer the doctors will said anxiety is the answer.  With these conditions you have got symptoms and you will find ill so you only panic as you are worried why you are being sick