Health Anxiety- Obsessing Over MS

[Marto9014]

Hi All
Having a torrid time with health anxiety. I had a medical scare about a month ago. Once given the all clear I was fine. But then a few weeks later I had tingling in my right arm and fingers. I had had this before due to a suppressed lunar nerve, and knew it was likely that. But for some reason I saw the need to ask Dr Google.

Seeing MS up the top of the search results has put me into a spin. Since then I have experienced a variety of symptoms. Burning in my legs, restless right leg, numbness that has moved around in my right foot, and weakness in my right leg. My GP is convinced it’s anxiety but has referred me to a neurologist for peace of mind.

I’m also so in tune to my walking pattern (read that MS can change your walking style) that I think about absolutely every step and has made my leg quite uncomfortable.
I have had symptoms for about 3 weeks, and barely a minute doesn’t go past where I think of MS and how I’ll deal with it if diagnosed. Bloody annoying as I know it’s likely anxiety.

Just thought I’d share my symptoms, as if there’s anyone else out there feeling the same they won’t feel as alone!

Would love to hear from anyone else experiencing something similar.

[Kezk]

Hi there to everyone who is experiencing horrible anxiety/stress symptoms and worried about MS. I have just spent the last 4 weeks going through this myself. Started off with restlessness in my right leg and then the next day I woke up with a numb right thumb. I thought it was a pinched nerve but when the doctor questioned me about MS and said I would need an MRI I began to experience numbness, tingling, burning, constant Adrenalin, muscle twitches, vision changes and trembling. The symptoms would change all the time and be different parts of my body. I started anti-anxiety tablets and sleeping tablets which helped the symptoms a lot but still took 3 weeks to kick in. I have just been cleared of MS today. I was told MS progresses over time and usually the symptoms are in one side of the body and don’t tend to change or disappear. That was told to me by my neurologist and the Internet does not really explain this well. I was also told that blood tests can pick up inflammation markers in the brain that could indicate an MS flare up in the first instance. Anxiety and stress did not hit me consciously. I thought I was handling things fine while in the background my brain was targeting my central nervous system. I haven’t met anyone with the same symptoms which threw me off. Most people say they have panic attacks. I’m glad I got checked out properly even though it was a long wait. This forum is great to hear other people’s experience of how physically debilitating chronic stress and anxiety can be!

[JS9595]

I’m going through this right now but bouncing back and forth between lupus and MS. I am terrified. I get chilblains in the winter but other than that I don’t really have any other symptoms so I didn’t think I had an autoimmune disease until recently I got a blood test which tested positive for ANA which can sometimes be an indication of an autoimmune disease (mostly lupus). The dr said that the result itself is not a diagnosis of lupus on its own and I will need to do another blood test in three months, but the wait is killing me and I find myself obsessing over everything 😞

[Rach93]

I am currently going through this right now! I actually just posted it in here.. I am so obsessed with thinking I have MS, I have tingling in my right & left leg and sometimes my arm or random parts of my body.. it feels like the chills sometimes or just a tingly sensation. I am so convinced I have MS, and I’m really upset over it.. I have been to drs and explained to him about it.. was laughed at not in a mean way but just that I thought it was this - & was given some blood tests to check vitamin levels & going back to check results then. Also will be talking about it again on Monday to possibly get a MRI to rule it out .. I just don’t want them to brush it off or say oh it’s just anxiety.

glad to hear you are cleared of MS

[Rach93]

So sorry I read the wrong comment and seen someone was cleared of it and thought it was your post! Please disregard that

[Citizensnipz88]

Ive been going through this for over 10 years. My mum has MS and i suffer from bad anxiety, mainly health anxiety since i was a kid. I mostly have random pins n needles, muscle twitches and eye floaters. When i tell drs they dont seem to worry about it and i havent been told to get an MRI. After your MRI did your symptoms get better? How did it all go for you?

[Citizensnipz88]

Hey Marto. Have u had any results or has anything changed for you? Im experiencing similar symptoms at the moment and Im just so tired of thinking this way. To Add to it my mum has MS so im literally convinced i have it too.

[Cee123]

I did have an experience, where I had twitching in my left thumb, and a couple of other muscle twitches. My thumb would start moving by itself out of nowhere. I googled it and the first thing that came up was motor neurone disease. Turns out it was a repetitive strain injury. I also get bad migraines and at one point thought I had a brain tumour. I get that tingling sometimes, also as part of migraine.

[BetweenThePoles]

Hey Marto9014,

A big welcome to the forum and thank you for taking the time to reach out and write about your experiences, an important step which you’ve tackled brilliantly/

I have MS and very much understand your concerns. Be aware though that there are a number of different conditions which share those symptoms and sometimes, there’s no condition at all and I sincerely hope this is the case for you.

To give yourself peace of mind, the first step I encourage you to take is to visit your GP and get a referral to a neurologist and have an MRI done of both your brain and spine. It’s completely painless and just requires laying still got about 45 mins.

Based on the results, the neurologist can decide whether there’s anything to be concerned about and whether further treatment is required. I wish you the best of luck. Please consider letting us know how you go. Take care.

[Rach93]

Hi between the poles.. I see you have MS and I am really worried I have it. Do your symptoms come and go everyday or are they there all the time for days / weeks until they die down? I have tingling / numbness in patches of my legs, sharp pains through my body like nerve pain .. buzzing in my foot and head..

[VivRic]

Hi

just wondering if you got any answers or if your symptoms have calmed down. I have a lot of what you’re describing and am I the middle of getting a lot of tests done. I’m getting lots of burning sensations, down arms and legs and some tingling and numbness/ cold feeling in my toes and parts of my feet. Also have muscle twitches that are really frightening me.

hope you are doing better.