MS - currently bowel/bladder

[alex60]

This is my first post on the forum after almost a year of reading so hello

I'm a student with MS worries. In April 2012 I had unwarranted panic attacks over general all over body tickling sensations (probably due to exam stress) which have turned me into an anxious wreck, although i have been doing better over the past few months. After the initial panic attacks I also lost my sex drive, which seriously took its toll, and added to the anxiety/depression i was feeling. During this time, I had many non-specific symptoms (too many to remember) including an occasional buzzing in certain places of body, as well as a feeling of goosebumps in specific locations - for example my arm hairs would raise on a spot of my arm which would stay and feel uncomfortable. I was depressed all summer, mainly due to the lack of libido in an 18 year old guy, and the symptoms stayed convincing me that MS would shortly arrive. I had an mri scan in late august, and was cleared of any abnormalities. After this I left home for uni, and over a month or so, most of my symptoms disappeared. However my lack of sex drive stayed until about a month ago, when i felt as if it started to slowly return. After this i felt almost completely better, and concluded that everything was due to depression/anxiety all stemming from the original panic period, creating a nasty circle of symptom causing anxiety causing symptom etc.

But here i am. Today is tuesday and on saturday morning (after no anxiety or stress) I felt as if i needed to strain to urinate (retention?). I didn't think anything of it until later in the day when it happened again. I knew this was another MS symptom but had never felt it before in previous bouts of anxiety. On saturday evening, I also experienced severe bloating, and over the weekend have been constipated (still now) although i can still 'go'. Constipation being another MS sign, i have freaked out again, mainly because these symptoms didnt occur after feeling stressed or anxious. Currently, some urinations have felt normal, and some strained, and i feel like i need to pee a lot of the time, although i don't know whether this is further symptom or because i am constantly thinking about peeing and how it's gonna feel. I am still constipated.

I now feel very anxious. I feel that this is a 2nd relapse of MS because of how the constipation and urinary retention have both come out of nowhere together, and because it's been about 6 months since my symptoms were bad previously. I know constipation can result from anxiety. However i started worrying about my bladder symptoms at about 4pm on the saturday, and the bloatedness started at about 8pm. Surely if the stress was causing the constipation it would have taken longer to arise?

any support would be greatly appreciated
thanks

[countrygirl]

If you have had a clear mri brain scan the it is extremely unlikely you have ms. I have quite abit of experience with ms as many years ago they found what they thought were ms plaques on a brain mri and I lived with uncertianly for years until after 3 repeat scans over 5 years they said that they now knew that what I had was not indicative of ms and was common and normal!!

I also have 2 friends with ms. MS mostly presents with a def neuro symptom like optical neuritis where your vision is affected or serious deficiency of a limb. Anxiety totally mimics MS but without the clinical signs of ms if you understand that.

The only 100% way of testing for ms is with a lumbar puncture which is serious stuff and risky hence they only do it when other tests and symptoms strongly point to ms. I was told this by neuro at the time of my questionable brain scans and he advised me not to have it done unless I went on to develop def clinical symptoms of ms.

YOur body can react in seconds to stress hormones so your bloating could very easily be your panic about your waterworks. Remember how if someone is given a shock or is waiting to do something nerve racking they spend their time on the toilet both ways, direct bodily reaction to stress hormones.