PDA

View Full Version : Convinced it's MS. Please help. I'm 17, falling apart and no one will talk to me.



lizzydarcy
26-09-14, 00:08
Hello,
This is my 1st time posting, but I've been reading and this website has helped me get through so much. Please, I am desperate and melting.

I am a girl and will turn 17 in about a month. About 5 weeks ago, I got a tingle in my left hand that lasted for about 20 seconds and left me with a very slight numbness. I could still feel touches and temp changes, but running my fingers over my palm yielded a strange texture and my palm was less ticklish than that of my right hand. As of right now, the numbness is near the web and base of my thumb to the bottom of my palm and is always present.

Two weeks ago, I woke up at 2 AM with a totally numb/dead left arm and hand. I rubbed it with my other for about a minute until it became normal again, but no pins and needles. Ever since then, I've been waking up at night with my usual numbness to a higher degree of intensity. I do not sleep on it, and my right hand did this a few times, as well as my right foot, but it's always my left palm.

I had my right top eyelid twitch in response to pressure (sneezing, yawning, pressing) for 6 weeks, but it has disappeared as of last week.

At one point, whenever I wiggled/touched my middle left toe, I'd instantly get a twitching sensation on my shin as if I was being touched there, but that lasted 2 weeks.

I then got a buzzing at the base of my left ring finger for a few days, then the occasional tingle (20s) of my right foot, and rare left hand tingle. Right now, my left side chin is slightly tingling and I feel a decreased sensation on my left arm and leg.

I do not have any weakness, pain, vision problems, or fatigue. While there is a lot of stress in my life, I do not feel it mentally take its toll. Blood tests and xrays of spine are normal, and doctors don't believe me anymore. My family does not speak to me regarding this.

Please, I am crying as I am typing this. Doctors (multiple) don't pay attention to me anymore, but I am seriously concerned this time.

Are MS symptoms severe? Is this how it presents itself? Or is this really anxiety?

Thank you so much, to anyone who replies. I weigh your responses like gold.

Serenity1990
26-09-14, 01:06
Ok let's get one thing straight first of all. MS symptoms can't move around, change presentation or come and go. Twitches are only very rarely seen in MS, and even then they aren't a presenting symptom.

Lots of things can cause what you're talking about, which are far more likely given the above. Anxiety alone, as it's a disease of a the nervous system can and does cause these sorts of symptoms. If anxiety becomes a chronic feature in your life it's not uncommon for something called BFS to occur, of which the main symptoms are twitching and paresthesia (so exactly what you describe). Anxiety disorders can cause somatic or functional symptoms (see neurosymptoms.org). Tension from anxiety can also cause neck and shoulder stiffness, which can pinch the nerves that control your face and arms; this can also happen in the absence of anxiety.

Sorry for not giving a fuller answer, I'm on the cusp of sleep right now. But I think you can relax. :)

lizzydarcy
26-09-14, 01:23
Thank you for your reassurance. The numbness in my palm does not come and go; it remains but varies in intensity. Right now, my pinkie finger is numb, as well as a small patch at the base of my thumb.

Would you recommend me seeing a neurologist and getting an MRI? I'd still be worried because if the results are normal, I'd attribute it to MS being in an early stage in which lesions are not visible yet. It never ends... :wacko:

RaverNeko
26-09-14, 02:49
Lots of things can cause what you're talking about, which are far more likely given the above. Anxiety alone, as it's a disease of a the nervous system can and does cause these sorts of symptoms. If anxiety becomes a chronic feature in your life it's not uncommon for something called BFS to occur, of which the main symptoms are twitching and paresthesia (so exactly what you describe). Anxiety disorders can cause somatic or functional symptoms (see neurosymptoms.org). Tension from anxiety can also cause neck and shoulder stiffness, which can pinch the nerves that control your face and arms; this can also happen in the absence of anxiety.)

I second what Serenity here said and advise you to listen to her. Anxiety can cause a TON of physical symptoms, and pretty much everything you're dealing with is because of anxiety. I asked a doctor if random muscle twitching was a symptom of anxiety and she said yes. I also get "buzzing" in random areas of my body, and while it does make me worry a bit, they typically go away. Serenity here mentioned that MS symptoms don't move around and that's the absolute truth. I completely understand how anxiety can mess with our minds and make us unable to think logically, but I can assure you that you're totally fine, :)

Edit: I just wanted to add that I checked out the website that Serenity linked to and it's probably the best thing I've ever discovered. It's like the health guide for hypochondriacs! Check it out and maybe it'll help reduce your worries a bit!

lizzydarcy
26-09-14, 04:14
Thank you so much for your confident reassurance. I will tell myself that as my palm remains numb. It just baffles me how potent anxiety is.

RaverNeko
26-09-14, 05:00
If you can, browse this forum a bit. There's hundreds, if not thousands of threads, on people dealing with MS anxiety. In fact, it's probably the most common thing I see on here. Reading those threads should help you out a bit!

Serenity1990
26-09-14, 09:25
Thank you for your reassurance. The numbness in my palm does not come and go; it remains but varies in intensity. Right now, my pinkie finger is numb, as well as a small patch at the base of my thumb.

Would you recommend me seeing a neurologist and getting an MRI? I'd still be worried because if the results are normal, I'd attribute it to MS being in an early stage in which lesions are not visible yet. It never ends... :wacko:

I appreciate the numbness doesn't come and go, but you say it varies, and the other symptoms are 'diffuse'. What you describe would be very uncharacteristic of MS.

With respect to MRIs, well if your GP thinks you need to see a neuro, and the neuro thinks you need one, then of course have one. However I'd be very wary about what you've no doubt read on MS forums about MRIs (in reference to your comment about early stage MS and MRIs). You see, MS forums are populated about half by well meaning people with MS, about a quarter by people with MS awaiting a diagnosis, and about a quarter by hypochondriacs in denial. The hypos ask questions about why their MRI is clean and the doctor says it's "anxiety", and the people with MS respond with compassion, tell them they think it's disgusting doctors might blame such symptoms on "anxiety" (how wrong they are!), that they hope they get their diagnosis soon and "the lesions always show eventually". They might quote a study from the 90's that says 5% of MS patients have a negative brain MRI. However this study is very old (from the 90's), since when MRI technology has improved immeasurably. Secondly almost all of those with a negative brain MRI have PPMS, and the lesions are on the spinal cord. In this circumstance the symptoms initially are usually motor (not sensory as you have), they could only present on the lower half of the body (which the arms aren't), the symptoms would have no capacity to come and go even over time (many of yours have) and it typically occurs to people in their 40's. The other type is RRMS, which is by far the most common and presents at a younger age, but the probability of this not showing on an MRI is incredibly low, surely less than 1%.

Now you have the twitches, which strongly points away from MS and strongly points towards BFS, which is a poorly understood and totally benign condition that occurs secondary to prolonged stress, anxiety disorders and viruses. Some think it's nothing more than a posh way of saying physical symptoms of anxiety, however recent studies seem to indicate it's actually a poisoning effect of basically overdosing yourself with your own cortisol. The main symptoms are twitching, numbness, tingling, cramps, and a few others.

Here's all the results for people asking about numbness on a BFS forum:

http://www.aboutbfs.com/forums/search.php?sid=1626ee0c13589bded34f99dca5253336

devonbevon
26-09-14, 10:51
Hey I had the ms mnd fear 2 years ago. Anxiety made my body respond in crazy ways. I tingled I buzzed I jerked and it was all because my body was on high alert. I would read a sumptom and then genuinely experience it. The mind is a powerful thing. I took the tests and only then truly believed what anxiety is capable of. Nowadays I twitch and know ive had a stressful week. Hang in there lovely but have confidence you will get out the other end and be stronger for learning more about the way you react and think.