Would a GP know?

[CleverLittleViper]

I can't believe I'm still on this. :doh:

I feel insane. I've been told no less than 6 times by my GP that I do not have MS. What I have is a severe form of anxiety. Of course, then there's the part of me that thinks "Well, she didn't do a physical exam on me, and barely looked over my list of symptoms...so how does she know?"

Would she know by just doing a quick glance over my symptoms? I mean, you hear stories all the time where a person was diagnosed with anxiety and it turned out to be something else.

I know, I'm crazy. I went to the out of hours patient service and the GP there did a mini physical on me-tested the backs of my eyes, my grip, my strength, and my blood pressure and I was according to him, fine. My blood work has come back fine.

Why can't I let this damn fear go? So I suppose, my question is, would a GP just know if something was desperately wrong? I mean, would MS be that apparent to them, even early stage?

[wnsos]

I don't have MS fears but I do have C fears and am in the process of trying to trust my GP etc. the last time I saw her she explained she'd been a GP for 24 years and she knows what to look for, so for all the flack they get sometimes, I think they can often identify high anxiety. I've been shuffled around and every doc has a different bedside manner. They also do tests at out of hours because it's "urgent care." Have you expressed to your GP you find it hard to believe? Maybe they could put your mind at rest a bit with their answer. Anxiety can and does wreak havoc on our nervous systems.

[cpe1978]

There is a member on here who doesn't post so much nowadays, but bizarrely she had a cancer fear and went to her GP. She was diagnosed with MS, and the GP knew right away that there were flags of concern.

The other thing was that in spite of having HA, the fact that she had MS didn't worry her at all, as for the vast majority of people go on to lead perfectly normal and active lives.

However the point here is that if your GP is that confident then you should be pleased. You should also know that anxiety can mimic a whole host of neurological symptoms.

---------- Post added at 08:57 ---------- Previous post was at 08:56 ----------

There is a member on here who doesn't post so much nowadays, but bizarrely she had a cancer fear and went to her GP. She was diagnosed with MS, and the GP knew right away that there were flags of concern.

The other thing was that in spite of having HA, the fact that she had MS didn't worry her at all, as for the vast majority of people go on to lead perfectly normal and active lives.

However the point here is that if your GP is that confident then you should be pleased. You should also know that anxiety can mimic a whole host of neurological symptoms.

[Serenity1990]

Is a GP qualified to diagnose MS? No.

Is a GP qualified to absolutely rule it out? Yes.

To paraphrase the neurologist who used to write on these boards, whilst the symptoms of MS are entirely variable, the General characteristics are unmistakable.

For example if you tell your GP you have twitching, tingling or numbness for instance, MS might be a possibility they may wish to explore. If you then say such symptoms come and go or move around to different places MS is pretty much scribbled off the 'possible' list. Even if this wasn't the case you still probably wouldn't have it, but they may wish a specialist to rule it out. This is just one example but I hope it helps.

[CleverLittleViper]

Thank you all. :flowers:

I have told her that I still struggle with thinking its MS, and she said, "MS is not something you have to worry about." I think, in part, my hanging on to the fear is because I haven't been able to see a specialist. I haven't had a neurologist take a look at me and tell me in no uncertain terms I do not have MS.

I know MS is generally localised to one area/side of the body, and I often have symmetrical symptoms on both sides. The first doctor I saw for possible carpal tunnel syndrome said MS was extremely unlikely since it was in both hands.

I know my GP won't refer me, and that's probably a good thing. I don't need my anxiety fuelled or "justified."

I mean, if I had MS, something would change in my ability to function, wouldn't it? None of my symptoms have been especially debilitating, my thoughts have, and my insomnia, but not the perceived numbness, tingling or anything else.

I guess I'm still locked in the stages of needing reassurance. Three doctors telling me it's not MS should be enough. One good thing-the perceived numbness that's been lingering in my hands for over a month is fading off. It feels unusual to say the least to have normal hands again. :yahoo:

My brothers girlfriend's granddad has MS, and she told me when he got diagnosed, it was because he was out running one day, and he collapsed, and he couldn't move his leg at all. She said it's obviously different for every person, but to her knowledge, a lot of people that get diagnosed, get it from something rather serious happening-like loss of function.

[b0yer]

This sounds more like OCD than anxiety in my honest opinion. Have you been to a therapist? Medication?

[Serenity1990]

She said it's obviously different for every person, but to her knowledge, a lot of people that get diagnosed, get it from something rather serious happening-like loss of function.

This is generally true, yes.

You speak of "perceived" numbness. The numbness in MS would generally be "I just hammered that nail into my finger and didn't feel a thing. Actually, coming to think of it I did the same last week and didn't feel it then either."

It's a very variable disease, and I think that aside from the similarity in many of the symptoms (they both affect the same part of the body after all: the nervous system), I do think the variability of the symptoms appeals to hyperchondriacs. However whilst it is variable there are some patterns it simply isn't capable of following, which is why GPs can easily rule it out in anxiety sufferers.

[CleverLittleViper]

I do think I have a touch of OCD mixed in with my anxiety. Then again, I've often wondered how linked OCD and health anxiety are/can be.

I keep telling myself that MS cannot show up with the same symptoms in both hands/sides of the body. That's what many people have told me, and my GP said something similar.

I also have to remind myself that perceived numbness isn't actually numbness at all. If it's numb, it's numb and I wouldn't feel a pin prick, but I have full sensation over the "numb" parts of my body, and full function of them too. I doubt someone with MS would find their numbness to be perceived.

At least this is what is comforting me right now. :blush: Of course, all it will take is reading another horror story (it is Halloween after all:roflmao:) about misdiagnosis or whatever, and I'll be off again. So resolving not to read anymore horror stories.

:doh: God, my hands feel funky today. I think it's because the perceived numbness is fading off a little, and it's just strange to me.

[MyNameIsTerry]

OCD is linked with HA, its available to anyone with any anxiety disorder. HA shares some common characteristics with OCD in that it is an obsessional issue, however the ritualistic side differs. Googling symptoms though is more HA. Googling symptoms over & over again for no reason and not saying "Oh god, I could have cancer" would fit more into OCD. Thats the thing with OCD, which I have several forms of, I obsess about symptoms but I don't Google them and then panic that I could have something seriously wrong with me, I Google them to confirm they are anxiety symptoms and for what I can do about them, hence no additional panic as seen in HA.

Its similiar with GAD which can end up being about literally anything so its very interchangeable with other forms of anxiety. For instance, when I was at my worst I also showed agoraphobia & social anxiety disorder. However, these were much more easily dealt with in exposure than the GAD which was the real driving force.

---------- Post added at 03:50 ---------- Previous post was at 03:49 ----------


Is a GP qualified to diagnose MS? No.

Is a GP qualified to absolutely rule it out? Yes.

To paraphrase the neurologist who used to write on these boards, whilst the symptoms of MS are entirely variable, the General characteristics are unmistakable.

For example if you tell your GP you have twitching, tingling or numbness for instance, MS might be a possibility they may wish to explore. If you then say such symptoms come and go or move around to different places MS is pretty much scribbled off the 'possible' list. Even if this wasn't the case you still probably wouldn't have it, but they may wish a specialist to rule it out. This is just one example but I hope it helps.

Excellent practical advice Serenity :yesyes:

[Marietta08]

I have OCD and health anxiety and it gets mixed together. I have OCD behaviours such as touching wood, doing "habits" (certain things in a certain order) and worrying that if I pick a certain object (like a particular can of drink, packet of food, piece of paper etc) something bad will happen, usually related to illness. And then I have the health anxiety, so if I'm worrying about a symptom or sensation I obsess over it and obsessively check it. For example if I worry something feels funny or doesn't look right I'll check it over and over again. My current worry is my eyes and if I think that something doesn't "look right", I'll keep looking or go back to the same spot and see if it's changed. I feel like I'm trying to "make it look right".

I know how hard it can be to believe that there's nothing wrong, even when you've been told there isn't. I've had my eyes tested twice this year and been to the eye hospital and been told my eyes are fine.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I have OCD and health anxiety and it gets mixed together. I have OCD behaviours such as touching wood, doing "habits" (certain things in a certain order) and worrying that if I pick a certain object (like a particular can of drink, packet of food, piece of paper etc) something bad will happen, usually related to illness. And then I have the health anxiety, so if I'm worrying about a symptom or sensation I obsess over it and obsessively check it. For example if I worry something feels funny or doesn't look right I'll check it over and over again. My current worry is my eyes and if I think that something doesn't "look right", I'll keep looking or go back to the same spot and see if it's changed. I feel like I'm trying to "make it look right".

I know how hard it can be to believe that there's nothing wrong, even when you've been told there isn't. I've had my eyes tested twice this year and been to the eye hospital and been told my eyes are fine.

Sounds like Magical Thinking OCD like I have Marietta. When I joined NMP I didn't understand it but I do now from reading about it on OCD UK and talking to people on here. I have noticed more people talking on here with this than back then when I didn't see any threads about it.

I can understand how you feel. I have GAD and OCD and I am very symptom focussed from the GAD which combines with this Magical Thinking so that I am doing similiar things like touching, imagery or both so they are just 'right' or to cancel something else out. I don't have HA, I see myself as symptom focussed instead because I can happily Google and talk about any health issue without catastrophizing.

[Marietta08]

Sounds like Magical Thinking OCD like I have Marietta. When I joined NMP I didn't understand it but I do now from reading about it on OCD UK and talking to people on here. I have noticed more people talking on here with this than back then when I didn't see any threads about it.

I can understand how you feel. I have GAD and OCD and I am very symptom focussed from the GAD which combines with this Magical Thinking so that I am doing similiar things like touching, imagery or both so they are just 'right' or to cancel something else out. I don't have HA, I see myself as symptom focussed instead because I can happily Google and talk about any health issue without catastrophizing.


Hi Terry, yes, I don't think I've categorised my type of OCD exactly but Magical Thinking sounds about right. "Logically" you know that doing a certain action like picking a particular drink can isn't likely to make something bad happen but you just doubt.

I think I also have general anxiety because I worry about things in general, about events coming up and what's going to happen in general, socialising, paying in shops etc. So probably a bit of social anxiety too. I have seen on my doctor's notes that I'm down as having "phobic anxiety". I don't know if that is a common one or if I was categorised as that because of being afraid of illness. I'll have to look into phobic anxiety.

I see what you mean about the difference between the GAD, OCD and HA. It's good that people can understand, although obviously it's not nice for any of us. :)