monkey31
18-04-17, 21:11
Hi everyone
Im a new poster, but have read so many posts on here in the last few weeks.
Basically, for the last 5 weeks, I have had numbness and pressure in the left side of my face. It started out with a twitch in my upper lip on the same side one evening. The following day areas of my cheek and jaw felt partly numb, sort of like when Novocain is wearing off. No weakness, just the weird sensations.
After a few days I started to feel really anxious about it and if you google it, Dr Google almost always says MS which sky rocketed my anxiety. I saw a GP and he checked me over for bells palsy etc and just told me to take ibuprofen and hope it goes away.
About 2 weeks in I had a physio appointment for some left shoulder trouble. The physio noted my posture was quite twisted and worked on my hips as well as my shoulder. (before anyone jumps to conclusions, apparently trapped shoulder nerves and muscle tension cant affect your facial nerves... according to google :scared15:) The next day, I got up and had numbness down my left leg. I had a full blown panic attack and ended up in a&e. I told the doctor I was petrified I had MS. She did all the strength, reflex and eye tests all of which were fine. She couldn't tell me what was going on but said she really doubted it was MS and advised me to go back to my GP and discuss further.
So I did. By this time I was experiencing palpitations and tingling/numbness in my arms and occasionally my right hand and was really struggling to function with my anxiety which was getting worse by the day. She took bloods, all of which came back fine. I cried in her office telling her how scared I was of MS and she said she really doubted it was that but it was "on her list, just lower down" so she referred me to a neurologist for peace of mind.
While Ive been waiting for my apt (1 week to go), Ive been trying really hard to curb my anxiety. Ive done a lot of reading about the sympathetic and para sympathetic nervous system and how being overstimulated for long periods of time can lead to all sorts of physical symptoms. Ive been doing a lot of breath work and that has helped ease a lot of the sensations I was getting in my arms, as well as decreasing my rapid heart rate and general sense of feeling out of control.
I think/hope my leg issues are something to do with my lower back. I have had 3 flare ups (constant half numb patch on the the lower leg though) in the past few weeks since the first one after the physio apt and all have followed some sort of physical activity (lifting, yoga etc).
My face however is STILL an issue. The pressure is right up high on my cheekbone- like on the bit that sticks out, near your ear hole. It feels like someone is pushing really hard against that point and its more often than not accompanied with burning that radiates to my jaw and numb patches that come and go, as well as persistent twitches in my lip (you cant see them but the nerve is always buzzing). Its never normal though. I have no other MS symptoms (no fatigue or dizziness, or weakness etc etc) but as the face is still a problem after 5 weeks, Im finding it really hard to say "this is just anxiety".
I do have a history of anxiety problems, but its never effected me so physically before. Normally in prolonged seasons of anxiety, I feel sick and have panic attacks but its never effected my actual nerves if you get me. I had a MEGA stressful year last year (my husband and I did/are doing IVF which is now on hold thanks to this crap) as well as a bunch of other stuff that went on and spilled into this year.
Has anyone else had prolonged facial weirdness for this length of time which was simply anxiety? I can just about accept my leg issues as back problems, even my arms as anxiety problems, but the face started when I wasn't full blown anxious. Yes there was stuff going on but I was ok. I am crapping myself about going to the neuro and having a possible MRI. As much as I want to know whats going on I fear the worst and cant help worrying this is the start of something really terrible that will majorly effect my future. :weep:
Im a new poster, but have read so many posts on here in the last few weeks.
Basically, for the last 5 weeks, I have had numbness and pressure in the left side of my face. It started out with a twitch in my upper lip on the same side one evening. The following day areas of my cheek and jaw felt partly numb, sort of like when Novocain is wearing off. No weakness, just the weird sensations.
After a few days I started to feel really anxious about it and if you google it, Dr Google almost always says MS which sky rocketed my anxiety. I saw a GP and he checked me over for bells palsy etc and just told me to take ibuprofen and hope it goes away.
About 2 weeks in I had a physio appointment for some left shoulder trouble. The physio noted my posture was quite twisted and worked on my hips as well as my shoulder. (before anyone jumps to conclusions, apparently trapped shoulder nerves and muscle tension cant affect your facial nerves... according to google :scared15:) The next day, I got up and had numbness down my left leg. I had a full blown panic attack and ended up in a&e. I told the doctor I was petrified I had MS. She did all the strength, reflex and eye tests all of which were fine. She couldn't tell me what was going on but said she really doubted it was MS and advised me to go back to my GP and discuss further.
So I did. By this time I was experiencing palpitations and tingling/numbness in my arms and occasionally my right hand and was really struggling to function with my anxiety which was getting worse by the day. She took bloods, all of which came back fine. I cried in her office telling her how scared I was of MS and she said she really doubted it was that but it was "on her list, just lower down" so she referred me to a neurologist for peace of mind.
While Ive been waiting for my apt (1 week to go), Ive been trying really hard to curb my anxiety. Ive done a lot of reading about the sympathetic and para sympathetic nervous system and how being overstimulated for long periods of time can lead to all sorts of physical symptoms. Ive been doing a lot of breath work and that has helped ease a lot of the sensations I was getting in my arms, as well as decreasing my rapid heart rate and general sense of feeling out of control.
I think/hope my leg issues are something to do with my lower back. I have had 3 flare ups (constant half numb patch on the the lower leg though) in the past few weeks since the first one after the physio apt and all have followed some sort of physical activity (lifting, yoga etc).
My face however is STILL an issue. The pressure is right up high on my cheekbone- like on the bit that sticks out, near your ear hole. It feels like someone is pushing really hard against that point and its more often than not accompanied with burning that radiates to my jaw and numb patches that come and go, as well as persistent twitches in my lip (you cant see them but the nerve is always buzzing). Its never normal though. I have no other MS symptoms (no fatigue or dizziness, or weakness etc etc) but as the face is still a problem after 5 weeks, Im finding it really hard to say "this is just anxiety".
I do have a history of anxiety problems, but its never effected me so physically before. Normally in prolonged seasons of anxiety, I feel sick and have panic attacks but its never effected my actual nerves if you get me. I had a MEGA stressful year last year (my husband and I did/are doing IVF which is now on hold thanks to this crap) as well as a bunch of other stuff that went on and spilled into this year.
Has anyone else had prolonged facial weirdness for this length of time which was simply anxiety? I can just about accept my leg issues as back problems, even my arms as anxiety problems, but the face started when I wasn't full blown anxious. Yes there was stuff going on but I was ok. I am crapping myself about going to the neuro and having a possible MRI. As much as I want to know whats going on I fear the worst and cant help worrying this is the start of something really terrible that will majorly effect my future. :weep: