Everyone that is worried about MS - Please read this and tell me your opinion!

[AfraidofMS]

Hello NMP people, i’m glad i found this website and forum so i can talk with other people that have similar problems that i do and maybe ask for solutions.

I will write this post and try to find some answers or at least meet some people that have similar symptoms so we can explore together and hopeful find a solution to our problems.

Please take 5 minutes from your time, read my post and maybe reply if you have opinion, advice, critic or just your similar experience. It will help me. :blush:

Please excuse my English typing, it’s not my main language.

I’m 24 years old male originally from Bosnia, living in USA at the moment.
I had issues where it all kinda started, in august 2017., One night out of the blue, one of my ear started riging and never stopped, ever since. It’s called tinnitus and it can’t be cured, i was scared and anxious about it for three weeks and then i just ignored it and since i ignored it, it’s not bothering me anymore (well, maybe every once im a while at night). But, that’s just a minor thing for me know.

Real problems started in november 2017., i was studying for my colledge exams, eating unhealthy, drinking alcohol, and was stressed with exams for a few weeks straight and then one night i felt wierd so i checked my BP and it was 165 / 110 (way over the top for my age). So i ended up at ER and since then, i went to all the heart check ups and it was all ok. They said it’s just stress and unhealthy living. Every once in a while my BP will be around 140/90 and it’s usually around 135/85.

I was really worried about it and googling all the time, i started getting muscle twitching, palpitations, mild tremors and sometimes short on breath for no reason.

Now, the REAL problems and my main worry to this day started in february 2018., i started having numbness, pins and needles, tingling and cravling feeling on my head, face and all over my body. Especially in my left leg and left calf ( still present to this day).

And then,after a month or two i started to have vertigo - dizzines, i was dizzy like i was drunk (when you lie down in your bed and you seem like your room is spinning). That lasted for 10 days and that was my main trigger for googling and finding about Multiple sclerosis- MS!

I remember the first time i was reading about it “These are the early symptoms of MS” and i had many symptoms from the list. I was so scared, that my legs went numb for a few minutes, i was freaking out! That’s it, i have it.

I asked my family doctor about it and she said it’s nothing to worry about it, but i did all the blood tests and they were all good. I also did ultrasound of my torso and neck and there is nothing wrong. Then, cause i was still thinking about MS i went to a private clinic and did MRI of my head. - It was normal and no lesions.

I was happy about it for 3 days, but since the symptoms were still there i couldn’t let it go, there is still something wrong! :weep:

After that, i started to have all kinds of symptoms, and there were all out of the blue. Here is the list:

Head:
Tingling
Numbness - (out of the blue for a few seconds, off and on)
Tension headaches or maybe migraines - ( that last for 5 days)
Face muscles twitching
Face tingling

Eyes:
Dry eyes - (sometimes it gets really bad)
Eye pain - (pain behind the eye that randomly comes and goes, it lasts for days to a few weeks. Been to eye doctor, she didn’t see any neurological problem there. Just dry eyes)
Eyes burning
Feeling like there’s a mint in my eye - (cold feeling)
Eye floaters
Sensitive to light
Eyelids twitching
Blurry vision

Neck:
Lump in the throat
Arteries strongly pulsating ( is that normal? :huh: )

Arms:
Tingling
Numbness
Pins and needles
Burning sensations
Muscle thightness
Muscles twitching
Occasional tremors

Legs:
Tingling
Numbness
Pins and needles
Twitching
Occasional tremors
Weak legs (sometimes i feel my knees are going to give up on me)
Calf thightnes
Tense calfes
Calf pain
Knee pain when sitting for a long time
Knee “clicking” when walking down the stairs
Foot vibrations - (like i put my foot on something that is vibrating under me)
Foot pain

Back:
Back pain in the left side
Feeling like someone poked me with the finger in the left side of the low back
Random hip pain
Left butcheak tingling
Internal tremors
Palpitations


Muscles:
Sore muscles for no reason
Random shooting muscle pain - ( super scary)
Twitching
Weakness

Bones and joints:
Random joints pain
Random deep bone pain

Digestive problems:
Constant heartburn’s
Bloating
Gases
Watery stool
Going to bathroom after every meal - (3-4 times a day)
Deep pain in my colon - ( it lasts for a few seconds and it’s terrible)
Feeling like my colon is twitching inside - ( really wierd, scary and uncomfortable) - IBS.??

Bladder issues:
Frequent urination
Pee “dribbling” after i finish urination - ( I always have a few extra drops in my pants)
After peeing feeling like there is something twitching inside (prostate or bladder :unsure: it’s super scary and wierd)


Mind (after few first symptoms appeared):
Thinking too much
Worrying too much
Googling way too much
Feeling distant
Feeling exhausted for no reason at times
Confusion
Feeling tired
Forgetting stuff
Thinking about MS all the time
MS
MS
MS



After my first MRI i did two more MRIs of my head and my neck spine (that’s where the lesions appear in case of MS) and it’s all normal. I also did a neurologist test (which was checking my eyes, my reflexes and few other stuff), it only lasted 5min and neurologist doctor said that it’s nothing. What a bummer :lac: i still have no relief.
I gave a lot of money on those private MRIs and I’m glad they are ok, but i still have MS symptoms and they are getting worse! :weep:

Right now at this moment, i have:
Ears ringing - (that’s non stop)
Pins and needles, numbness, tingling and thightness od my left leg - (especially under my knee and my calf. That’s almost non stop too)
Left butcheak tingling
Stiff calf muscles - (like a ran a maraton and I didn’t do anything)
Eye twitching
Some other muscles twitching too
Burning eyes and eye discomfort
Lump in the throat
Blurry vision in one eye
Random muscle pain occasionally
Random joint pain occasionally
And some others from up, that come and go



Isn’t that scary? I’m only 24 and i was super healthy until 10 months ago and now i have all this..?! What’s wrong with me? If it’s anxiety, why would i get this so onset and random, and I’m not even that anxious. Except for the symptoms, those are the ones that give me true anxiety.

Maybe my anxiety started from the time i had high blood pressure and then now the symptoms won’t stop for a year after that?? I also worry about every new symptom that it could be MS. Maybe the worrying gives me more symptoms.?

Everyone, please tell me your opinions on this.

Does this seem like MS to you?
Some other neurological disorder?
Could it be anxiety?
Could it be something else?

Since i have all those thing happening with my left leg and left hip and left low back, could it be herniated disc? Sciatica? If it was pinched nerve it would resolve by now. I also did X- ray of my back and it was ok. That also worries me that the problem really might be on neurological bases and that it might be somekind of a neurological disorder.


Does anyone has these similar symptoms?

Please help me on this,reply and post as much as you can. :blush:


Thank you for reading this!

[AMomentofClarity]

Why don’t you believe the multiple MRIs that show no MS?

[Blue23Blent]

That's a lot of symptoms. What in the world!

[AfraidofMS]

Why don’t you believe the multiple MRIs that show no MS?

Because people say that MS lesions can’t always be seen on MRI, especially in the first months of the disease. And i read on some other forums that people say they had symptoms for years and dozens of clear MRIs before diagnosis of MS.

That’s the thing that worries me. MS is hard to diagnose.

I wish i have symptoms and was worried about something like HIV. That one simple blood test that can say “Yes you have HIV.” Or “No you don’t have it.”

:weep:

[Fishmanpa]

i read...

That's the HA mantra! :doh:

Despite that impressive list of symptoms, and I do give your props for keeping track that accurately, medical science says otherwise based on multiple scientific tests.

What are you doing to treat your anxiety?

Positive thoughts

[Ryzinn]

Welcome to my favorite health anxiety loop.

Please read the sticky regarding MS at the top of the page. Tons of stories similar to yours, including my own.

I had near constant symptoms for months on end with no relief in site. Tingling, burning, dizziness, floaters, vision issues, muscle tightness, twitching, pretty much everything you listed. Convinced I had MS I sought out a neurologist and also had an MRI. Both came back clear and that was enough for me to calm down about the situation.

My symtpoms persisted however, and there were definitely times (even sometimes to this day) where I question whether or not something may actually be wrong. That being said, lurking and posting on this board and seeing so many similar stories have helped to reassure me and point to the more obvious and logical truth that I have health anxiety and that, more so than anything else, triggers my symptoms. Just reading this thread and seeing your symptoms has my hand burning a bit. That being said, after my MRI and taking a low dose of an anxiety med regularly, my symptoms are basically non existent. Every now and then I'll get some tingling but I quickly realize that I'm probably just stressed from work or life in general and it goes away just as quickly as it started.

The best advice that I can give you with regards to the sensations that you are feeling, is that if you truly want them to go away, you have to stop caring and just understand that you are fine. The big thing to remember about MS is that while those symptoms that you listed can be associated with MS, they can also be associated with Anxiety. Ask yourself this question, is anything DRAMATIC happening to your body? What I mean is, can you still walk? Can you still see? etc. Usually MS is accompanied by some kind of failure, be it dramatic numbness (complete loss of feeling, not tingling) in one side of your body, an inability to walk out of the clear blue, sudden vision loss in one eye, etc.

If you're not experiencing any of that, and it's been months since your symptoms first started, AND this all started out of a stressful time in your life, chances are......

Good luck. Be patient, you'll be fine.

Oh and watch this. This video always cracks me up but this guy, I feel, embodies what this anxiety loop of thinking you have MS is all about. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUsVivNgmpc

[QuantumJonny]

Great reply;

I have also took comfort in the advice that most MS symptoms even at an early stage are obvious, not just (in my case) 'x part of my body feels tingly, but mainly when I think about it etc'. From what I've read about people with MS you should know about it pretty quick. One of my first main panics were an increase in eye floaters, but again once I forgot about them i didn't notice them as much.

It's all about being aware of your own HA, and another top tip, HA symptoms can take days to go away even if you feel like you're not panicing :)

Thanks

Jonny

[Imeleedi]

The sheer volume of your symptoms strongly suggest against any organic disease or condition, far more likely psychological

[AfraidofMS]

That's the HA mantra! :doh:

Despite that impressive list of symptoms, and I do give your props for keeping track that accurately, medical science says otherwise based on multiple scientific tests.

What are you doing to treat your anxiety?

Positive thoughts

It took me hour and a half to write this post. I wanted to go to every detail, so people can see and hopefully try to help me with this.

I don’t know, if it’s really anxiety maybe i should try the anti-anxiety medications? I kinda like to drink beer every night, and I can’t mix those pills with alcohol, so that’s a no no to me, and also the side effects can be awful.

What do you suggest?


Welcome to my favorite health anxiety loop.

Please read the sticky regarding MS at the top of the page. Tons of stories similar to yours, including my own.

I had near constant symptoms for months on end with no relief in site. Tingling, burning, dizziness, floaters, vision issues, muscle tightness, twitching, pretty much everything you listed. Convinced I had MS I sought out a neurologist and also had an MRI. Both came back clear and that was enough for me to calm down about the situation.

My symtpoms persisted however, and there were definitely times (even sometimes to this day) where I question whether or not something may actually be wrong. That being said, lurking and posting on this board and seeing so many similar stories have helped to reassure me and point to the more obvious and logical truth that I have health anxiety and that, more so than anything else, triggers my symptoms. Just reading this thread and seeing your symptoms has my hand burning a bit. That being said, after my MRI and taking a low dose of an anxiety med regularly, my symptoms are basically non existent. Every now and then I'll get some tingling but I quickly realize that I'm probably just stressed from work or life in general and it goes away just as quickly as it started.

The best advice that I can give you with regards to the sensations that you are feeling, is that if you truly want them to go away, you have to stop caring and just understand that you are fine. The big thing to remember about MS is that while those symptoms that you listed can be associated with MS, they can also be associated with Anxiety. Ask yourself this question, is anything DRAMATIC happening to your body? What I mean is, can you still walk? Can you still see? etc. Usually MS is accompanied by some kind of failure, be it dramatic numbness (complete loss of feeling, not tingling) in one side of your body, an inability to walk out of the clear blue, sudden vision loss in one eye, etc.

If you're not experiencing any of that, and it's been months since your symptoms first started, AND this all started out of a stressful time in your life, chances are......

Good luck. Be patient, you'll be fine.

Oh and watch this. This video always cracks me up but this guy, I feel, embodies what this anxiety loop of thinking you have MS is all about.

Thank you very much for your reply, it makes me feel better and it makes me really think that it’s only bad health anxiety and not something serious.

Like you said, I don’t have any major failure for MS (and i hope i won’t have it in the future). Im so scared of it, every morning i get up I’m thinking about it, im afraid that one morning i will just wake up and my legs are going to give up on me when i get up. Or i will go blind on one eye.

I have eye pains for some reason, and everytime i get it, i’m like: “oooh no. This is Optic neuritis, the first main symptom of MS, this is it, it’s confirmed!”

And i always think of myself in the future in the wheelchair or walking with a cane in young age, having some major issues, MS patient, self diagnosed unfortunately.

I don’t know when are these symptoms are going to go away. And the worst thing is, I don’t even feel anxious for days, i’m relaxed, everything is fine, i get use to the symptoms, some of them subside and i feel awesome and then - BAM! New symptom appear, out of the blue. That’s the thing that worries me the most that it’s NOT just anxiety, that it is something more serious. Because you have to be tense and anxious for these symptoms to appear.

And in the past, before all this, i was more anxious sometimes and nothing ever happened except for heart racing.

And now i get mild anxiety and i get 10 serious symptoms. Wtf!? Crazy!

I’ve seen that video, it’s so funny how the guys describes it. Do you know where is he know? I was reading comments and I can’t find anything about him now.

I literally googled EVERYTHING about MS, i can get a degree on it. Haha

Thanks!


Great reply;

I have also took comfort in the advice that most MS symptoms even at an early stage are obvious, not just (in my case) 'x part of my body feels tingly, but mainly when I think about it etc'. From what I've read about people with MS you should know about it pretty quick. One of my first main panics were an increase in eye floaters, but again once I forgot about them i didn't notice them as much.

It's all about being aware of your own HA, and another top tip, HA symptoms can take days to go away even if you feel like you're not panicing :)

Thanks

Jonny

Thanks for the reply.

They can go days, what about months?
I’m not even that anxious and i get all these symptoms. That’s what worries me.


The sheer volume of your symptoms strongly suggest against any organic disease or condition, far more likely psychological

Thank you for your reply. I appreciate your opinion. I hope you are right.