MS Scare. terrified

[Jamessimpson3210]

Hello everyone! I’m new here and would like to wish everyone well!

I have had a long history of health anxiety which has been on and off for years now. I’m grateful to say that over the last year I have managed to stay away from any issues surrounding my health anxiety which is a true blessing. However I have had MS fears over the last few months...

However around March time I found that when I would be on walks with my family and would hold my phone up to look at my social media, the upper right part of my back (near my shoulder blade) would burn and ache. However this always went away soon after I got home and relaxed. It always occurred on walks when I held my phone up in my right hand (making me believe it was a posture issue)

This slowly stopped happening as much however, around 3/4 weeks ago I went to scratch an itch on the same spot of my back and felt it was slightly numb. Not COMPLETELY numb as I can still feel connection however a lot more numb that usual. This numbness hasn’t stopped in the last 3/4 weeks and has been concerning me. There is no weakness and I’m very active, I still work out everyday and my lifestyle hasn’t changed.

Today however I realised another symptom. I am known to have a terrible bladder and over the last few days it has gotten worse. Once I googled my symptom and realised that MS can cause bladder problems I have had a constant pressure in my “bits” to urinate. It’s 24/7 however it is not like my bladder is full as not much comes out when I urinate. I just feel like I need to 24/7. I am unsure as to whether this is a case of me constantly thinking about it or whether the sensation is real.

I am now terrified and really upset. Please could anyone give their opinions and advice it would be so so appreciated.

Thankyou all so much, James🖤

[MRS STRESS ED]

Hello everyone! I’m new here and would like to wish everyone well!

I have had a long history of health anxiety which has been on and off for years now. I’m grateful to say that over the last year I have managed to stay away from any issues surrounding my health anxiety which is a true blessing. However I have had MS fears over the last few months...

However around March time I found that when I would be on walks with my family and would hold my phone up to look at my social media, the upper right part of my back (near my shoulder blade) would burn and ache. However this always went away soon after I got home and relaxed. It always occurred on walks when I held my phone up in my right hand (making me believe it was a posture issue)

This slowly stopped happening as much however, around 3/4 weeks ago I went to scratch an itch on the same spot of my back and felt it was slightly numb. Not COMPLETELY numb as I can still feel connection however a lot more numb that usual. This numbness hasn’t stopped in the last 3/4 weeks and has been concerning me. There is no weakness and I’m very active, I still work out everyday and my lifestyle hasn’t changed.

Today however I realised another symptom. I am known to have a terrible bladder and over the last few days it has gotten worse. Once I googled my symptom and realised that MS can cause bladder problems I have had a constant pressure in my “bits” to urinate. It’s 24/7 however it is not like my bladder is full as not much comes out when I urinate. I just feel like I need to 24/7. I am unsure as to whether this is a case of me constantly thinking about it or whether the sensation is real.

I am now terrified and really upset. Please could anyone give their opinions and advice it would be so so appreciated.

Thankyou all so much, James🖤

Hi James sorry to hear how your feeling, l too have had these worries about ms a few years ago guess what no ms years have gone by, anxiety can cause alsorts of symptoms as you probably know if you keep telling yourself its ms your mind is going to pick up on this and mimic it, try to stop thinking about it focus your mind on exercise, reading mindfulness anything,

also anxiety can cause you to want the toilet more frequently, if it continues have a word with your doctor I'm sure you be fine power of the mind is unbelievable and can make us think alsorts, you will find lots of like minded people here hope this helps take care


best wishes xx

[Jamessimpson3210]

Thanks so much for your reply I appreciate it! I feel like the bladder issue may be the fact I’m overthinking it! However I’m concerned as to why there is a section of my back which is numb. There is no pain what so ever or weakness. It’s just numb. It’s the same spot that would burn when I would hold certain postures. Maybe the posture is what created the issue. Almost as a trapped nerve?

It’s very concerning to me but maybe it is just anxiety. I also feel I would have other symptoms but I’m really not sure. I’m only 21 and to have such a terrible illness at this age would break my heart. Especially since I am always active and working out :(

[NoraB]

However around March time I found that when I would be on walks with my family and would hold my phone up to look at my social media, the upper right part of my back (near my shoulder blade) would burn and ache. However this always went away soon after I got home and relaxed. It always occurred on walks when I held my phone up in my right hand (making me believe it was a posture issue)

The action of holding the phone up will work those muscles. The connection is obvious to me, James. Leave ya phone in your pocket and enjoy being with your family. ;)


This slowly stopped happening as much however, around 3/4 weeks ago I went to scratch an itch on the same spot of my back and felt it was slightly numb. Not COMPLETELY numb as I can still feel connection however a lot more numb that usual. This numbness hasn’t stopped in the last 3/4 weeks and has been concerning me. There is no weakness and I’m very active, I still work out everyday and my lifestyle hasn’t changed.

Numbness is actually symptom of anxiety, however, this sounds like you are hyperfocused on a normal sensation when using muscles in a different way. If it helps, I have had numbness in my left arm for years and it turned out to be normal wear and tear in the cervical spine with a touch of nerve impingement. What I am trying to say is that you're doing the classic health anxiety thing - which is to go straight to the worst (and least likely) scenario. Given that MS and fibro are so similar - I know enough about it, and have talked to enough doctors to think that what you're saying doesn't sound like MS.


Today however I realised another symptom. I am known to have a terrible bladder and over the last few days it has gotten worse. Once I googled my symptom and realised that MS can cause bladder problems I have had a constant pressure in my “bits” to urinate. It’s 24/7 however it is not like my bladder is full as not much comes out when I urinate. I just feel like I need to 24/7. I am unsure as to whether this is a case of me constantly thinking about it or whether the sensation is real.

I pee more when I'm stressed. This is because it's part of the stress response. When the fight or flight response is triggered (as it is when we are panicking) the body naturally gets rid of anything that will slow us down and prevent a quick getaway or being able to stay and beat the crap out of something. You are constantly sending this signal out so the body is constantly trying to get rid of the urine - except that there becomes very little to get rid of after numerous trips to the loo. The brain doesn't know this - it's simply responding to the command to purge. The thing with HA is that we become hyperfocused on the normal functioning of the body.


I am now terrified and really upset. Please could anyone give their opinions and advice it would be so so appreciated.

Nothing you have written makes me think you have MS, but I'm not a doctor. None of us are. The more terrified you become, the more symptoms you will develop. MS is a common fear with health anxiety sufferers, and that should tell you something. What I do with symptoms is to try and make the connections. It involves playing detective. If I get an ache, I ask myself, 'What have I been doing differently?' Have I been doing a different exercise in my workout? A heavier weight? A new stretch? Then I let some time pass and see if it's still there in a few weeks, but it's not unusual for me to have symptoms for months at a time. In my case, I have to work out what's fibro and what is anxiety. It is common sense to see a GP when a new symptom persists longer than is usual for you, but if you can try not to focus on your symptoms so much, then you will probably find that they diminish, and then go.

[Jamessimpson3210]

Hey guys! I thank you all so much for the replies. I’m happy to say the bad bladder fear has reduced and I realised it was my anxiety as it wasn’t an issue once I took my mind away from it!

The only “symptom“ I have now is that the righ side of my upper back is numb to touch! This is still very concerning as when I type this in on google all I see is MS!!

This is now my only worry as I realised everything else was anxiety. Does a numb section of my back mean MS? There isn’t any weakness it is just numb to touch near the shoulder blade area!

Thankyou guys again for your kind replies🖤

[NoraB]

Does a numb section of my back mean MS? There isn’t any weakness it is just numb to touch near the shoulder blade area!


Instead of Googling MS (which I am 99% certain you don't have) Google muscle strain.

"Muscle strains from injury or exercise can cause you to experience pain in your thigh, and sometimes numbness."

This is the most logical reason..

[pav1984]

Anything nerve related ***COULD*** be MS. This is why google pulls it up. Is it likely? MS isnt common but anxiety and trapped nerves are.

Sounds like you need to get to the bottom of your MS fear. What is it exactly you fear about MS?

[Jamessimpson3210]

I saw my grandad pass away with MND which started my anxiety. I don’t want to be stuck in a wheelchair with a debilitating illness at such a young age

[WiseMonkey]

I saw my grandad pass away with MND which started my anxiety. I don’t want to be stuck in a wheelchair with a debilitating illness at such a young age

MS and MND are not related, MS is an autoimmune condition and MND is neurological.

[Jamessimpson3210]

Yeah I know that but I’m saying that’s where my fear came from

[pav1984]

I dont think me telling you anxiety or something else is more likely the cause of your symptoms will help as you will no doubt already know this. In any case I'm no doctor. What I'm going to try and do is lower your fear of MS itself so you can hopefully relax a little.

Although some people really suffer badly with MS, most MS sufferers live happy normal lives and never need a wheelchair. They may have challenges but most,like I say dont need a wheelchair.

I suffer health anxiety and know how horrible it is when you have convinced yourself you are ill. I have got better but with practice.

Try just accepting your sensations and just get on with your day. Why should anxiety ruin your life? You deserve to be happy and anxiety is trying to stop it. Takes a lot of practice but try and spot when you start going down the old ways and distract yourself. Mindfulness has helped me and I really recommend it.

I hope you find peace of mind.

[Jamessimpson3210]

Thankyou so much. The area where my back is numb is sometimes achy when I walk long distances. Maybe this could be evidence of a poor posture? My back is quite often hunched slightly.

Also today both of my calves are very achy. Almost like after heavy excersize. I’m wondering if this is a symptom to worry about? I’m refusing to google because after last time using dr google I scared myself silly!!

Thankyou again for all your replies. You are too kind <3

[NoraB]

Thankyou so much. The area where my back is numb is sometimes achy when I walk long distances. Maybe this could be evidence of a poor posture? My back is quite often hunched slightly.

Also today both of my calves are very achy. Almost like after heavy excersize. I’m wondering if this is a symptom to worry about? I’m refusing to google because after last time using dr google I scared myself silly!!

MS was ruled out quickly with me. The clear brain scan helped, as did the cervical and thoracic scans which showed no MS lesions - and the fact that I almost booted the consultant in the face when he tested my reflexes. He was also able to tell the difference between muscle weakness having done sod all exercise for years, and MS weakness. My veering into doorframes and walking like I'm pissed (my most scary imagined MS symptom) turned out to be vertigo.

A sensation of numbness (common with anxiety) and an area actually being numb when a doc pricks you are different things. The odds are that when he/she jabs you and says, 'Can you feel that?' you will.

Achy calves after long walks? That's normal innit?

I don't know how old you are James, but the spine degenerates as we age - it's normal wear and tear. My spine has discs bulging and nerve impingement - which is common for my age - and is the most likely cause of the intermittent tingling in my arm, hands and fingers (my other very scary MS symptoms) Age aside, younger people are experiencing back and neck problems because of being forever hunched over a phone or a computer. My back is aching now as I'm typing this!

In my experience, the mind will take us to some scary places, and it's also my experience that we can be utterly convinced of our own imagined diagnoses. That's health anxiety for ya.

My scary old 'MS' turned out to be nothing more than normal wear and tear combined with fibromyalgia (a non-life threatening pain in the arse - and everywhere else condition) and heightened anxiety that comes with hyper-focusing on our body.

[Jamessimpson3210]

Nora you are so right! The “numbness” I’m experiencing isn’t fully numb. It feels a lot more numb however I can still feel pressure when someone touches it. So it is not completely numb at all. I’ve noticed as I’ve been testing my strength all the time my shoulder and arm area are achy and when I was sat down last night the numbish part of my back was achy. This surely makes me think it is a posture issue with how I am sat.

Also the only other thing that I am concerned about more than the MS thing is MND. Having seen my grandad pass away from it it has seriously affected my HA. I don’t think a feeling of numbness is even a symptom of MND however I feel like the shoulder blade where the numbness is occurring is slightly less muscular than my other shoulder. I stupidly read up about muscle atrophy and I’m now scared of it being MND.

I’m still working out at the gym everyday with no weakened however I heard muscle atrophy is a symptom and I’m scared I’m getting it within this area of my back/shoulder and I’m constantly checking my back in the mirror.

[pav1984]

Try and do yourself a favour and stop analysing everything. Why not give yourself a 2 week break from checking. If you notice something just accept it and move on with your day. You will be able to do this because you know that you will allow yourself to check in 2 weeks. I think you will find that after a week or so of doing this, you will find that your symptoms will disappear.

I found this out myself. I literally had enough, exhausted of worry and decided to try this. I quickly found that a lot of my symptoms are anxiety. This is not to say you are not suffering, just that the source of you problem might be anxiety which is hard to overcome.

Give it a go, see what you think. You always have us here for support