Electric shock in chest and arm & MS

[bj_945]

Hiya,
I'm new here but was just wondering if people could help me out..

For about 5 months I have been experiencing an electric shock or zap like sensation, always in the same place. It happens in my chest above my left nipple and on the underside of my upper arm simultaneously. It is generally brought on by tensing the muscles of my abdomen. Laughing, or coughing, or tensing abs can bring it on. It's very sharp then goes away. It's much more likely to happen if I'm bent over, like sitting slightly hunched, or bending down for something. If I bent down for something and laughed, it happens 90% of the time)

Basically when I got it I became massively scared, looked it up on Google, saw MS, and then became terrified. It caused me to become hyper-sensitive to my health. I was in a serious state for a good month or two... Since then I have experienced a whole host of other symptoms e.g:

-Feeling off balance,
-Numbness on one side of the face
-Numbness, crawling, burning sensation on the left side of the chest
-Pressure between the eyes
-Tremor in facial muscles
-Increased visual snow and floaters
etc etc

I'm absolutely certain some of these were caused by health anxiety , but I am generally scared that I have Multiple Sclerosis..

I went to my GP asking about the electric shock, and also mentioned some of the other symptoms. She just said it didn't ring any bells and not to worry about it-come back if it gets worse. I didn't mention the fact I was scared of MS because I didn't want to seem such a hypochondriac (which I definitely am :tongue:)..

I also don't want to go on about it to my family any more. I know how boring it is for them to hear about it.

So sorry for the long post, but if anyone has any advice about it that would be great {just reading through the forum has already been very helpful)! And also I would love to hear from anyone who has experienced similar symptoms (particularly the shocks).

Thanks in advance for any replies!

Peace xx

[KK77]

Having been through a very similar ordeal to you I can sympathise. The electric shock sensations I had were a consequence of SSRI withdrawal and made me feel suicidal for months on end. This started off my HA and it was a downward spiral leading to most of the other symptoms you describe. After many hospital visits and tests that revealed very little, I was told I had a psychosomatic pain syndrome.

I really don't think your symptoms are consistent with MS as there would no doubt be other serious signs (generally neurological) which you don't seem to have. However, I do think that if this continues you should be referred to a specialist who can put your mind at rest, and in the meantime you should speak to your GP about your anxiety.

Hope you feel better soon and welcome to the forum.

[Shazandra]

I had a similar experience to you! Started to get a weird warm feeling on my thigh one day (nothing unpleasant but definitely unusual). I googled it and of course MS was the first disease to come up. I never worried about ms before until I saw it on google. After reading over the symptoms I started experiencing some of them...(lightheaded, some tingling and floaters!!!) I have a history of anxiety and don't want to bring ms up to my doctor cuz it's kind of embarrassing......I wish I could ignore my body and not have to go through this.....I feel for you and know what you're going through!!!

[tashbarnes87]

OMG i could have cried when i read this. I have been suffering with this symptom for a year now. It went away over the winter & is now back. I also have a massive fear of MS. The feeling i get is like being flicked with a piece of elastic & it runs across my chest & to my underarm, always on my right side. Its absolutely terrifying & it always happens when im hunched over or out & about rushng about. Very rarely when im at home on the sofa. I have spent sooo much time googling and all it brings up is MS. I have spent so much of my life worrying about MS. DOes this feeling sound similar?
x