Please help-MS fears, constant symptoms

[CleverLittleViper]

During the past month, I've suffered quite acutely with HA, apparently.

HA is not a new thing for me, but before now, I'd never experienced physical symptoms of it. In some ways, I'm doing a little better mentally. I'm certainly in a brighter headspace right now. What I'm having problems with is my near-constant symptoms.

-Constant head pressure
-Constant dizziness (although sometimes it does ease off/is less noticeable)
-Constant numbness in both my hands and feet (moreso in the hands)
-Perceived weakness in arms and legs
-A slight vibration in left leg (although it does seem to be easing off)
-Back pain in mid-lower back feels like someone is pressing against my spine (not constant)
-Facial tightness/pressure (could be attributed to headache)

Now, I must say the numbness I experience does not cause me to lose function or sensation in my hands or feet. In fact, the numbness in my hands is confined to my fingertips. It's just a weird sensation. Like they're "full" or something. Sometimes my hands change colour-like go really red, and mottled, but it's short-lived. I mean, from the time I wake up (I dread waking up now) my hands and feet are numb-someone did suggest it could be my mattress or my meds.

My doctor has ruled out MS, but I still have my fears. She says this is severe anxiety. I know I have to listen and accept the diagnosis to get on the process of healing, but how can I when my symptoms are near-constant? I just want to get to the bottom of this. I want it over. I haven't had any diagnostic tests to rule out MS officially, and I often wonder if it is that that keeps me hanging on to it. If I could outright rule it out, then I could relax.

I have had strength tests, grip tests, sensation tests (she pricked my hand with a plastic prod) eye tests and blood tests, and I passed everything with flying colours. They could find nothing discernible wrong with me. I know MS is a common fear among us HA sufferers, and I think another thing that keeps me hanging onto it is that I wasn't entirely honest with my first doctor (I now see someone else) about whether I'd had vision problems or not. Now, I've read a little about the vision problems associated with MS and the problems I've had (in March) don't sound all that similar- mine typically occurred at night after prolonged periods of being on the computer, and my eyes felt gritty, itchy and sore. I wrote it off as eye strain because it passed when I slept well, and one eye is weaker than the other (only by 0.5) (I need new prescription lenses but I'm still choosing my frames) and it was that eye that seemed worse affected because I squint (but both were affected).

As I'd had an eye test just that week, and passed the eye exam (healthy, normal eyes) I didn't think it was relevant to mention. Plus, it was so long ago. Now, I'm scared that by not mentioning them, it might have misled the doctor away from the "real" diagnosis. Again, I'm swimming around in my what-ifs. Now, logically, I know that with all the symptoms I have (I've had the above and more) the doctor would be able to rule in or out MS, w/o knowing about the eye problems. I also logically know that MS cannot present its symptoms the way I am.

But I'm still scared, and I need help. It feels like it takes very little to make my entire body go numb these days, and I'm concerned about what that is. Is it my meds (20mg Amitriptyline) or my anxiety (even when I'm not especially anxious) or something else?

[anthrokid]

The numbness in your hands and feet is most likely caused by hyperventilation. Most people think hyperventilation is rapid breathing that is heavy and very noticeable, however, for people with anxiety hyperventilation can actually become 'normal' breathing and isn't really noticed. Hyperventilation causes numbness and tingling in the extremities (hands or feet or even face).

Try this exercise - breathe in for 4 seconds, wait for 3 seconds, breathe out for 6 seconds, wait for 3 seconds, then repeat. If that is too difficult or makes you anxious because it feels like you aren't getting enough breath/can't breathe, then you are hyperventilating. If that is too difficult, try breathing in for 3 seconds, wait for 1 second, breathe out for 3 seconds, and wait for 1 seconds. Practice this often and try to increase the times a bit. It can take a LOT of practice and work to not hyperventilate naturally, but if you set aside a few minutes at different times throughout the day, you can slowly practice and improve your breathing. This exercise is especially good to use when you feel really anxious or get the numbness/tingling in your hands/feet.

[Serenity1990]

The constant head pressure is more than likely a tension headache caused by stress/anxiety. This is one of the hallmark symptoms and is nothing to worry about. It could also be caused by tension in the neck/shoulders irritating nerve roots which can cause (amongst other irritation) cervicogenic headaches. This isn't a symptom I've ever heard of in MS.

Dizziness again is a hallmark anxiety symptom.

Numbness in the extremities (hands and feet) is very common in anxiety. This would be extremely atypical for MS: because only particular brain cortices or sections of spinal cord are affected at any one time the probability of this happening to the extremities of both limbs on both sides simultaneously is extremely low. Notably also you mention it isn't really numbness, but "full". Numbness in MS would be such that you could hammer a nail into the affected areas, put those feet in a bucket of ice or the hands in a boiling kettle and not feel it; clearly this is not the case for you. However that "full" sensation is described very well in neurosymptoms.org: it's a common symptom of "functional" (or "somatic") neurological symptoms secondary to things like anxiety.

The buzzing leg is again commonly attributable to anxiety. I get this a lot and I have peripheral nerve hyperexcitability (specifically BFS) secondary to years of way too much stress.

Back pain is not a typical MS presenting symptom; it is, however, common amongst the general population.

In terms of the facial pressure, this could be attributed to the same explanation as the tension headaches described above.

You should also note that you have symptoms in your leg, feet, hands, head, back and face. It would be very, very unusual for MS to have such widespread effects all over your body. In such rare and severe cases where this is the case, however, it would be very obvious clinically to your doctors that something is seriously wrong.

I've been through the whole MS thing. I went through all the tests, and despite doctors continuously reassuring me I didn't have it I wouldn't believe them. I finally had a second appointment with the neuro who ordered an EMG. That showed non-neuromytonic peripheral nerve hyperexcitability, otherwise know as BFS, which is very strongly correlated with stress. I went through nine months of hell worrying over nothing. The stress made the BFS worse, the worse the symptoms got the more I worried, and the worse the symptoms got, etc. etc. You get the gist.

Check out http://www.bfsrecovery.com/whatisbfs.php

However plain old anxiety can cause these things, probably via a similar process. As can "somatoform", for which the neurosymptoms link I posted further up is excellent. The point is, whilst you need proper evaluation by a doctor not an internet forum, these symptoms simply do not equate to MS.

Hope this helps.