Please help - Huge HA and MS scare

[ErinKC]

Hi Erin, thanks for replying!

Have you ever felt the sensation like someone is flicking water on your leg or arm? I get this all the time and it seems worse when air is blowing on me for some reason. I’ve read online about a woman with MS who had that...

Were your symptoms happening even when you felt calmer? Mine seem to come out of the blue with no logic.

Yes, I have had that feeling you describe and yes these symptoms will often linger for a while after my anxiety has passed. I like to think that my body fills up with adrenaline and it takes some time for it to all drain out even once I've calmed down.

I'll add that I also have lower back issues so I'm pretty sure just plain old muscle/nerve stuff contributes, and being anxious makes that kind of thing flair up too because you're tensing your muscles, which irritates nerves, etc...

You've been to the doctor, who is trained to spot things like MS. My brother's girlfriend was diagnosed with MS last year and she went to the doctor with very specific eye pain and was sent right away for MRI, which confirmed the diagnosis. This is what doctors do all day. They know what they're talking about. They know how MS presents and they know what to do if they suspect it. So, having seen your doctor more than once, having them do the basic neuro exam, etc... should make you confident that this is your anxiety.

[Seymour]

Yes, I have had that feeling you describe and yes these symptoms will often linger for a while after my anxiety has passed. I like to think that my body fills up with adrenaline and it takes some time for it to all drain out even once I've calmed down.

I'll add that I also have lower back issues so I'm pretty sure just plain old muscle/nerve stuff contributes, and being anxious makes that kind of thing flair up too because you're tensing your muscles, which irritates nerves, etc...

You've been to the doctor, who is trained to spot things like MS. My brother's girlfriend was diagnosed with MS last year and she went to the doctor with very specific eye pain and was sent right away for MRI, which confirmed the diagnosis. This is what doctors do all day. They know what they're talking about. They know how MS presents and they know what to do if they suspect it. So, having seen your doctor more than once, having them do the basic neuro exam, etc... should make you confident that this is your anxiety.

I do have ankylosing spondylitis so maybe some symptoms are caused by disc changes in spine but the fact that it happens in my right arm AND leg has me puzzled.

[Seymour]

You've been to the doctor, who is trained to spot things like MS. My brother's girlfriend was diagnosed with MS last year and she went to the doctor with very specific eye pain and was sent right away for MRI, which confirmed the diagnosis. This is what doctors do all day. They know what they're talking about. They know how MS presents and they know what to do if they suspect it. So, having seen your doctor more than once, having them do the basic neuro exam, etc... should make you confident that this is your anxiety.

Did your sister in law only have the eye pain as a symptom?

[Seymour]

I keep getting these tinglings that last a second or two and it seems worse when lying down.

My right arm and leg feel weak and stiff.

My life feels like a nightmare right now. I’m terrified I have MS. I can’t wrap my head around the fact that anxiety could cause persistent symptoms that never ease up.

I can’t talk to anyone about it because everyone is tired of it and thinks I’m a hypochondriac. I’m left here annoying everybody on this forum.

[BlueIris]

Take a breath.

Can you at least acknowledge that your thought patterns may not be rational right now?

[Seymour]

Take a breath.

Can you at least acknowledge that your thought patterns may not be rational right now?

It’s very hard to have all these symptoms and having everybody tell you they’re caused by your mind. I know it can but I’ve never experienced this before.

It does not help that people were saying the same thing about my arthritis and I ended up with a diagnosis 10 minutes after I finally spoke with a rheumatologist.

I guess I don’t trust GPs anymore. It feels like they give you the run around until your symptoms are so severe that they have no choice but to refer you to a specialist.

I’m really trying to stay positive and forget about MS but it really does feel like it.

I mean I know I don’t have the vision problems and pins and needles and numbness so one could say "Well what DO you have that sounds like MS?" I just feel like my right side is weak and that the tingly fleeting sensations I experience are not normal.

I feel like I’m just in the early stages of MS so still functioning but I know something’s brewing.

[BlueIris]

This is the problem, though - it's a hard lesson to learn, but health anxiety turns your mind against you, and it can make the most ridiculous thoughts seem like self-evident truths.

[Seymour]

This is the problem, though - it's a hard lesson to learn, but health anxiety turns your mind against you, and it can make the most ridiculous thoughts seem like self-evident truths.

Like what, in my case? I don’t want to be pushy or argumentative but I feel like I’m pretty rational. I genuinely would like an objective opinion on my defective thought pattern.

[BlueIris]

I'm not a neurologist, so I can't comment on the MS side of things. To me, a major red flag about your thinking patterns is the fact that neither your GP nor your close family believe there's anything to your fears.

I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be cruel, but I know this from personal experience - sometimes I can't trust my own brain when it comes to the things my body does, and that's when I rely on the people around me to help me out and tell me if I'm being a bit loopy.

[Fishmanpa]

Like what, in my case? I don’t want to be pushy or argumentative but I feel like I’m pretty rational. I genuinely would like an objective opinion on my defective thought pattern.

Reading your posts and from an outside perspective, I beg to differ You have an inherent lack of trust for medical professionals that skews your perception and causes you to discount tests an medically trained opinions as well.

Then there's the very typical pattern in your responses that screams HA and you're posting on an anxiety forum.

Positive thoughts