A Thread for Newcomers Worried about Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

[Maude1love]

I too have been worried about MS lately..I have hypothyroidism which makes me very weak but I started having shakiness in my hands, terrible constant headache and neck pain and now I have this subtle head jerk which freaks me out. I don't necessarily feel stressed, well now I do but sometimes you don't feel the anxiety per say but physically it shows. I feel like I Need to go see a doctor to check on my thyroid which could be off but I'm petrified that it could be MS or PD...

[Pseudonym]

Another thank you for this thread.

I already knew that my migraines were a result of my dodgy mental health. I kind of knew my jerking was anxiety related as mine is really closely correlated to fearful thoughts. I could put the slight dizziness down to my inner ears still adjusting to the lack of nicotine in my system (stopped smoking)... but then the weird numbness in my hands and feet started coming and going and I couldn't understand why my arms felt sore and sometimes they felt just plain weak - surely I'm not that out of shape? And how could it be anxiety when it happens even when I feel like I'm coping okay?

It didn't help that my company does charity work with neurology type folk and they came to give us a chat last month about MS, Parkinsons, Motor Neurone Disease and stem cell research. Nor does it help that I've known one person with each of these conditions, and it is my sister that has MS. No googling required for me to get into the anxiety loop. And then I got to thinking of my own mortality and how I am going to die of something but I am wasting my life being anxious - that's when the depression kicked in too!

So all in all, I was getting to my wits end when I came here and found this thread and it got me back on the level. Well, relatively speaking! :-)

[nicholasd]

I too have been worried about MS lately..I have hypothyroidism which makes me very weak but I started having shakiness in my hands, terrible constant headache and neck pain and now I have this subtle head jerk which freaks me out. I don't necessarily feel stressed, well now I do but sometimes you don't feel the anxiety per say but physically it shows. I feel like I Need to go see a doctor to check on my thyroid which could be off but I'm petrified that it could be MS or PD...

I have had a virus or something for the past 10 days and my legs have felt so heavy and "wonky" and now my arms, too. A couple of times my fingers spasmed/jerked, so I, too, freak out thinking its MS or PD and then have been having severe panic attacks and shaking. Started to take Ativan yesterday to get me through this. The heaviness feeling in my body is the scariest. I've never had this. I'm totally not feeling like myself. I also have hypothyroid (Hashi's). Hope you are feeling better. I hope this passes soon.

[BeckyL]

This is a great post! Exactly how I feel all of the time

[peediedj67]

all above sounds like me to a tee!! get blurred vision every day(mostly in mornings like now) numb fingers,pins and needles,dizzy,tired every morning as if i havent slept,ringing in ears,sore backs,weird pains in feet,legs etc,heaaches,foggy head and other things, convinced its ms, been tested for diabetes,thyroid,glucise,had a ecg and blood pressure checked all ok, getting a mri scan soon,still very worried

[frazzled]

I found this site 4am this morning in a full blown health anxiety crisis. i cant thank you enough.
I guess ive suffered health anxiety and depression for years, but eight weeks ago it came to a head.
It started with a tingle on my left leg. after a day or so i became concerned and googled. Oh my gosh, what a mistake, i can list 42 illnesses that i could have had!
A week later the tingle turned into pins and needles, burning, cold water sensations anywhere or all over my body. I felt in a constant state of panic, breathless, inner vibration, tinitus, cramping, fuzzy headed and preoccupied in only myself, nothing else mattered. No matter how scared, i became addicted almost uncontrollable, trawling on google, driven by the need to understand what was wrong.
I countlessly saw my GP and asked doctors at work what was wrong. My Gp did blood tests and they came back normal, she also prescribed sertraline and propanolol. That breifly satisfied my need for a day and most of the sensation went. But the next day 'poof' like magic they were back with vengence.
I went back to my Gp who diagnosed me with depression and health anxiety and signed me off work last Friday and increased the sertraline to 100mg.
But accepting health anxiety is really difficult. I try logically to understand it and reason with myself, its a bit like Jackel and Hyde.
Last night after scouring my body for bumps, spots i found an alarming mark that im sure wasnt there before. I went into full blown crisis melt down.
I drove to my parents and asked them to look, they looked at me like i was mad as it was a freckle, but im sure it wasnt there.
Maybe im now super wired and anything is a major crisis. However, as i said i found this site last night and it really did reassure me. Im not crazy, and one day i will get over this. All i can say is thank you so much

[virgin747]

Hi There. That's me wrapped up in a few paragraphs. I'm at my wits end with all this worry. I think i might have MS and have tried to seek answers. You're right...this google thing is dreadful.
Will print this off and re-read it till im tired of reading it.

Thanks
Pete

[roberto1]

If anyone needs any information, feel free to message me! I have cared for my father for the last 4 years as he suffers from secondary progressive MS.

[birdie1]

This is a great post.... I cant believe how familiar it all sounds (but I guess thats my anxiety not letting me believe that I might actually be well). Im now pregnant and convinced that my pregnancy will 'bring on' the MS symptoms..... Woke up with pins and needles in my hand this morning which went away when I straightened my arm but the fact Im on this site obviously shows that its playing on my mind. Dont want to be stressed out the whole of this pregnancy!

Thank you for the post, I will save it and read it whenever I need it.

[Limey]

I am in this exact position right now. I went to the doctor about a tremor i developed, convinced it was MS. He put it down to an essential benign tremor caused by anxiety and upped my meds (50mg to 100mg Sertraline). However, after him asking me about tingling, pins and needles and numbness, I've started feeling it! Oh what a wonderful and terrifying thing the mind is...