NEW Fears of MS and who the hell knows what else

[Iadevaia8781]

Looking for reassurance. I know that can be counter productive, but I need to be productive today. Brief history: June 2021 suffered withdrawals from Zoloft severely for 4 months creating significant levels of stress and depression. In Oct. 2021, began twitching and cramping. Got a clean EMG, but still fixated that I had ALS and/or Bulbar for several months. Now I’m almost certain I don’t just based on the amount of time that’s gone by. So I’ve irrationally turned to MS. Which has way more symptoms.

In any event, I have brisk reflexes, I get small myoclonic jerks (typically when I’m tired, but sometimes in my legs when I’m sitting), rare periods of extreme fatigue (typically after not sleeping well or elevated stress), and the one that’s been bothering me is the tingling (No numbing).

The tingling bothers me because it happens mostly in my left hand and possibly in my arm. It also happens in my left foot, but only at night right before bed. The left hand isn’t constant and I could go a day without it. So it comes and goes. I CANNOT tell what is anxiety or not. I KNOW I create or exacerbate physical symptoms through being hyper vigilant or overly fixated.

IM CERTAIN I have health anxiety. I will often get 2-3 different disease fears in a week or even a day. I also get wide ranging symptoms that could be various things. Almost always relatively mild and short lived.

The tingling fear with MS is a bit like the twitching fear was with ALS. It happens more frequently, I believe it actually exists and it lingers and reoccurs.

Literally yesterday, I noticeably didn’t have tingling because I was extremely concerned about my throat which was (I think) sore, but who knows. So I spent the day concerned I had COVID and/or Bulbar.

I know how this reads, but even hypochondriacs can get sick.

Thoughts

[venusbluejeans]

Hiya Iadevaia8781 and welcome to NMP

Why not take a look at our articles on our home page, they contain a wealth of information and
are a great starting place for your time on the forum.

I hope you find the as site helpful and informative as I have and that you get the help and
support you need here and hope that you meet a few friends along the way

[NoraB]

In any event, I have brisk reflexes, I get small myoclonic jerks (typically when I’m tired, but sometimes in my legs when I’m sitting), rare periods of extreme fatigue (typically after not sleeping well or elevated stress), and the one that’s been bothering me is the tingling (No numbing).

I have brisk reflexes. I was tested for MS in 2019 and I nearly kicked the doctor in the face when he tested my reflexes. I get occasional jerks in my legs too. I don't have MS.

The tingling bothers me because it happens mostly in my left hand and possibly in my arm. It also happens in my left foot, but only at night right before bed. The left hand isn’t constant and I could go a day without it. So it comes and goes. I CANNOT tell what is anxiety or not. I KNOW I create or exacerbate physical symptoms through being hyper vigilant or overly fixated.

Tingling is also a big symptom of mine but I also have Cervical Spondylosis (wear & tear) with some minor nerve impingement. This accounts for tingling and some numbness with me but anxiety can absolutely cause these symptoms..

Muscle twitching is due to the stress response (fight or flight)

Blood is pumped to the muscles.
Muscles tighten.
Increased electrical activity.
Increased blood sugar.

Any one of these symptoms can cause a muscle to twitch. And in a body that's constantly in fight or flight, the body doesn't get chance to recover so it becomes hyper-stimulated - which means that we experience symptoms of the stress response even when it hasn't been triggered.

The tingling fear with MS is a bit like the twitching fear was with ALS. It happens more frequently, I believe it actually exists and it lingers and reoccurs.

Long before you get to the likes of ALS, tingling is a side-effect to numerous medications, using stimulants (caffeine) or it can be a vitamin deficiency. I am Vit B12 deficient and I notice an increase in tingling when I've lapsed with my spray for a week or two. Or it can simply be a case of how you've been sitting (crossing legs etc)

As an anxiety symptom, again it's the stress response. We experience tingling when we're in fight or flight for the reasons I've listed above and a few more besides. But people who are experiencing chronic stress (as is the case with HAers) this means that the body becomes hyper-stimulated and we get these symptoms (and a lot more) even when if we don't feel stressed at the time of experiencing them. Think of it as a ripple effect where there's continuing results of an event or action. Do you see?

I know how this reads, but even hypochondriacs can get sick.

Yes they do, and that's why we have to learn how to rationalise and challenge our thoughts so we reach the point where we have a symptom and respond rationally and without fear.

[Sunshine93]

Welcome to NMP!