Very worried about Multiple Sclerosis for a while now

[funkymonkey]

I have been worried about MS for a while and cannot shake it off. Mainly because of some symptoms which I have decided are not linked to anxiety.

I have a tingly hand, twinges and buzzing in my feet. And the most worrying thing is that I sometimes feel a twinge somewhere if I drop my head, although it's not classic lhermittes sign.

Also a few months ago I had a very strange 2 week period of tickly feeling of electric shock like sensations in my left arm and left leg, the doctor decided it could be some kind of allergic reaction so I took anti histamines and the problem did go away. I thought nothing of it until now when I have my constant thoughts of MS, I've linked the previous bout of leg and arm symptoms to my first 'relapse'

This is killing me to be honest because it's all I think about. I was just wondering how many people out there experience the same kind of things.

[Pan]

I have been worried about MS for a while and cannot shake it off. Mainly because of some symptoms which I have decided are not linked to anxiety.

I have a tingly hand, twinges and buzzing in my feet. And the most worrying thing is that I sometimes feel a twinge somewhere if I drop my head, although it's not classic lhermittes sign.

Also a few months ago I had a very strange 2 week period of tickly feeling of electric shock like sensations in my left arm and left leg, the doctor decided it could be some kind of allergic reaction so I took anti histamines and the problem did go away. I thought nothing of it until now when I have my constant thoughts of MS, I've linked the previous bout of leg and arm symptoms to my first 'relapse'

This is killing me to be honest because it's all I think about. I was just wondering how many people out there experience the same kind of things.

Thousands....and I literally mean thousands!!

MS is probably the number 1 concern for anybody whose anxiety has turned physical and this is for the simple reason that physical anxiety often effects the same part of our nervous system as MS and therefore the symptoms mimic each other so well.

Another issue you need to undertsand that it is very easy for this 'worry loop' to quickly turn into Health Anxiety' as you can easily become convinced you are suffering from Ms regardless of all the reassurance that this is not the case.

I don't know if you have seen the sticky thread at the top of the folder?  It is specifically aimed for all newcomers here who are worried about MS.  The fact that the thread is there should alone indicate just how incredibly common this misgrounded fear actually is.

[idreamofskiba]

I went through the whole MS thing.  I was so sure I had it.  My Dr. thought I might have it - in fact, I never thought I had it until he mentioned it, then I was convinced that was it.

I don't have MS.  But I did have all those symptoms you're describing.

MS is probably the number 1 concern for anybody whose anxiety has turned physical and this is for the simple reason that physical anxiety often effects the same part of our nervous system as MS and therefore the symptoms mimic each other so well.

Yes, this is 100% true.  My neurologist told me almost the exact same thing.

[funkymonkey]

idreamofskiba, I've read posts from you I think about your situation, it sounds very similar to mine. I've had psychological treatment for anxiety when I was younger and I've been fine until recently. It's reared it's ugly head quite suddenly! I think it might be connected to a very bad year generally that stressed me out a lot.

I went for a normal checkup last January and they heard a heart murmur! Well you can imagine what that does to a hypochondriac! All the doctors did was go on about how they could do 'wonderful' things these days (they obviously suspected it to be a bad murmur) Anyway it took 4 months to get a echocardiogram  with a specialist heart doctor who within 10 minutes declared me young, fit, healthy and having an 'innocent' heart murmur. The stress it caused me was insane...

[Sandor]

Hi funkymonkey, I'm similar to you. I have buzzing hands and feet, with a myriad of other symptoms. I first had palptiations, ectopic beats, etc. and was worried I had atrial fibrillation or something. Then my hands started tingling, and a few days after that, my feet started.

I wasn't too bad until I read about L'hermitte's, pushed my neck forward and felt a twinge in my left foot. This scared the hell out of me. Then there was a constant buildup of symptoms, dizziness, buzzing in a lot of places in the body, twitching, trembling, internal tremors (like rippling muscles, felt really weird). Then I took a week off work, and over the Christmas holidays I started to get a bit better. Cut to just after Christmas, when I was out drinking and was again feeling my pulse, which started the whole ball rolling again.... tingling feet and hands started up, and now I'm not even thinking about my heart!

I still have the tingling hands and feet, and when I bend my neck down the tingling gets very noticably worse in my feet. It all depends on how active I am - if I'm walking somewhere and bend my neck, it's pretty intense buzzing. If I'm sitting down for a while or when I wake up in the morning, I usually don't notice any twinges when I bend my neck. Other symptoms I have at the minute are mild trembling, twitchy eye muscles, bouncy/shimmery vision, waking up in the middle of the night with nerves on overdrive (ringing ears, numb feeling in face, snow/zig-zag lines in vision). It's a nightmare.

I'll be starting a slow release beta blocker this weekend (after I get a Holter monitor test done tomorrow) and I hope the symptoms subside after a while on that.

I've been to the doctor a few times, and she has given me two clinical neurological exams - reflexes, backs of eyes, strength test, etc. and she seems to think it's fine. I still have MS worries but I'm trying not to think about it. The fact that it's around a 1000/1 chance I have MS (23, male), how it's "presenting" in all 4 limbs with no clincal neurological signs, along with the fact that the neurological problems started within a couple of weeks of worrying constantly about my heart, I'm trying to be logical and putting it all down to chronic anxiety. Someone in the know please confirm my logic! Thanks!

[looking4peace]

I can totally relate to your symptoms as I have been worried now about ALS/MS for the last 3/4 months.  I'm always thinking I have ALS and now I'm worried about MS.  My symptoms started with tingling in my feet, mostly right toes and lower left lip.  My GP sent me to a neuro--had MRI, tons of bloodwork, and NCS of right leg and all clear except for bulging discs in cervical spine.  After he cleared me of ALS/MS, a week after I saw him I started with twitching muscles, hot spots that kept me awake all night, and internal vibrations.  I was scared to death!!!  I had burning back of head, prickly sensations all over, and itchy skin too. Talk about a wreck!  I just knew the neuro was missing something.  Well, now 2 months later(twitching constantly lasted 1 month), I went 2 weeks without twitching and still do have some twitching/buzzing but not as frequent and I usually don't focus on it anymore--I just let it happen.  I really do believe it is a mind thing.  If you focus on anything too much, it really does get blown out of proportion.  I'm focusing on positive thoughts and pushing aside the negative.  It really is a decision I make every minute to not obsess over my every twitch or "odd" feeling.  I know this is easier said than done, and I do have my moments, but life is too short and we need to  be thankful we weren't diagnosed with a horrible disease and treasure the time we have right here and now.  I pray for everyone on here and I really do hope you find peace--you are so young--go out and enjoy this season in your life!

[SuperJew26]

OH yea... when you bend your head down, it tugs the spinal cord all the way to the lower lumbar region... here is the a snipped of a dartmouth medical school nuero dept.

The spinal cord, meninges and cervical roots and even lumbar nerve roots are stretched slightly when the head is flexed onto the chest. This ordinarily can be done without any discomfort. However, this is not so when the meninges and/or nerve roots are inflamed and flexion causes reflex stiffening of the neck muscles. This is particularly powerful when the meninges are inflamed and it has been called "nuchal rigidity" or meningismus. Because the spinal cord is pulled upward slightly in the spinal canal by neck flexion, the lower lumbosacral nerve roots are also stretched and pain may be experienced in the low back and legs as well as the neck. Occasionally, spontaneous flexion of the legs and hips occurs on neck flexion (termed Brudzinski sign). This reflex movement of the lower limbs induces a bit of slack in the lumbosacral nerve roots, diminishing the tension produced by the neck flexion. Although this movement is usually not able to lessen the pain significantly, it is a strong indication of meningitis and other causes of root irritation.

[nokia1]

Hello to all, I have all the symptoms that you describe also that "L'hermittes" sign. I have normal MRI's . I did my last c-spine 2 weeks ago-again clear.
I have spondylosis and C7-T1 herniation-it was reported on the  MRI.

Do you know what I noticed. If I take very hot shower my buzz/vibr in the calf when I bend my head down  getting better and almost disappears?
Try it.

[Jillian]

Well I did not sleep well last night so convinced I have either MS or ALS, I have been waking up with this jerking in my legs mainly, happening quite frequently.
Also I have a twitch in both legs.  My dad had Parkinsons and my uncle MS so I am thinking its in my family.  I am 50 and do suffer from anxiety and we are in the process of moving so i do have extra stress, just hope thats all it is , but i am going to go see my dr next week.

[Strezzed]

Very normal. I too have symptoms of MS. Twitching , tingling and even face numbness.  Your not alone. But you need to find away to get your mind off it. And beware as for me I get my mind off it and it goes away for weeks and then it happens again and I end up having a panic attack. So just remember to quickly get your mind off it again. Hope this fear doesn't stick around for you. Anyways yes tons of people think MS and it is not. 

[nokia1]

bump

[nokia1]

Hello, have you had c-spine MRI? Or brain?

Hi funkymonkey, I'm similar to you. I have buzzing hands and feet, with a myriad of other symptoms. I first had palptiations, ectopic beats, etc. and was worried I had atrial fibrillation or something. Then my hands started tingling, and a few days after that, my feet started.

I wasn't too bad until I read about L'hermitte's, pushed my neck forward and felt a twinge in my left foot. This scared the hell out of me. Then there was a constant buildup of symptoms, dizziness, buzzing in a lot of places in the body, twitching, trembling, internal tremors (like rippling muscles, felt really weird). Then I took a week off work, and over the Christmas holidays I started to get a bit better. Cut to just after Christmas, when I was out drinking and was again feeling my pulse, which started the whole ball rolling again.... tingling feet and hands started up, and now I'm not even thinking about my heart!

I still have the tingling hands and feet, and when I bend my neck down the tingling gets very noticably worse in my feet. It all depends on how active I am - if I'm walking somewhere and bend my neck, it's pretty intense buzzing. If I'm sitting down for a while or when I wake up in the morning, I usually don't notice any twinges when I bend my neck. Other symptoms I have at the minute are mild trembling, twitchy eye muscles, bouncy/shimmery vision, waking up in the middle of the night with nerves on overdrive (ringing ears, numb feeling in face, snow/zig-zag lines in vision). It's a nightmare.

I'll be starting a slow release beta blocker this weekend (after I get a Holter monitor test done tomorrow) and I hope the symptoms subside after a while on that.

I've been to the doctor a few times, and she has given me two clinical neurological exams - reflexes, backs of eyes, strength test, etc. and she seems to think it's fine. I still have MS worries but I'm trying not to think about it. The fact that it's around a 1000/1 chance I have MS (23, male), how it's "presenting" in all 4 limbs with no clincal neurological signs, along with the fact that the neurological problems started within a couple of weeks of worrying constantly about my heart, I'm trying to be logical and putting it all down to chronic anxiety. Someone in the know please confirm my logic! Thanks!

[funkymonkey]

Hello, have you had c-spine MRI? Or brain?

Hi funkymonkey, I'm similar to you. I have buzzing hands and feet, with a myriad of other symptoms. I first had palptiations, ectopic beats, etc. and was worried I had atrial fibrillation or something. Then my hands started tingling, and a few days after that, my feet started.

I wasn't too bad until I read about L'hermitte's, pushed my neck forward and felt a twinge in my left foot. This scared the hell out of me. Then there was a constant buildup of symptoms, dizziness, buzzing in a lot of places in the body, twitching, trembling, internal tremors (like rippling muscles, felt really weird). Then I took a week off work, and over the Christmas holidays I started to get a bit better. Cut to just after Christmas, when I was out drinking and was again feeling my pulse, which started the whole ball rolling again.... tingling feet and hands started up, and now I'm not even thinking about my heart!

I still have the tingling hands and feet, and when I bend my neck down the tingling gets very noticably worse in my feet. It all depends on how active I am - if I'm walking somewhere and bend my neck, it's pretty intense buzzing. If I'm sitting down for a while or when I wake up in the morning, I usually don't notice any twinges when I bend my neck. Other symptoms I have at the minute are mild trembling, twitchy eye muscles, bouncy/shimmery vision, waking up in the middle of the night with nerves on overdrive (ringing ears, numb feeling in face, snow/zig-zag lines in vision). It's a nightmare.

I'll be starting a slow release beta blocker this weekend (after I get a Holter monitor test done tomorrow) and I hope the symptoms subside after a while on that.

I've been to the doctor a few times, and she has given me two clinical neurological exams - reflexes, backs of eyes, strength test, etc. and she seems to think it's fine. I still have MS worries but I'm trying not to think about it. The fact that it's around a 1000/1 chance I have MS (23, male), how it's "presenting" in all 4 limbs with no clincal neurological signs, along with the fact that the neurological problems started within a couple of weeks of worrying constantly about my heart, I'm trying to be logical and putting it all down to chronic anxiety. Someone in the know please confirm my logic! Thanks!

Hey, nothing like that no, my symptoms have actually improved since reading this forum. So for now I'm quite happy, which is nice for a change!

[idreamofskiba]

I was reading through my old symptom log (from when I was going through the MS scare) last night and it's amazing how much of that stuff has gone away since I've stopped worrying about it.  The whole time I was reading it, I just couldn't believe it...I almost forgot how horrible it was.

Glad your symptoms are improving!!!

[Jessica21]

I've never been diagnosed with anxiety, but I have a lot of the symptoms that are associated with it. I'm not sure wether or not my physical symptoms could in fact be due to HA or hypocondria. I'm fearful that I have MS or a brain tumor.
About 6 months ago a girl i graduated high school with passed away of a brain tumor. It hit me quite hard and I never really forgot about it. It's been in my mind ever since. I wasn't even friends with her, and I'm sure she wouldn't even remember who I was. Lately I've been experiencing some of the same symptoms she did when she first noticed something was wrong. She had numbness in her left leg and hand....now I do.
Here are some of my symptoms:
-slight numbness, tingling, or buzzing in left hand and foot
-severe depression
-fear, anxiety feelings
-heart racing
-chest tightness, tight throat

-constipation
-eye floaters

-night sweats
last July I had some problems with an enlarged lymph node under my right arm, I had a blood test to check for any sign of cnacer, and I also had an ultrasound done. All tests came back negative...no sign for concern.
can anyone confirm that I am suffering from axniety?
I went to the doctor last week to discuss some of my symptoms, and before the apointment, I was leterally shaking of fear of something being wrong.

[grateful]

This topic is how I found this site. I was convinced for 3 months every waking minute I had this. I finally got up the nerve to ask my doc to order an MRI she did to ease my mind. I had every single symptom you mention including what I thought was Lhermittes I bent my neck and I got a slight buzz in my ankle.... This through me over the ledge.
Guess what though after square inch of my spinal cord and brain were MRI'd I don't have MS. Listen to that little voice of reason you have that tells you that you don't really have this and that you are scaring yourself.