I'm so afraid that I could have Multiple sclerosis

[nervous]

About two nights ago my hands got the numb tingly feeling that I have experienced a few times over the last few years, I convinced myself it was from anxiety after the first time I experienced it after doing some research online. This time was no different at first, the numb feeling later was also in my feet which happened every other time also. The numbness calmed down the next morning after I slept, it wasn't completely gone but much better than the night before which was extremely irritating and at the same time scary. Last night it was very difficult to fall asleep because of the numbness, I eventually did fall asleep but was woken from the tingling sensation, It was much more powerful now, and already being stressed from the day of feeling like this I broke in too tears wanting to just feel normal, laying there in my bed praying that it would go away after about 15 minutes of this I got up and went to take a shower and It faded into a more manageable state. The rest of the day a felt sick to my stomach and still had the numbness in my hands throughout the day, after eating the stomach ache went away. I didn't really think of the possibility of MS until my mom started talking about a family friend who has the disease and started having symptoms around my age he was 20 I'm 19, and how he couldn't gauge how hard he was gripping something which was something I couldn't do when I had the numbness. This made me think the worst and I started to tear up, I didn't want my mother to see so I held them back until I got to my room, I thought of the symptoms of MS and how it can just destroy your body, I did not want to life like this and it had me really upset. I feel a little better now but I'm still very worried. I also do not get these sensations often and I read that MS symptoms can regress and then come back, It's been about 8 months since the last time I felt this numbness so that scares me also. My mother is setting up an appointment to go see a doctor soon. Could this just be anxiety? Thank you so much if you read through this I've been so down today and need some thoughts on my situation.

[greend]

Absolutely, this could be anxiety.  What you have described is classic.  If you are planning a visit to your doctor, talk over your concerns with him/her.  Once you have been told that you are fine, believe him and start to deal with your anxiety.  The fact that you and your mother were discussing someone who has MS certainly doesn't help.  That just adds fuel to the fire doesn't it?  Just because this person has it doesn't mean you do.

What are you doing for your anxiety?  I find that reading self help books, exercise and deep breathing are great.  Also, immerse yourself in doing something you enjoy so that you aren't obsessing about this.  Hope you feel well soon.

[CheshireCat1]

I have had tingling, pricking, and numbing sensations in my hands, legs, all over my body and I saw a neurologist too.  It has been anxiety.  These are anxiety symptoms.  Go talk to your doctor, ask for a neurological exam (they test your reflexes, eyes, and stuff in the office) and if he says you are fine then believe him and don't worry about it :).  I hope you feel better soon and try not to worry since worrying will make your symptoms worse. When I stopped worrying about MS, they went away. They come back occasionally with anxiety but I just keep telling myself it is only anxiety and it will go away.

[nervous]

I have had tingling, pricking, and numbing sensations in my hands, legs, all over my body and I saw a neurologist too.  It has been anxiety.  These are anxiety symptoms.  Go talk to your doctor, ask for a neurological exam (they test your reflexes, eyes, and stuff in the office) and if he says you are fine then believe him and don't worry about it :).  I hope you feel better soon and try not to worry since worrying will make your symptoms worse. When I stopped worrying about MS, they went away. They come back occasionally with anxiety but I just keep telling myself it is only anxiety and it will go away.

Thank you so much for the kind words I've found Camomile tea to help a ton until I can go see my doctor and get proper meds. it really puts me in a relaxed state and almost completely subsides the numbness.

Absolutely, this could be anxiety.  What you have described is classic.  If you are planning a visit to your doctor, talk over your concerns with him/her.  Once you have been told that you are fine, believe him and start to deal with your anxiety.  The fact that you and your mother were discussing someone who has MS certainly doesn't help.  That just adds fuel to the fire doesn't it?  Just because this person has it doesn't mean you do.

What are you doing for your anxiety?  I find that reading self help books, exercise and deep breathing are great.  Also, immerse yourself in doing something you enjoy so that you aren't obsessing about this.  Hope you feel well soon.

Thank you, hopefully I see my doctor this week.

[aihli]

Yes, please see the doctor and get back to us with some feedback. I'd be very interested in hearing just what the doctor has to say about your condition (anxiety being a likely contender).

[el28]

i have the same fear.everything started after my thyroidectomy.tingling,nubless in arms and legs,muscle pain,i feel like my legs are not so strong ,floters in my eyes etc.i m seeing neyrologists for 8 months.everyone says is anxienty.yesterdy i had brain mri.it s clear.i can t beleive that all those symptoms are because of anxiety

[ahrimoniac]

Trust me - I was exactly the same with MS. Tingly, dead legs, crap vision, feeling of doom - perfectly clear MRI and away I went. Your brain can do amazingly clever things, but it can also be cruel. Take control!

[el28]

i m not living my life.i m just breathing.i don t know what to do to calm down

[trainwreck]

It very well could be anxiety.  Or it could be.....nothing!  I went for a year with off and on (mostly on) numbness, pins and needles and shaking on my pinkie and ring finger of my left hand.  Some days they were basically useless to me.  MS isn't a particular fear of mine, so I didnt give it any thought.  My anxiety level was not particularly high at that moment either. 

One day I was at the doctor for another reason and mentioned it. He poked my elbow and immediately they were numb.  I had a fairly significant nerve compression in my elbow.  He told me to keep my elbow off of my desk when at work and give it a month or so and see if there was improvement.  I did and it got somewhat better.  But I still wake up at times and have the numbness.  I just don't worry about it. 

One theme common to almost all HA people is that they dont understand that our bodies do weird things.  Everyone's does. Everyone has glitches, weird aches, weird feelings. No one is immune to it.  We tend to notice it. We become hyper-vigilant, then obsessive. Once that cycle starts it is difficult to break. 

People without anxiety disorders often get the same stuff that we do, they just react differently.  A few weeks ago, my wife was complaining about a pain along her rib cage that had gone on for a week.  She didnt immediately jump to anything sinister, just a minor annoyance that is part of life.   It went away. 

I am not dismissing your issue.  I am just pointing out that with people like us, our bodies do weird things and our minds amplify them. 

[baxxter]

Hi guys ! I am new here...glad I found this forum...very useful information found here...Many thanks to all members and creators of this forum.Real treasure... :D
This is my story :
I have anxiety, that is what my psychologist said.  I have been suffering from panic attacks for the last 4 years. I just can't go to a supermarket cause I feel dizzy and imbalanced there and I am struggling to the way out. Out I feel better...This was basically happening every day...Symptoms like shortness  of breath, off balance , and fear of supermarkets and big lighted rooms were something I have ignored all these years and  I was trying to convince myself that it is anxiety...I have never heard of MS before , I had no idea that such a disease exist. I found two months ago when I GOOGLED " balance problems"...Then my suffering started...Reading about tingling and numbness I really started to physically feel vibrations in my legs , especially at night...My balance problems now seem to be 24/7 everywhere indoor and outdoors ( I still can walk normally , but I just fell unsteady...) I am waiting for my MRI on April 16, BUT I am pretty much convinced I have MS because of one thing : on my last eye exam last year my ophthalmologist said that my optic nerve is damaged in both eyes...He was confused and made me had Visual Field Test and he suspected glaucoma...(back then I had no idea what is MS and what optic nerve damage really is)... BUT NOW, UNFORTUNATELY , I KNOW WHAT MS IS , AND THAT ALL THOSE SYMPTOMS OF LOSING BALANCE
AND THE OPTIC NERVE DAMAGE ARE PERFECT MATCH WITH MS .   I wish I could still believe this is anxiety , but my symptoms are too obvious to come from MS, aren't they ?
 I can't describe how bad I feel right now ... I just want to thank guys for making me a little bit happier and positive about this...But waiting for the official diagnosis when you are sure it is MS is one of the hardest things to deal...That fear simply is killing me and just making my symptoms even worse...ANY HELP or SUGGESTION ,PLEASE ?????

[ejmommy]

Hey Baxter! Welcome to the forum. Sorry you are going through this.

A couple things stood out to me in your post. The first is your balance issues and when you said you can't go in a supermarket. Have you been tested for inner ear disorders? I have that problem and this is why. It's a very common thing with inner ear issues. Usually I don't advise to google, but its really treatable and I would suggest you read up on it and see if it sounds like you. A ent doc can test you for it with a test such as vng.

As far as the optic nerve thing, I'm going to be honest I'm not knowledgable on that at all, and I have learned to not google these things with ms. That is my fear as well. May I suggest you try to refrain from looking at anything ms related until after your mri? Would it be possible to call the ophth you saw and get some clarification on that? It's my understanding optic neuritis would be the common thing for ms, not sure about damage. I believe it usually only happens in one eye? But like I said, I'm no expert on that. I would just have to think your eye doc would be knowledgeable enough to refer to a neuro if it was symptomatic of ms.

I know the 16 th seems forever away but it will get here before you know it! Try to keep busy in the meantime and you will be fine. But do look into inner ear though. Good luck!

[baxxter]

Hey ejmommy ! 
Thank you very very much for replying ! Really appreciate it ! Actually you gave me such a good idea  !
I will contact my ophthalmologist and ask him for more detailed explanation of optic nerve damage...
I have never been tested for inner ear problems for my balance, mainly because my balance issues were not that severe and I was not very scared until I googled MS...
I am afraid to google again and I am going to accept your advise not to google symptoms anymore...(another good advice from you, THANK YOU) 
In my previous post I forgot to tell that also I have been suffering from mild neck pain for the last couple of years, which was varying ON and OFF on different days...I tried to think that my balance issues are somehow related to my neck pain, but that optic nerve damage is the main problem in my mind right now.( cause is one of the main symptoms of MS, caused by optic neuritis ). It is kind of weird cause I have never experienced symptoms of optic neuritis ( double vision, eye pain ect), and that makes me feel confused...Anyway I am wandering if it's possible for an episode of optic neuritis to happen, and a person to fail noticing it.... I really doubt that  ...
 Also , I have asked several doctors online if it's possible to have damaged optic nerves due to problems in the cervical (neck) spine  ( like pinched nerve, spondylosis, ect.) but they have all ruled out the possibility 

Can you please tell me more about your inner ear problems, any symptoms, how did you find out, was your " off balance " feeling present all the time or just when in supermarkets, and how do you manage it ?
Sorry if bothering you , but I am really curios to hear about that...
Thank you again ejmommy for everything ! You made my day ! SERIOUSLY ! 

[Ash25]

Hi Baxxter,

did you get the results of your MRI?

I am interested because I am also having a lot of balance issues/dizziness which has been put down as anxiety. My MRI of brain and cervical spine were clear but I am still getting a lot of symptoms (buzzing, tingling, floaters in vision)

All the best

Ash