Hey,
I'm new to this forum, so this may seem like a lot...especially at first.
About 6 months ago, I started feeling random tingling sensations. At first i connected it to a minor fever I had. When the fever left, i was still having these sensations and then began having panic attacks. Since then, I've been to a GP and then a neurologist. I've had blood tests for my thyroid, checking for diabetes, doing an ESR...I've had an EEG and EKG done, I've had Brain, Cervical and T-spine MRI's..I feel like I've been poked an prodded a ton. In the beginning, the doctors (along with family members who are doctors) were checking for signs of MS. It was my main fear and definitely spiked my anxiety.
Since then, the doctors have told me it's not MS. All my tests have come back negative and they say I'm a healthy young man with serious anxiety disorder. I've been seeing a therapist for my anxiety issues and taking Xanax when neccessary. About 3 years ago, my mother died of a sudden heart attack. My therapist has been telling me that the suddeness of her passing is the reason I have the anxiety symptoms and why whenever they occur i connect them to the disease.
As of late, the symptoms are happening less frequently but when they do happen they are intense.
The symptoms are as follows:
-tingling in my hands arms and/or legs
-headahe (lightheadedness and/or feelings of dizziness)
-pins and needles feelings
-random shocking or shooting pains
-chest, back and shoulder tightness
-feelings of weakness in my elbows and knees(this has just been recently)
The last symptom i just wrote has really started to concern me b/c i know that loss of use of your limbs can be an affect of MS. So, in feeling this weakness, I've been fearful that I'm showing the onset signs of MS. I have the fortune of having a Brother who is a doctor who has also been in close contact with my Neurologist...He puts me in my place most often. The last time he talked to me he asked: "You played basketball last night. Did you feel weak while you were playing?" I answered no. So he persisted in telling me I need a higher dosage of anti-anxiety pills.
I want to believe that all my symptoms are anxiety caused. I have my good weeks where I don't question it at all, and then I have weeks where all I can do is look up symptoms and wonder if i need to find another doctor. I've already consulted another neurologist about the findings of the last two doctors. He said that unless any of the symptoms become focal, there shouldn't be anything to worry about. Counting him and the gp, my original neurologist and the three fammily members who are doctors who've been advising me, plus my therapist cousin and my regular therapist...that's 8 professionals who've told me I don't have MS.
Writing this now and seeing it in front of me makes me feel pretty silly...if it weren't for the fact that I'm at this moment feeling lightheaded and tingly. If it's just the anxiety...it's a pretty sick cycle. If it's more, I don't know what else to do.
I'm sure there are many of you out there who've gone through similar things. I just don't know when to stop questioning. I want to. I find myself crying randomly when it gets to be too much, and I'm just trying to get a grip. Does it get better? Do you think there is something else I should be doing? I'm just tired of being in fear.