Ms-like symptoms ..Help!

[hillflower]

Over the past month I have been constantly worried about the possibility of MS. It all started with a stiffness and pains in my left arm and hand. I went to Urgent Care and after taking my vitals told me I need to go to the ER because my heart rate was very high and I was having palpitations. I went to the ER and ran the blood work, ekg, urine, brain MRI tests. All results came back normal. They sent me home and told me to follow up with my GP. I also had an eye exam and results came back normal. In the weeks following, I have had off/on symptoms of the following:

-Chest pain (only happened once for about 1 minute)
-Random sharp pains  (mostly in hands, legs, feet)
-Feeling of excess saliva in throat (making me think about my swallowing)
- Tightness in right calf/leg
-Numbness in chin/neck/left side of face/ left side of tongue

This numbness symptom is what is terrifying me since it feels like I have novocaine wearing off and is so unnatural. I haven't been to my GP in 2 weeks and the numbness is a new symptom since then. My GP thinks that my symptoms point to anxiety, rather than MS. I also feel like I may be developing symptoms that I hear about/read on the Internet. My GP said that I shouldn't be worried about MS unless I am having facial numbness. Now I am experiencing it. Please help! Do you think there is a strong possibly of MS? Can anxiety cause the symptoms that I am having? What else could it be?

[crazychick65]

Hi there your way to anxious. You need to calm down hun. MS is not typical of anything, it doesnt just start with things all the time, like facial numbness, arm numbness etc, it can be very subtle, so subtle you just dismiss it. I believe my first symptom can be traced to 1981 lol.
It can come in so many forms. In my day we didnt have Google. I just put all mine down to overwork.
You need to take a deep breath, and stop reading Google. Is there or has there been anything going on in your life in the last six months which could have triggered these symptoms? Sit down quietly and think about when it all started. MS doesnt usually kick off with all the heart stuff, but weirdly enough M.E.does.  
I shant say how mine started as it might trigger you again but believe me, MS is sneaky and tricky.  If you want to be taken seriously you need to relax a bit, and let it ride and just get on with your life, and see how you go. At the moment you are presenting as a classic person with anxiety, and that is not what you want. I am being honest here, you need to really calm down, and give yourself a break OFF the Internet and then see how you feel.   xx

[hillflower]

You are definitely right it that I need to take a break from the Internet. You said that MS can be very subtle..what were your symptoms that were subtle? I will be less anxious about my current state once I completely eliminate the possibility of something like MS

[supermum_ms]

One of the major problems IF your symptoms are being caused by mental health, is that by continuing to research and read, talk and focus on the condition you have become afraid of having, the more you are actually feeding the anxiety and the more rapidly you will experience similar mimicking symptoms.

IF you are experiencing something like health anxiety, you will need to switch your focus towards the mental health issue that's causing the symptoms.

Treatments, cognitive behavioural training to change your anxiety feeding behaviours eg avoid googling symptoms-conditions-personal stories, distract or challenge the impulse to give your fears a voice, keeping your self physically and mentally occupied etc etc all really help reduce anxiety.

I would highly recommend you seriously consider seeking help for your anxiety, it is a much better way to help you be less anxious about having MS.

Food for thought........JJ

[hillflower]

Thanks so much.. you are a great help!

[supermum_ms]

Hi hillflower,

MS would 'not' be a strong possibility, mental health conditions like health anxiety would actually be a more likely causation because all your test results were normal, the symptoms you mention are in many different areas and multiplying within a short time frame.

Also from my understanding of what you've mentioned, you seem to be experiencing new symptoms only after being told not to worry about MS unless you experience x or after reading about a particular MS symptom, which wouldn't be consistent with a neurological condition like MS but would definitely be consistent with mental health causations.

I would suggest you consider getting your mental health assessed, as health anxiety is a potential medical explanation for what you are experiencing and it needs to be investigated, more so when your doctor is of the opinion that mental health is the likely cause.

Hope that helps.........JJ

[aspen2]

Anxiety could absolutely cause the symptoms you are experiencing. And your gp's comment was less than helpful -- my daughter experienced a numb half-tongue during her final exams last year -- completely anxiety-driven.  You have symptoms in many different areas at the same time -- definitely not typical of ms, so take heart.  Have you had your B12 level checked?  Otherwise, I would probably try to see a counselor -- I have found counseling very helpful.

[hillflower]

Thank you so much for your comment..Knowing that the symptoms *could* be anxiety, helps me feel a lot better! I haven't had my B12 levels checked. Part of my tongue/lip has been numb off and on for the past 2 days. How long did your daughters numbness last?

[aspen2]

I think it started in the early part of a three week exam period .. left not that long after her final exam ... don't know how long it was, sorry.