Nonspecific Symptoms

[betsy354]

I am a student home from college on winter break. I am a bit of a hypochondriac so I thought that I should get some second opinions before I take this to the doctor. For the past few days I have been having tingles similar to pins and needles in my feet and hands. I also have been getting random muscle twitches since noticing the pins and needles.  I wonder if the twitchiness is due to my lack of exercise, or because I am nervous about the tingles.  I eat poorly at school so I wonder if the random symptoms have something to do with a vitamin deficiency. I am also lactose intolerant, which may have something to do with vitamin absorption. There is no history of neurological and muscle related genetic disorders in my family at all. Just wondering if I should go to the doctor for a blood test/any diagnostic tool. Thanks for reading!

[betsy354]

Awesome! Thank you so much. I always assume the worse, something like MS or ALS or some other progressive disease that would completely alter my life. I will definitely improve my lifestyle and see if the tingling improves.

[Caryopteris]

I would improve your eating habits, adding lots of fruits, vegetables, and lean meats/poultry/fish.  Focus on healthier carbs when you eat them, instead of eating a lot of junk.  Do exercise to increase blood circulation and improve posture.  Include walking or running and weight training, although don't go overboard and get hurt like guys tend to do.  If the pins and needles and twitches don't resolve within 2 weeks of this program, it's probably time to see the doctor.  It may take a couple of weeks to get in, so by the time you get in, your muscle tone should be good and you won't feel guilty about being out of shape (if you were out of shape).  Docs can be lazy and blame the patient for problems instead of working to find causes.  That's how you can end up feeling like a hypochondriac.