Is it Anxiety or MS

[Gale]

I have been worried about this for years. I read that doctors have a hard time diagnosing the two. I heard the symptoms are so much alike. My only thing is that I have been told I have anxiety. So hard to believe it is anxiety becomes sometimes never goes away. Please help me out here. Scared.
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[Iugrad91]

Gale I know you are frustrated and scared, I’ve seen your other posts and I can tell you, you do not have MS. If you had MS for as long as you’ve had symptoms (if I remember it’s been at least 20 years?) you would have deteriorated significantly. Have you done anything to treat the anxiety like therapy or meds to see if they help your symptoms? Until you accept its anxiety and do something to change the way you think it won’t go away.

 

[blueberries]

Gale - have you have an MRI to rule out MS?

 

[Gale]

Gale - have you have an MRI to rule out MS?

Yes a long time ago.... I had 3 of them.

 

[JustMe]

Yes a long time ago.... I had 3 of them.

Then I would say anxiety!

 

[Gale]

Gale I know you are frustrated and scared, I’ve seen your other posts and I can tell you, you do not have MS. If you had MS for as long as you’ve had symptoms (if I remember it’s been at least 20 years?) you would have deteriorated significantly. Have you done anything to treat the anxiety like therapy or meds to see if they help your symptoms? Until you accept its anxiety and do something to change the way you think it won’t go away.

Lugrad it's been 40 yrs for me. Embarrassed to even tell you. But you are right I guess I would be alot more deteriorated. I do take meds don't think they help. My whole problem is denial.... cannot accept anxiety and what it does to the body. Thank you I wish I could be as positive as you. Appreciate your response.

 

[tgirl]

Gale, I do think acceptance is your issue. There is a guy named Dan Buglio ( Pain Free You) on Facebook that puts out videos every morning. I think you’d benefit from them. He talks about mind/body symptoms, and I find them encouraging. Check him out.

 

[Gale]

Gale, I do think acceptance is your issue. There is a guy named Dan Buglio ( Pain Free You) on Facebook that puts out videos every morning. I think you’d benefit from them. He talks about mind/body symptoms, and I find them encouraging. Check him out.

I certainly will. At this point I am at the end of my rope. Never know when I will feel good or crappy. Thank you so much for your input and advice.

 

[Squid Jones]

I have both. Been dealing with anxiety since 2003-ish and was diagnosed with MS in 2014. Anxiety is not at all like MS. You don't have MS. You just think you do. And if 3 MRIs have told doctors that you don't have it then really we're just talking about your refusal to accept that you don't have it. That's what you need to deal with.

 

[Iugrad91]

Gale trust me I get your difficulty in accepting it’s anxiety. That’s why most of us are here. I have trouble myself sometimes. But in the end you’ve been checked out and nothin has pointed to MS or any other problem. There is no test for anxiety, nothing that can definitively tell you that’s what it is. No blood test, no X-ray, no biopsy. That’s why it is so hard to accept. Meds can only do so much. Changing the way you react and think about your symptoms and sensations is the way to beat health anxiety. No medicine is going to be able to do that alone.

 

[Tryingtoheal]

I have both. Been dealing with anxiety since 2003-ish and was diagnosed with MS in 2014. Anxiety is not at all like MS. You don't have MS. You just think you do. And if 3 MRIs have told doctors that you don't have it then really we're just talking about your refusal to accept that you don't have it. That's what you need to deal with.

How is it like for you??? I am in the same boat of crippling anxiety and it's my 2nd year of MS fear. Had one MRI which was clear. My neuro and GP says I have anxiety but my physical sensations never let me have a relief. Pls help

 

[Gale]

I have both. Been dealing with anxiety since 2003-ish and was diagnosed with MS in 2014. Anxiety is not at all like MS. You don't have MS. You just think you do. And if 3 MRIs have told doctors that you don't have it then really we're just talking about your refusal to accept that you don't have it. That's what you need to deal with.

Thank you so much for your reply. I hope you are doing ok with your MS. MY sister-in-law has it and you would never know it. She lives a very full life. My best to you. Nn

Gale trust me I get your difficulty in accepting it’s anxiety. That’s why most of us are here. I have trouble myself sometimes. But in the end you’ve been checked out and nothin has pointed to MS or any other problem. There is no test for anxiety, nothing that can definitively tell you that’s what it is. No blood test, no X-ray, no biopsy. That’s why it is so hard to accept. Meds can only do so much. Changing the way you react and think about your symptoms and sensations is the way to beat health anxiety. No medicine is going to be able to do that alone.

You are so right it's up to me to make the change. My doctor wants me to go for CBT and see if that helps. I think anxiety is worse than having an actual disease!!!!

 

[Squid Jones]

Thank you so much for your reply. I hope you are doing ok with your MS. MY sister-in-law has it and you would never know it. She lives a very full life. My best to you. Nn

You are so right it's up to me to make the change. My doctor wants me to go for CBT and see if that helps. I think anxiety is worse than having an actual disease!!!!

Yeah the disease is manageable depending on the type. Like most people with MS do, your sis in law probably has relapsing/remitting MS. That's when the symptoms appear in flare-ups. With medication the flare-ups can be mitigated considerably. Unfortunately I have the other kind, which is called primary-progressive MS. With this type there are no flare-ups. I'm like this 24/7, every waking moment of every single day. And it will get progressively worse as I age.

But yeah you don't have it. If you did then an MRI would spot lesions on your brain and/or spinal cord. If you're free of lesions after having multiple MRIs over time then you simply don't have MS.

Do the CBT and try to overcome this irrational fear. I wish you the best. <3

 

[Certate]

My father has MS, he does well for having it for so long.

I would rather have anxiety then MS, even though sometimes anxiety can be pretty brutal and paralyzing.

MS is a tough condition and like others have said, a MRI will usually show it.

 

[Gale]

My father has MS, he does well for having it for so long.

I would rather have anxiety then MS, even though sometimes anxiety can be pretty brutal and paralyzing.

MS is a tough condition and like others have said, a MRI will usually show it.

Thanks for replying. I think MS is a disease that we don't know enough about. Maybe that's why a lot of us think we have it. God Bless your Dad!!