MS Worries are Back.

[Concerned-pa]

I was a regular poster over on anxiety central, but it appears that it's down since I was last there.

I'm a 34 yr old male.

Anyways, I went through a bunch of issues from February until April. First I thought it was MS, then ALS, then back to MS. I was having tingling in my extremities, often light and subtle but sometimes more noticeable. Additionally, my right thigh was tight and weak feeling. This went on for a few months and I had a full upper and lower EMG that was clean, brain MRI that was clean and had a neurologist give me the clear on MS. However, after the symptoms going away in May and June, I woke up the other night with some fain tingling in my hands and forearms that has been off an on now since. Plus I just feel overly weak again.

I should also note that this first all coincided with hurting my lower back back in February so we thought it might be a bulging disc but I haven't had an MRI to confirm this. My back still hurts and now the symptoms are coming back elsewhere. however part of me feels like this could be an MS relapse given that it's been about 60 days.

What should I do?

 

[adamden]

Hi Concerned-pa, welcome to the forum first of all. It’s nice to see you moving over from Anxiety Central since it went down again. Hoping they get it back up soon.
I can assure you don’t have MS. Like I said to another poster here earlier on, my mom’s best friend has MS, and tingling was actually not one of her first symptoms. Balance and gait issues were her first symptom. The tingling is a very common symptom of anxiety, and you may have even just slept on your arm funny the other night. I can assure you you’re fine man!

 

[Zeynep]

I know the same fear. Cancer first. MS Then the brain hemorrhage and now ALS. My body is twitching everywhere. I wonder if this time Als? I am a patient of anxiety panic attacks and obsessive compulsive.

 

[matisworried]

i was seeing an ENT for hearing related issues and he ordered an MRI of the brain to rule out tumor (i have one-sided hearing loss which is considered abnormal.) during the scan, they found a small white matter lesion in my left frontal lobe. these can be incidental findings and more times than not, are nothing. i was referred to a neurologist by my ENT who assured me it was nothing. after a battery of in-office tests (balance tests, etc.) the neurologist told me several things: 1.) the "M" in MS is for the "MULTIPLE" lesions the MS brain develops: you had ZERO! therefore it is impossible for you to have MS. 2.) some of the first symptoms to appear involve your balance and gait. you've mentioned no issues there.

tingling in the hands, especially after you wake up usually stems from sleeping on them or having your limbs bent at a goofy angle while you sleep. i STILL wake up daily with my left hand full of pins and needles and it wasn't until recently that i discovered it's because i tend to sleep with that wrist bent at a pretty extreme angle.

here's a trick that works for me: if you're experiencing "symptoms", get up and do something. go for walk... play video games... mow your yard... do something that occupies, at the very least, your brain (better if you can occupy your body.) if you don't experience symptoms during this time, it's probably your anxiety playing tricks on you.

 

[Flapjack]

I’m also concerned about MS. I am having twitches, nerve pain in random places all over my body, and anxiety. The anxiety gets worse with each new twitch or nerve tingle. The problem just spirals out of control.

I have no visual symptoms that I can tell and no balance issues, but something is definitely out of the ordinary.

 

[matisworried]

I’m also concerned about MS. I am having twitches, nerve pain in random places all over my body, and anxiety. The anxiety gets worse with each new twitch or nerve tingle. The problem just spirals out of control.

I have no visual symptoms that I can tell and no balance issues, but something is definitely out of the ordinary.

when you're experiencing this stuff, get up and get busy! i bet you'll find your symptoms disappear until you start thinking about them! twitching... random pains and tingles... all symptoms of anxiety!

 

[Zeynep]

I have tingling on my soles. I'm tired and my whole body's been twitching for two months. Please get Anxiety: '(

 

[Concerned-pa]

Thanks, everyone. The right thigh tightness general tiredness is back like it was a few months ago. No explanation why.

 

[matisworried]

I have tingling on my soles. I'm tired and my whole body's been twitching for two months. Please get Anxiety: '(

if it eases your mind, ms symptoms tend to affect one side of the body.

 

[matisworried]

Thanks, everyone. The right thigh tightness general tiredness is back like it was a few months ago. No explanation why.

first off, there are hundreds of minor things that could cause both of your symptoms that are much, much more common than ms. for starters, your anxiety could cause both of those symptoms... especially the general tiredness. leg tighteness is usually due to dehydration, low potassium (eat a few bananas!) or deconditioning (not being in excellent shape)

 

[Zeynep]

Actually, that's the problem. I guess I'm not MS .. I'm afraid of ALS. Too many symptoms. Can Anxiety ???

 

[matisworried]

Actually, that's the problem. I guess I'm not MS .. I'm afraid of ALS. Too many symptoms. Can Anxiety ???

anxiety can absolutely cause your symptoms.

 

[AnxiousBean]

My anxiety often causes what you're describing. It usually goes away when I am feeling safe, happy and distracted. When I get anxious again... it comes back. I was feeling the symptoms really bad at work one day. I thought I was having a heart attack because it originated in my left arm. It lasted for a few days but then went away. It seems to come out of nowhere, but anxiety lives in the back of our minds. We may not be focused on it 24/7, but it plays in the background like bloatware apps on a cellphone. I hope you feel better soon and take comfort in knowing your not alone!

 

[Concerned-pa]

Thanks everyone. Just will have to wait it out. I'm definitely a lot more sore these past few weeks, tired, and run down. Could be anxiety, could be a lot if things.