fears of MS, hard to move on

[lukeypoo1412]

Hello I am a new member here. I have suffered from anxiety my whole life, although it has been usually been pretty minor. Recently, in the last six months I have really began to have horrible health anxiety. 6 months ago, I began to see floaters in my eyes, and I became convinced that I had lymphoma. More recently, I woke up one morning and I couldn't feel my right leg. The next few days after that I experienced numbness and tingling in my feet and hands, and became convinced that this time I had MS. I was tired all of the time, was constantly worried, couldn't sleep, and even got muscle twitches/spasms. I went to the neurologist, and he said I had probably gotten some sort of short-term AUTO IMMUNE flare up and was going to be okay. However, I insisted he check me out for MS so I had an MRI done of both my head and neck. A few days ago, I got the results and they turned out to be normal. All this time I was convinced I had something wrong with me and now it is tough for me to turn the page. I still experience some of the symptoms, especially when anxious, including the muscle spasms. Since it wasn't MS, I often find myself thinking it must be something even worse. It is affecting my daily life and i cannot focus in school. Just today, I got some sort of spasm that lasted a few seconds in my hand and it initiated an anxiety attack. I am having a huge difficulty moving on from this ordeal and believing I am okay, I am only 21.

[Enduronman]

I have suffered from anxiety my whole life. I began to see floaters in my eyes. More recently, I woke up one morning and I couldn't feel my right leg. The next few days after that I experienced numbness and tingling in my feet and hands. I was tired all of the time. got muscle twitches/spasms. I went to the neurologist, AUTO IMMUNE flare up. I had an MRI done of both my head and neck. muscle spasms. Since it wasn't MS, I often find myself thinking it must be something even worse. It is affecting my daily life.. I got some sort of spasm..

You're training your brain, and forming pathways for anxiety, by repetitive thought possibly created by some ice bucket challenge...I've seen this same fear here, dozens of times since then.
Suggestion, get in to see your GP and treat the anxiety/hypochondria with some medications and go speak to a Psych about these constant fears. That's where you'll get some relief.
Have hope for a better day.

E-Man :)

[lukeypoo1412]

E-man- Thanks for the reply. I read your story. I am inspired that you can remain so positive and support others while you are going through such a difficult time yourself. I wish you the best going forward. I am currently taking buspirone to help with the anxious thoughts. In addition I am seeing a school counselor, although I am not sure how much that helps. Would a psych be more helpful?

Lukeypoo

[JustaGal]

E-man- Thanks for the reply. I read your story. I am inspired that you can remain so positive and support others while you are going through such a difficult time yourself. I wish you the best going forward. I am currently taking buspirone to help with the anxious thoughts. In addition I am seeing a school counselor, although I am not sure how much that helps. Would a psych be more helpful?

Lukeypoo

I just started buspirone as well. How is it working for you? Side effects?

[lukeypoo1412]

I just started buspirone as well. How is it working for you? Side effects?

I didn't notice it until after a few weeks. It does give some relief from constant anxiety. I think I need some more help on the cbt side. I noticed dizziness as the main side effect, feeling loopy. I usually get that feeling for about an hour. It is reduced when you take with food. How is it working for you?

[JustaGal]

I didn't notice it until after a few weeks. It does give some relief from constant anxiety. I think I need some more help on the cbt side. I noticed dizziness as the main side effect, feeling loopy. I usually get that feeling for about an hour. It is reduced when you take with food. How is it working for you?

I barely feel the dizziness, doesn't bother me. Only been two weeks, so I do feel that it is some help. I am wondering if it makes me feel extremely tired sometimes. But I think it is my body recovering from the anxiety and insomnia for the last 4 months. I am staying with it for now. I do take a little chip of atavan if I need it.

This last episode has been 4 months, but I have always had anxiety and depression lingering..

[lukeypoo1412]

Don't worry, you aren't the only one recovering from anxiety. I have felt tired the last two months after I had a few attacks. Anxious sleep doesn't do much to help your body recover. I am waiting for the fatigue to pass as well. Just over two months for me.

[JustaGal]

Don't worry, you aren't the only one recovering from anxiety. I have felt tired the last two months after I had a few attacks. Anxious sleep doesn't do much to help your body recover. I am waiting for the fatigue to pass as well. Just over two months for me.

Thanks - I am relieved at times to know I am not alone. I read these post and amazed how common thoughts and symptoms are. Keep me posted on you progress.

[estriv]

Hi Lukeypoo,

I find your post interesting as I can relate to you a lot. I am 20 years old.

My symptoms started last year when I was in middle of exams and I got hit by a headache that lasted 2 weeks. Seemed out of the normal so that is where my anxiety started. Of course I assumed I was hit by a brain tumor but doctors assured me I did not have it. A few weeks later as I was getting into bed I suddenly got a sharp pain in my eye and I got a weird sort of a numb/puffy feeling in my cheek with it. The feeling in the cheek ended up staying a few months and at times spread to top half of my head and also one ear. During those months I was constantly worried and had anxiety to a point where I was in bed shaking. During those months I also started feeling other symptoms such as sudden sharp pains in my head that lasted a second and chest pains etc. Also I got pins and needles very often. All that was happening during October 2013-Jan/Feb 2014.

From then on I was fine (with no major symptoms maybe occasionally the numbness was present but nothing that got me worrying again) until about last month when I stumbled across MS. And all of a sudden I was worried I might have MS (it was amazing how many boxes I ticked for people who are more likely to get it (craziest being people who are from northern europe and move to a certain zone (New zealand was on list) before the age of 15. And as it happened I am from Estonia (northern europe) and moved to New zealand at age of 10) and my symptoms).

Very quickly my weird feeling on the cheek came back, I got my sharp pains in the head back. I started feeling other symptoms of MS ( such as weakness in legs, pins and needles and loss of balance) although the weakness in legs and loss of balance were so insignificant I couldn't tell if I was actually experiencing them or just imagining it. I also have some other symptoms such as eye aches, chest pain, and my cheek now also sometimes aches and twitches although these last symptoms are less common.

I am planning to under go some tests next month to hopefully rule MS out, although I think I just have anxiety I can't help but keep thinking about this. And it is starting to get very annoying because it is starting to interfere with my university etc.

Anyway, keen to keep hearing how you going and what other symptoms people experience
'

[lukeypoo1412]

estriv- Your symptoms do match up with my own. I think it's a good idea that you are going to get some tests. I am sure your anxiety has a lot to do with this, but it doesn't hurt to get some tests done and hear it from your doctor. At times, my anxiety does affect my schoolwork and that is a big problem for me as well! Hope your tests go well and that you can stop thinking about your health constantly.