MS Anxiety Ruining my Life

[Ebbandflow]

I'm a hypocondriac but more specifically I am terrified of having MS, largely due to some symptoms I have been having.
I do not know where else to turn for advice, my doctors have not been of much help.

Rarity:

It does not run in my family and I am a healthy 24 year old male, I am into bodybuilding and nutrition.
In my country (Australia) approximately 23,000 people are living with MS and if MS affects women twice as much as men then 1/3rd of that is about 7700
If I do have MS, it would likely be the benign or 'mild' form based on my symptoms, which is estimated at about 10-15% of patients experiencing MS.
This means out of a population in my country of 23 million people, there are about 770 males with mild MS. I still worry I could add to that number.

Symptoms

Symptoms have been persistent for about a month now.
I had a similar bout of the same exact symptoms about 2 years ago and they went away after a short time and never returned until now.

• - Soft vibrating/tingling/hair touching/crawling sensation in my lower right leg and sometimes left, they come and go throughout the day and are completely absent some days.
  (Sometimes i feel it in my right arm too but not always).
  - Mild to moderate brain fog/decline in cognitive function and memory.
  - Lack of energy/libido (diagnosed as anxiety or depression).
  - Dizziness when moving fast (Diagnosed as Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo) due to the presence of Nystagmus.

Tests and Doc Visits

When i approached my doctor with my symptoms and mentioned the possibility of MS, she basically laughed and said that is the last thing she would consider and that is is extremely rare.
She attributed my symptoms including tingling to anxiety and an inner ear disorder.

She had general blood work done and there were a few abnormalities, my iron was slightly high and my Bilirubin count was high (it was normal on my last blood test).
There was also blood work done for autoimmune screening, i believe it was the CRP or ESR inflammation count.
She said it was higher than the normal range , but she was not worried about it at all and wouldn't be unless it was something like 160. I think it was 60 or 90 but i cannot remember the details.

So here i am with vibrations and tingling in my legs and arms as i write this and the doctor says it's nothing to worry about.
He also told me that even they get tingling in their legs and feet from time to time, it is just something that happens and said it is related to the immune system and generally happens after you get sick with a virus (i did have a flu just before this tingling started happening).

So i'm looking for support through this forum, hoping to get some opinions and perhaps some advice on whether i should get MRI scans or spinal taps done?
Do you think i am a candidate for MS based on my experiences so far?

[ElliotB]

"Worry is like a rocking chair-it keeps you busy but gets you nowhere."



There are about 400 illnesses that mimic the symptoms of MS. Let the doctors do their jobs so they can come up with the correct diagnosis.

[lyndacarol]

Tests and Doc Visits

When i approached my doctor with my symptoms and mentioned the possibility of MS, she basically laughed and said that is the last thing she would consider and that is is extremely rare.
She attributed my symptoms including tingling to anxiety and an inner ear disorder.

She had general blood work done and there were a few abnormalities, my iron was slightly high and my Bilirubin count was high (it was normal on my last blood test).
There was also blood work done for autoimmune screening, i believe it was the CRP or ESR inflammation count.
She said it was higher than the normal range , but she was not worried about it at all and wouldn't be unless it was something like 160. I think it was 60 or 90 but i cannot remember the details.

So here i am with vibrations and tingling in my legs and arms as i write this and the doctor says it's nothing to worry about.
He also told me that even they get tingling in their legs and feet from time to time, it is just something that happens and said it is related to the immune system and generally happens after you get sick with a virus (i did have a flu just before this tingling started happening).

So i'm looking for support through this forum, hoping to get some opinions and perhaps some advice on whether i should get MRI scans or spinal taps done?
Do you think i am a candidate for MS based on my experiences so far?

Welcome to ThisIsMS, Ebbandflow.

ElliotB is correct: your symptoms are common to many conditions. And your doctor was correct when she said that it is the last thing to be considered as a possible cause of your symptoms.

In my opinion, you should begin by testing for the most likely, most prevalent possibilities:

Have you had a vitamin D test (the "25-hydroxy D" test)? This test is not included in routine blood testing; it must be specifically requested. Over 1/2 of the world's population is deficient in vitamin D.

Has your doctor tested for a possible vitamin B12 deficiency? Initial testing should include these 4 tests: a serum B12 test, RBC folate test, a serum homocysteine test, and a methylmalonic acid test. B12 deficiency is very common; it is estimated that 40% of the American population has suboptimal levels of B12 (I don't have the data for Australia.).

Either a vitamin D deficiency or a vitamin B12 deficiency can result in symptoms such as yours. If you are tested, request your own copy of the test results – it is important to have the actual numbers.

[Ebbandflow]

Tests and Doc Visits

When i approached my doctor with my symptoms and mentioned the possibility of MS, she basically laughed and said that is the last thing she would consider and that is is extremely rare.
She attributed my symptoms including tingling to anxiety and an inner ear disorder.

She had general blood work done and there were a few abnormalities, my iron was slightly high and my Bilirubin count was high (it was normal on my last blood test).
There was also blood work done for autoimmune screening, i believe it was the CRP or ESR inflammation count.
She said it was higher than the normal range , but she was not worried about it at all and wouldn't be unless it was something like 160. I think it was 60 or 90 but i cannot remember the details.

So here i am with vibrations and tingling in my legs and arms as i write this and the doctor says it's nothing to worry about.
He also told me that even they get tingling in their legs and feet from time to time, it is just something that happens and said it is related to the immune system and generally happens after you get sick with a virus (i did have a flu just before this tingling started happening).

So i'm looking for support through this forum, hoping to get some opinions and perhaps some advice on whether i should get MRI scans or spinal taps done?
Do you think i am a candidate for MS based on my experiences so far?

Welcome to ThisIsMS, Ebbandflow.

ElliotB is correct: your symptoms are common to many conditions. And your doctor was correct when she said that it is the last thing to be considered as a possible cause of your symptoms.

In my opinion, you should begin by testing for the most likely, most prevalent possibilities:

Have you had a vitamin D test (the "25-hydroxy D" test)? This test is not included in routine blood testing; it must be specifically requested. Over 1/2 of the world's population is deficient in vitamin D.

Has your doctor tested for a possible vitamin B12 deficiency? Initial testing should include these 4 tests: a serum B12 test, RBC folate test, a serum homocysteine test, and a methylmalonic acid test. B12 deficiency is very common; it is estimated that 40% of the American population has suboptimal levels of B12 (I don't have the data for Australia.).

Either a vitamin D deficiency or a vitamin B12 deficiency can result in symptoms such as yours. If you are tested, request your own copy of the test results – it is important to have the actual numbers.

Hello, so she did do a Vitamin D and B12 test in the testing and said it was ok.

I don't have the actual numbers for it though.

Not sure about the other tests you mentioned.

[lyndacarol]

Hello, so she did do a Vitamin D and B12 test in the testing and said it was ok.

I don't have the actual numbers for it though.

Not sure about the other tests you mentioned.

Is it possible for you to call your doctor's office and request that a copy of your test results be sent to you? It is really important to have the actual numbers.

There is great variation in the reference ranges used by labs to determine what is "normal" or "ok." For example, in the US a serum B12 level of about 200 pg/mL is considered "normal" in many labs, but there is a growing consensus among the experts that this should be considered deficient. In Japan, any serum B12 level below 500 pg/mL is considered to be deficient (and is treated as such).

In other words, if you have a B12 level of 300 in the US, many doctors will think this is fine; in Japan, you would be deficient and treated. At the very least, it is better to be "high" normal, rather than "low" normal for these nutrient tests. You need to know where your numbers are in respect to the standard reference range.

[Scott1]

Hi,

Have a good look at your body building regime. I think whilst you spend your time worrying about big muscles you are ignoring little ones. Try a few yoga or pilates classes and see what your flexibility is like. I've seen professional sportsman shake like jelly in pilates classes because they ignored the little muscles. That's more likely to be your problem.

Regards,