Do I have PPMS or am I crazy

[KoKo]

Thank you for the replies kind people. You are really helping me.

Robert ~ it does help to share our issues, and have others 'listen' and try to understand.

If my visual symptoms persist I will be geting a VEP and a consultation from a neuro-ophthalmologist.

Sounds like a good plan.

As with the numbness... Hopefully it won't progress further.

Stay physically active, as your neuros have suggested, and take good care of your mental and emotional health as well. Maybe the numbness will subside - it could happen, you never know.

Take Care

[karenin08]

For those of you who use Ambien (zolpidem), do the neurological symptoms improve after you have the dose of 10 mg?
My numbness improves when I have my nightly dose of 0.5 mg of Xanax and Ambien.
Did this phenomenon happen to any of you?

In regards to my eye symptoms. I will be doing a VEP and have a neuro-ophthalmologist check my eyes in around 10 days.

Wondered about the pain in your eyes specific for Optic Neuritis. During the day I have a mild discomfort in my right eye. The discomfort gets a bit more unsettling when I move my eyes left-right, up-down several times really fast. I asked other people like my mom to do the same movements and she said she feels some mild discomfort also if she does it long enough.

Is the discomfort natural because I strain my eye's muscles with the movement or is it more serious? I feel the strain more in my right eye where I have miopic astigmatism. Can my refractive error cause a higher strain when I perform this right-left-up-down movement?

Thank you again for your support.

[KoKo]

My numbness improves when I have my nightly dose of 0.5 mg of Xanax and Ambien.

Robert ~

Just to be clear, are you saying that your numb (loss of feeling) arm/leg regain their feeling after using Xanax and Ambien together?

Thanks

[karenin08]

Robert ~

Just to be clear, are you saying that your numb (loss of feeling) arm/leg regain their feeling after using Xanax and Ambien together?

Thanks

Yep. Not totally but way better. I am a gamer and I play Dota 2. It's getting harder and harder to make those small and precise mouse movements that are required in-game. But this gets better if I am under the influence of Ambien.

The big problem with this is that I cannot remember the things I do, so I am not functional like that either.

[Seasha]

Hi Robert -

Because you use Xanax, I assume it was prescribed for an anxiety disorder? Did you know that numbness and tingly feelings can be one of the symptoms of anxiety?

From AnxietyCentre.com, it describes this problem:

"Tingling, pins and needles, paresthesia anxiety symptoms feelings anywhere on or in the body.

Since each body is somewhat chemically unique, each person can experience anxiety symptoms in a unique way. With that in mind, the tingly, tingling, pins and needles anxiety symptoms are often described as:

You feel:

A tingling sensation anywhere on or in the body, including the hands, feet, fingers, toes, head, face, arms, chest, back, groin, mouth, etc.
A pins and needles feeling, numbness, pressure, or trembling sensations on or in your arms, hands, legs, feet, head, face, or anywhere on or in the body.
A paresthesia feeling anywhere on or in the body.
A tingling numbness, prickly feeling anywhere on or in the body.

You might experience one, many, or all of these sensations."

You can read more here https://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiet...-needles.shtml

[karenin08]

Hi Robert -

Because you use Xanax, I assume it was prescribed for an anxiety disorder? Did you know that numbness and tingly feelings can be one of the symptoms of anxiety?

From AnxietyCentre.com, it describes this problem:

"Tingling, pins and needles, paresthesia anxiety symptoms feelings anywhere on or in the body.

Since each body is somewhat chemically unique, each person can experience anxiety symptoms in a unique way. With that in mind, the tingly, tingling, pins and needles anxiety symptoms are often described as:

You feel:

A tingling sensation anywhere on or in the body, including the hands, feet, fingers, toes, head, face, arms, chest, back, groin, mouth, etc.
A pins and needles feeling, numbness, pressure, or trembling sensations on or in your arms, hands, legs, feet, head, face, or anywhere on or in the body.
A paresthesia feeling anywhere on or in the body.
A tingling numbness, prickly feeling anywhere on or in the body.

You might experience one, many, or all of these sensations."

You can read more here https://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiet...-needles.shtml

You are right. I have a history of psychiatric diagnoses, but I find it hard to believe the progressive numbness that started 5 years is due to anxiety. I had very good moments psychiatrically speaking during the last 5 years and my anxiety is generally not present.

The shrink gave me Xanax so I can sleep. The last couple of years I would go to bed at 4-5-6 am and wake up in the evening. Believe it or not I can't remember the last time I have fallen asleep before 2 am. I should live where most of you people live, I could be active during the day. 😂

My MS related anxiety started when a physiotherapist told me he does not believe my right side numbness is due to herniated disc. After that I started researching and found MS, kinda the only disorder that can explain my general numbness.

Of course I am the person who most wishes not to have this disease. Judging by my mental health, which has been super down the last couple of months, I know I would not be as strong as you people are and proceed to hang myself. I have never been suicidal before. I actually like life and do not intend killing myself if I do not have a serious neurological disease. I am just a weak person who can enjoy life only if they have good health, money, people etc.

In regards to the anxiety hypothesis which I pray it is right...
If numbness is caused by anxiety shouldn't the numbness fade away in 5 years like anxiety did?

My shrink diagnosed me with 321 which is the code for major depressive disorder but he never mentioned anxiety as an element in pathology.

I kinda tend to believe the cause must be one of the following
1. Herniated disc + functional neurological disorder
2. Only functional neurological disorder
3. PPMS

Does it sound like a valid conclusion to what I have? At those momments I wonder if I can be logical, I might be missing something like the neuros bu can not image what.

P.S. in regards to the Uhthoff phenomena. I know heat is good for back problems but can worsen the symptoms of MS. I kinda do not enjoy heat that much. I go 2 times weekly to the sauna and when I get out I feel without energy and my limbs feel a bit heavier than normal. After that I swim in a cold swiming pool and feel more energized. My mom told me it's normal to feel drained after you stay in a 90 degrees sauna for 10 min.

Is the heat intolerance in MS much more pronounced to the point where you can definitely feel way worse after a sauna or can it be a mild form of the Uhthoff phenomena?

[karenin08]

Hi Robert -

Because you use Xanax, I assume it was prescribed for an anxiety disorder? Did you know that numbness and tingly feelings can be one of the symptoms of anxiety?

From AnxietyCentre.com, it describes this problem:

"Tingling, pins and needles, paresthesia anxiety symptoms feelings anywhere on or in the body.

Since each body is somewhat chemically unique, each person can experience anxiety symptoms in a unique way. With that in mind, the tingly, tingling, pins and needles anxiety symptoms are often described as:

You feel:

A tingling sensation anywhere on or in the body, including the hands, feet, fingers, toes, head, face, arms, chest, back, groin, mouth, etc.
A pins and needles feeling, numbness, pressure, or trembling sensations on or in your arms, hands, legs, feet, head, face, or anywhere on or in the body.
A paresthesia feeling anywhere on or in the body.
A tingling numbness, prickly feeling anywhere on or in the body.

You might experience one, many, or all of these sensations."

You can read more here https://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiet...-needles.shtml

Forgot to point out in my last post that as I am writing to you folks I pour hot water in my bathtub so that the temperature raises, the steam appears and I am observing if my numbness becomes more pronounced.

Until now my numbness remains the same which is a good sign I guess.

[karenin08]

Just came from the swimming pool which also has several saunas. After leaving the sauna to go swimming my feet were like jelly and I felt exausted to the point that I could barely swim.

[KoKo]

Is the heat intolerance in MS much more pronounced to the point where you can definitely feel way worse after a sauna or can it be a mild form of the Uhthoff phenomena?

Hi Robert ~

My experience has been that my heat intolerance worsened in severity and frequency as my MS neurological deficits increased and worsened (progression).

Take Care

[karenin08]

Do any of you have improvements in numbness if you lay down on your belly or that might point out I need spine surgery for hernias and do not have MS?

Thank you!

[Seasha]

My experience is that the numbness I have does not go away in any position I'm in. You might want to see a spine specialist if you haven't already.

Take care~