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Can Someone Help Describe the Severity of Parathesia with MS?

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    Can Someone Help Describe the Severity of Parathesia with MS?

    Hi there! I apologize in advance, as I am not yet diagnosed with MS but am looking for some insight prior to my MRI. My left side has been feeling tingly the past few weeks, and I find my feet "falling asleep" much more than usual. My left side of my face has an ever so slight numbness to it (so slight that it kinda feels like I'm making it up) and the tingling in the left side of my body is also pretty subtle, but I still keep noticing it.

    I'm curious if it's anxiety just kind of making up this parathesia symptom because it's not very intense. But I wanted to hear from others about what MS parathesia actually feels like in terms of how noticeable it is. Like does it feel as intense as when your foot totally falls asleep, except all the time and all over? Or is it more slight like what I'm experiencing? The feeling is constant, and I cannot stop thinking about it.

    As I was diagnosed with anxiety just 2 years ago (heart palpitations, tight chest, shaky hands), at first I thought the tingling was just anxiety, even though it's the first time I've ever had a symptom like it. However, since it's almost only on the left side of my body, and I also have a history of autoimmune disorders (hypothyroid, but levels are good) and migraines with aura, I'm wondering if there's something more to this. Could it be that I've had MS the past few years and the anxiety is actually a symptom? Alas, I'm absolutely petrified I have MS. And thoughts or words of insight would be so very appreciated Also, I'm a 24 year old white female living in the US, which I know falls right within the "typical demographics" so that terrifies me too.

    #2
    Hi dani.

    Anxiety can cause a whole host of physical symptoms. I do hope your anxiety is being treated. Abnormal sensations are normal for those with MS. All of us experience them differently.

    When your foot falls asleep does it feel better after moving it?

    There is no symptom exclusive to this disease. Many conditions can cause similar symptoms.
    Diagnosed 1984
    “Lightworkers aren’t here to avoid the darkness…they are here to transform the darkness through the illuminating power of love.” Muses from a mystic

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      #3
      Originally posted by SNOOPY View Post
      Hi dani.

      Anxiety can cause a whole host of physical symptoms. I do hope your anxiety is being treated. Abnormal sensations are normal for those with MS. All of us experience them differently.

      When your foot falls asleep does it feel better after moving it?

      There is no symptom exclusive to this disease. Many conditions can cause similar symptoms.
      Yes so with the falling asleep it stops when I move it so I guess that's kinda unrelated? But the tingling on my left side is persistent, but it's really dull.

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        #4
        I have it constantly in right hand up to shoulder. For me, it was chronic, started in hand and wrist, many years later, into forearm and shoulder. For me, it is more like when your foot starts to relieve some tingling once it wakes up.

        That being said, it is different for many people. The more you are aware of it, sometimes, the more you look for it.

        What techniques do you use to help with anxiety? You may want to work more on it as you wait for testing. Hopefully it is anxiety induced, but even if it did turn out to be MS, you want to manage your anxiety.
        Kathy
        DX 01/06, currently on Tysabri

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          #5
          Originally posted by pennstater View Post
          I have it constantly in right hand up to shoulder. For me, it was chronic, started in hand and wrist, many years later, into forearm and shoulder. For me, it is more like when your foot starts to relieve some tingling once it wakes up.

          That being said, it is different for many people. The more you are aware of it, sometimes, the more you look for it.

          What techniques do you use to help with anxiety? You may want to work more on it as you wait for testing. Hopefully it is anxiety induced, but even if it did turn out to be MS, you want to manage your anxiety.
          Yes, so I do regular CBT and I used to be on Zoloft (got off in January). I got off the medication 6 months ago because I was feeling good for the past year.

          My numbness/tingling isn't as intense as the foot waking back up feeling, and it's so slight that I'm wondering if I could just be making it up. But it's definitely there to some extent on my left side.

          Comment


            #6
            What you are describing sounds more like a stroke. Numbness can be caused by lots of conditions. The only way to find out is to tell your doctor.

            There are so many people of this website self diagnosing themselves with MS. I ask, why do you want this diagnosis? The tiny payoff is that you can assure everyone that you are not crazy and supposedly lift your status in life.

            But, once you get a diagnosis, then everyone still thinks multiple sclerosis is equivalent to multiple personalities or bipolar. The ignorance about this disease is widespread. Even police do not know anything about MS unless they themselves are diagnosed. When I told my son and my ex-husband about my MRI results that were conclusive to MS, the first thing my ex-husband asked me was, does that mean you will go crazy? He is an educated professional. My son cried because he was in physical therapy school and he learned about this.

            I had all kinds of symptoms but I kept reassuring myself that no doctor had sent me for an MRI of my brain so ‘at least I don’t have MS’. After my bladder stopped functioning, they asked me, “do you have any neurological problems?” I said, “absolutely not” or something to that effect. I got this diagnosis kicking and screaming. Once you tell people you have MS, you suddenly become a ‘non-person’. If it is “just anxiety” rejoice. I mean it!

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              #7
              Originally posted by palmtree View Post
              What you are describing sounds more like a stroke. Numbness can be caused by lots of conditions. The only way to find out is to tell your doctor.

              There are so many people of this website self diagnosing themselves with MS. I ask, why do you want this diagnosis? The tiny payoff is that you can assure everyone that you are not crazy and supposedly lift your status in life.

              But, once you get a diagnosis, then everyone still thinks multiple sclerosis is equivalent to multiple personalities or bipolar. The ignorance about this disease is widespread. Even police do not know anything about MS unless they themselves are diagnosed. When I told my son and my ex-husband about my MRI results that were conclusive to MS, the first thing my ex-husband asked me was, does that mean you will go crazy? He is an educated professional. My son cried because he was in physical therapy school and he learned about this.

              I had all kinds of symptoms but I kept reassuring myself that no doctor had sent me for an MRI of my brain so ‘at least I don’t have MS’. After my bladder stopped functioning, they asked me, “do you have any neurological problems?” I said, “absolutely not” or something to that effect. I got this diagnosis kicking and screaming. Once you tell people you have MS, you suddenly become a ‘non-person’. If it is “just anxiety” rejoice. I mean it!
              Oh I definitely don't want the diagnosis, but I want to make sure I'm going into the doctor appointment as informed as possible. The last thing I want is for them to say "eh it's just anxiety" without any testing, so I wanted to make sure in advance that there is a possibility of it being something more.

              Comment


                #8
                I understand. That makes a lot of sense.

                When I finally got referred for a diagnosis my right leg was feeling weak. But, even then, the doctor didn’t consider MS. I went into the neurologist shaking like a leaf and told her I just want to make sure I don’t have MS.

                She’s examined me. My hands could not stop shaking no matter how hard I tried. She tested the strength in my right leg and sent me for an MRI. She said, “you don’t have MS.” I was so relieved.

                I went for an MRI and it showed three large demyelination plaques in the white matter with Dawson’s fingers. I had researched what MS MRI results say so when I read that I knew my life as I knew it was over. My primary care doctor admitted that I had MS. The neurologist said I believe that the best option would be to treat. (Still no definitive diagnosis). I started Avonex.

                I admit I had started reading everything on this site so I knew about ON. In the middle of the summer I looked out the window and the bright sunshine make everything in my right eye go white. I thought I am just reading too much of MSWorld and ignored it. But it started hurting and kept getting worse.

                I went to ER and the doctor told me to go buy some liquid tears. I insisted that he call my neurologist. She was on call and ordered him to start IVSM. He was blown away by her urgent response. An hour later she came in and said I was going to be in the hospital for 5 days. The next morning she came into my hospital room and said, almost excitedly, you have it. The MRI shows inflammation in your right eye. You have ON. I couldn’t believe the red carpet treatment I was getting. Doctors get excited when they see a textbook case of something. They don’t think about the fact that they are going to send you off with a diagnosis that will change your life forever in profound ways.

                But back to your original question. The doctor will not take numbness seriously unless an entire limb is completely numb or if it is accompanied by weakness. Even then, it is not definitive of MS.

                What made my case a textbook case was that the year before I had to go to a urologist and he found out my bladder was not emptying. So if you have bladder problems that could be part of the equation.

                I really hope you do not have MS. But I believe the best course of action is to wait until there is no doubt something big is wrong. And, even then, mention it causually. If you go into a doctor with a self diagnosis that is when they will brush you off. Since we have internet, patients are becoming so informed that doctor’s egos are sensitive. They want to be the ones to come up with the answers.

                Either way we have to live our lives. MS treatments can only slow the progression of the disease marginally and they come with big risks and side effects. The choice is to live with uncertainty about what is wrong or getting diagnosed with an incurable illness. Not like winning the lottery. Maybe someday that will be different.

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                  #9
                  Originally posted by dani7 View Post
                  Oh I definitely don't want the diagnosis, but I want to make sure I'm going into the doctor appointment as informed as possible. The last thing I want is for them to say "eh it's just anxiety" without any testing, so I wanted to make sure in advance that there is a possibility of it being something more.
                  I am not sure you want to bring up MS. Neuros, as well as other docs really don't like when people self-diagnose and are more likely to lean towards anxiety then. At least that seems to be the case from reading people in limbo experience. I had an abnormal clinical exam and also a classic MS symptom called L'Hermites. That is when an MRI was ordered.

                  If your clinical exam was normal and your medical history is not indicative of CNS problems, you may not get an MRI. Rather than mention MS, push to ask the neuro what could be causing the numbness and are there any additional tests that can be run to either include or exclude anxiety as a cause. Try to get him/her to go down the path.

                  Good luck to you.
                  Kathy
                  DX 01/06, currently on Tysabri

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