Anxiety or MS? Please help!
Posted , 5 users are following.
Hello everyone,
There's literally so much I could say about this but I'm gonna try and make it as short as I can. I'm a 24 year old female and for about 9 years now I've been terrified that I have MS. It first started when I was a freshman in high school, i, out of nowhere started getting really bad pains when I moved my eyes side to side. It was so so scary. No vision changes, just eye pain. Me and my mom went to at least 3 doctors, I had my eyes dialated and about everything you could think of and no answer. They ended up getting better and a couple years went by and another health scare. I was about to be a junior in high school and out of nowhere I lost vision in one eye and was seeing flashing lights. I panicked and started crying and my mom called 911 and we found out I was having a migraine. This happened once more and we got a brain MRI and everything came back fine and they basically said it was anxiety. Fast forward a couple years later and I was really stressed cause it was finals week and I was driving and randomly I completely lost control of my right arm and it was moving involuntary and I felt very detached from my body for a second and very mentally confused. I felt sick from panic when I came back to myself and called my mom crying, we went to the dr and once more it was said to be anxiety. Now it's about 4 years later and I'm having all kinds of symptoms. I'm so so ridiculously tired, I have heaviness in my arms and legs, severe ibs, chronic mental confusion and feeling detached or in a dream setting, rapid heartrate, extreme chest tightness and short of breath and I get chronic headaches. I should also mention that for years I've had really really bad anxiety. I've been diagnosed with anxiety and depression and I believe I have panic disorder, although it's never been diagnosed. I could see how my severe anxiety would take a toll on my body but also I've heard MS symptoms can get worse in times of stress. My symptoms will also come and go. I've had every blood test you can think of and have visited the dr more times than most people should and they always say I'm fine or put it off as anxiety. There are times I can feel okay again and have energy to go workout or go out. I'm so so scared. I don't think this is how a 24 year old should feel. 
And I'll also mention that my great aunt on my moms side has MS. I'm not sure if it's genetic or not, just figured it was worth mentioning.
Sorry for the length! And thanks so much in advance to whoever replies! <3
0 likes, 10 replies
jan34534 taylor_17978
Posted
Taylor, you sound exactly like me when I was in my 20s! I have all of your symptoms all at one time and I thought for sure I had MS because my dad sister had it. All my test came out normal. Anxiety and stress can definitely cause your symptoms and mine! I had been under stress for many years before this happened. What happens is at some point your body is trying to tell you you're under too much stress and it comes out as symptoms. Have you ever heard the expression "the straw that broke the camels back?" Well this is what happened to us. Our nervous system just couldn't take anymore stress. But you can take control of the anxiety and manage it so even if you have a symptom here or there it won't be like it is now. Honestly, I was terrified because I have no Internet because people weren't using it when I was in my 20s so I literally thought I was going to die or have MS my whole life. I didn't know anyone with this! Now that I'm reading people on here in their 20s going through what I went through I just want to reach out and let you know that you will be OK! I'm in my 50s now and I am fine even though when I get anxious I might get one little symptom here or there but I basically ignore it and it goes away.
that is the key. If you get nervous and anxious when you get symptoms, they will get worse. Because your brain will send out adrenaline which makes you more anxious and then more symptoms will kick in.
You do not have MS! MS shows up on an MRI. You are fine. You just have to learn how to manage the stress and anxiety.
also remember any symptoms related to anxiety cannot hurt you. They can be scary and feel weird but that's all they can do. I dealt with those for a very long time and it took me that long to learn about it all. But you guys have a lot of resources these days to help you.
I highly recommend getting some counseling with a professional who specializes in anxiety. This is hard to overcome alone and it really helps to talk to somebody in person who sees this every single day.
are some excellent YouTube meditations for anxiety that I highly recommend. They completely calm down my mind and body in my symptoms diminish greatly or go away. Look for mindful meditations for anxiety or for relaxation or whatever you want. There's one called detachment from overthinking. But many others are available.
The worst thing you can do is sit around and Dwell on your symptoms because they will increase. I found that staying active and social and doing things for other people helps a lot. Be good to yourself. One thing I learned over the years is do not take life too seriously! Life is too short and you have your whole life ahead of you. I worried for over 20 years and what a waste!! I can't get back any of those days. Nothing bad ever happened. I just had to learn how to manage anxiety and stress.
listen to your body and what it's trying to tell you.
there's a book called mindfulness that is white with a ball of string on the cover. I highly recommend it. It teaches you how to separate negative thoughts in anxiety from yourself so you can live a peaceful happy life. Mindfulness is an approach used all over the world and it's very popular.
don't forget to laugh and smile! Do things you enjoy that relax you.
remember all anxiety begins in the brain so in order to decrease or eliminate symptoms you must calm down your mind and eliminate fear and worry. The book teaches you all of that too. Don't get caught in the trap of fear. You have to be determined to fight for yourself. Get the help you need. Take care 🌸🌸🌸
frazzled jan34534
Posted
Wonderful response. I'm going to check on that book as well. You're an asset to this forum.
moira43918 jan34534
Posted
taylor_17978 jan34534
Posted
Oh my gosh thank you so much Jan! I could've almost cried reading your response. I completely agree that our bodies just can't handle anymore stress so it'll let us know by showing us symptoms.
I'm so sorry that you went through this too. It's definitely been a crazy past few years. Ever since I started Jr high I've had intense anxiety. Even over something as small as meeting new people or going to the grocery store, I'd shake, sweat, my heart would race and I'd feel like I was in a dream state. I could definitely see how my anxiety could be so intense that it would cause physical symptoms! But at the same time it's crazy how something in your mind can cause all of these weird things to happen in your body. I've been terrified about my health for so many years now and I'm so glad you commented on this.
My mom has actually been telling me that she thinks counseling would be good and that she'd even help me find one, cause I live in a small town and it would be hard to find one here.
I will order that book! I can't wait to check it out. I know that the majority of my anxiety is social anxiety and i want it to get better so bad.
Thank you for your reply! <3
Also thank you to everyone else who replied on here, I appreciate it so much and I'm so glad nobody said it's all in my head or I was imagining it because I've heard that and it's rough to hear.
jan34534 frazzled
Posted
jan34534 moira43918
Posted
moira43918 jan34534
Posted
Thanks for the "young" comment. I'm actually 46
mac58 taylor_17978
Posted
Your anxiety is playing up, Taylor.
Even though you are feeling all these sensations you've tests which show you haven't got MS.
Try to follow Jan's advice and calm down. You're right - this isn't how a 24 year old should feel.
jan34534 taylor_17978
Posted
an MRI is the test to have to find out if someone has MS. I was afraid I had that also when I was in my 20s because I had all your symptoms except the loss of sight in the eye. My aunt had MS. However I found out that MS is not passed a genetically as much as other conditions are. and MS varies in severity greatly. Some people are walking around with MS and don't even know it. They get very few symptoms or none.
None of my aunts children had MS when they grew up.
all my test came back normal also. My symptoms are definitely anxiety related.
so if you have had an MRI and its normal, you do not have MS!
Anxiety symptoms can mimic so many other conditions and that's why people get scared.
Have you ever considered speaking with a counselor about your anxiety and how to manage it? I did that and it was so helpful for me.
I listen to meditations on YouTube for anxiety, depression, sleep etc. There are so many to choose from and they completely calm down my mind body and symptoms. I do this a couple times a day especially when lying down to sleep.
I think they could really help you.
so the key is to relax the mind in order to relax the body and symptoms. Do things you would enjoy that relax you, take a walk in nature, don't take life too seriously, and don't forget to smile and laugh!
I believe you will be fine once you get the anxiety managed. 🌸🌸🌸??
jan34534 taylor_17978
Posted
Sorry I sent you another note. I had already sent one and I'm glad it helped! ??????