Health Diaries > Hypochondria > The Hypochondria Blog
March 15, 2008
On MS
I'm also sufferring terribly from a fear of MS @ the moment. I have 3 bulging discs in my neck, one of which is pressing on my spinal cord & causing numbness and tingling mostly in my left arm (occasionally in my right). Physical therapy and cortisone shots have eased the numbness and tingling but have caused other interesting sensations to occur, which i've convinced myself is actually MS.... despite a perfect brain scan & the reassurance of several doctors and physical therapists. But, as we know, a perfect scan doesn't mean you're in the clear. So, i've been in a terrible doctor loop of scans, blood tests for months now... and everything has turned out perfectly so far. But, in my mind, that just means they haven't done the right test yet. I also want to conceive very badly and need to act quickly because of fertility issues but am frightened that i'm terribly sick.
It's funny that when i recently looked up the definition of hypochondriac one of the diseases we fixate on is MS. I think it's because our anxiety can cause many of the symptoms associated w/MS. I googled my symptoms one day and, of course, MS popped up. Its symptoms are common to about a million different illnesses. The interenet is a hpyochondriac's worst enemy.
I'm also terrible at waiting and seeing. I've convinced myself of many illnesses over the past 18 years (both my parents died suddenly when i was young... @ different times) and i've never had a single one. Although my symptoms were real, they either turned out to be nothing or nothing life threatening at all... never what i thought it was. So, maybe it is all in my head... i hope so anyway.
I'm here if you want to talk... usually @ all hours of the night too. I'm sure you know what that's like. Breathe, regardless of what it is... if anything... it will definately be ok. We can more than handle whatever comes our way in life :)
Posted by Staff on March 15, 2008 4:22 PM | DIGG | del.icio.us | furl
I sawe that fear of MS is common in hypochondriacs too which is reassuring as thats the disease I'm most worried about. I always have pins and needles and twitches and spasms in my muscles, and they come in waves, they'll disappear for weeks then come back. Classic signs of MS. My doctor says I haven;t got it, not had any scans or anything, but she says I'm too young and that since my balance and eyesight are fine, I don't even have the symptoms. I think people think it's an older persons disease, which isn't true (I saw it on the internet!). Does anyone know if there are any causes of MS?
I, too, am believing I have MS. I had Bell's Palsy, which went away....more common than people realize. I had a CT scan of my brain with and without contrast, and no signs of anything. Tons of bloodwork. Had 3 doctors tell me it's NOT MS. But, I still think it is. I worry every time my foot falls asleep or I get a chill down my leg or my hands are tingly or my muscles twitch. I drove myself to the ER convinced they'd do an MRI. They said I was fine. I am freaking out. I got a prescription for Xanax and that is helping. It's GOT to be anxiety, right?
