So now i’ve just had a new symptom come on and its just making me think I definitely have MS now. I’m so tired of this i’m actually starting to just think to myself Ok i’ve got MS big deal f*ck off and stop reminding me. But I suppose if I do have a disease like that then I will be reminded every day anyway. In another thread I had mentioned a buzzing in my toe then tiggling in my feet, then I wasnt sure if I felt a sort of cold sensation on my right ankle for a few days. I was a bit worried. Then last night the cold feeling turned to a sort of cold burning at the bottom of my leg, but also moved to my left leg too so both lower legs had this horrible burning/stinging feeling. The way where your out in the freezing cold and then come into the heat. It lasted a good half an hour. There was no redness or swelling or anything so im thinking its either nerve damage or me being crazy. I wish I knew it was me being crazy but it just seems like another symptom of MS to me so thats another one now added to the list 😞 Does anyone else get this skin burning feeling because of anxiety? It does say on anxietycentre that this is common but i’ve never heard of it. So this along with the tingling and off balance. Ive been really worrying again but today i just feel tired of worrying and i’m just like ohwel it is what it is. Its the not knowing thats hard for me, its like im waiting around for more symptoms to confirm what I think it is. Horrible 
burning sensation/MS fears/anyone els... - Anxiety and Depre...
burning sensation/MS fears/anyone else experienced this?
I feel the same but have a fear of MND.
I feel like i’ve actually started accepting that i have this now which is crazy. My doctor hasn’t even hinted that it could be this. Im driving myself crazy. Just dont understand what else could be causing all of these symtoms at the same time. Was crying again to my mum today. Just for a minute though and managed to pull myself together again. I’m lucky I can get her to work for me as it’s my own business so today she helped out with that and I went to mother & toddler group with my daughter ❤️
I suffer PsA and that is a mimic for MS,
Personally is so worried or unhappy talk to your Doctor.
You sound like you suffer from Anxiety so that will need treatment anyway.
MS has various markers that your GP will be able to pick up on. However MS and Anxiety are not related as an illness, although patients with Anxiety feel feel the way you do.
The sensations I suffer are more intense, and I am supposed to be checked out if I Flare.
See your GP, make out a list of your problems and sensations, this will assist in remembering all the problems you have. Do you take medications for Anxiety.
BOB
What is PSA? I have been to my doctors and told its anxiety. Was there again yesterday about tingling and feeling tired and cold etc.. then last night the burning sensation came on. I got more bloods from the nurse today as my thyroid has been playing up. I will wait on the results and then make an appt with my doc to discuss them and this new sumptom. I actually told myself today I will make a list for the next visit as I always forget things.
No, not on meds, the doctor prescribed me fluexotine a few months back but the side effects were awful so changed me to setraline but by that time I felt my mood had improved so I didnt see the need for anti depressants. I still dont. Im not depressed im out and active with my kids every day, i go to swimming to keep fit 5 times per week, my mood has definitely improved since my last bout of anxiety which did leave me depressed but ive oicked myself up again. But now that theres new symptoms my mind will be trying to pull me into another downward spiral. Im more calm this time but still think theres something else going on. Ive suffered from anxiety since i was about 14. Ive overcome the panic attacks not had any for years.. this whole thing that started for me in October is completely fresh and new to me doesnt feel like anxiety at all. The physical symptoms have gave me anxiety yeah but i dont believe the physical symptoms are because of anxiety. If you read my previous threads you will get the full picture of it all.
Psoriatic Arthritis
It affects the The nerves, tendons and small joints, there is also some joint wear.
You need to allow the medications to work, they start to work at five weeks or so then you need to take them for a longer period, four to six/twelve months depending on your Anxiety. Your life sounds busy, I used to swim, thirty five lengths three times a week. I then would go dancing and walking. Although that all stopped when I developed my health concern, cannot use the swimming baths now as the water upsets and reddens the skin because of the Chlorine.
Try and relax, Mindfulness seems to work. Will look at past contributions
BOB
Im not in any pain though. I dont have pain or weakness or anything at the moment its just the dizziness and now this weird tingling and burning etc.. I think the reason I’m not taking the meds is because I dont feel like its anxiety and i’m not being palmed off and told every physical symptom I have is down to anxiety just because I have suffered it in the past. As i say I did start the meds because I had become anxious and depressed following events a few months ago but it was actually my doctor who wanted to review me after a week and when I said to her i was feeling more dizzy and had been taking panic attacks with them she said right away “it does take 6-8 weeks to kick in and its normal to feel a bit out of sorts with it but not this panicky or dizzy so maybe we should look a different one for you.” I would have been happy to persevere for the weeks to come as i thought this was normal but she said not to. Ive not spoke to her about the burning feeling so will see what she says about that the next time I visit.
How bad is your condition? Are you still mobile? And what were your first symptoms? Sorry to hear it has changed your life I swim about 50 lengths each time I visit.. although I have been thinking it gives me a sore neck and shoulders as I really tense up when i swim.
Natasha
I have been disabled and unable to work for many years. My condition flairs at various times and I take Opiates every day. It took my GP two years to give a complete diagnosis, although the basic condition was confirmed straight away. In my case they knew what was happening in my joints, tendons etc. It was the medications that were a problem.
MS basically is the same, although different, in my case it also damages my Skin and I scar easy, if the dog scratches me I retain the scratch for years later as a scar
I am very restricted in movement. Also I have other disabilities that can be problematic.
Do you scar ???
BOB
So sorry to hear that Bob And do you cope ok now that you have this condition? No - not that i have noticed anyway. I just dont know what to make of all of these weird things happening to my body right now. I feel like I get on with it, keep bisy, do my relaxation things etc and then boom it hits me again when Im not even feeling stressed or anxious. But I suppose no matter what ot is, anxiety, stress, something worse - all I can do is get on with life the best I can. Nothing else for it. So i’ll continue to plan my days and keep busy with my kids etc and face anything that pops up along the way.
Thankyou for the advice.
Personally now in my case it has been going on for many years, I have to grin and bare all the ups and downs. Life is a learning time and we need to understand that.
I personally feel we negotiate what we want this current life to achieve before birth.
We learn from what we achieved here before Death, We then move on to another experience and are born again.
BOB
if it cheers you up, when I read "MS fears" I read "Microsoft fears". made me chuckle.
Hi Natasha_1991! I struggle with depression and I don't know much about anxiety, so I don't know if your symptoms could be related to the anxiety. However, I did go through a stretch a few years ago where I was having symptoms very similar to yours; tingling in my toes/fingers, numbness in my arm, weakness in legs. I would even get sharp sudden pain in my fingers when I would go to open a drawer. I was positive it was MS. I went to my doctor and a neurologist and went through all the tests - they found nothing wrong. I am also a food scientist, so I started looking into what I was eating. I dramatically increased the fresh fruits and vegetables and cut out refined sugars and every single one of my symptoms went away! Now I know when I'm slipping into a more unhealthy diet because those symptoms start to come back. I would encourage you to rule out anything that a doctor can check for. After that give your diet a try - if nothing else, a healthy diet can help with anxiety too. Hang in there!
Hi Whiteflower5,
Thanks for your story.. my doctor hasn’t even mentioned a neurologist to me. I read these forums and see people talking about neurologists and ENT’s and other things - none of that has ever been mentioned to me. I was sent for a CT scan and then given anti depressants when it was ok. Because I had an underactive thyroid at this time its like everything was put down to that. My thyroid levels are starting to even out again according to my lasts results so I dont believe its to do with that.. plus the synptoms dont really add up after the research I have did anyway. I feel like doctors will just rely on one answer if they think they will get away with it. My female doctor told me this could all be because of my thyroid back in october but still gave me anti depressants while waiting to be tested again.. so i was hesitant to take them if i didnt really need them.. whereas my male doctor told me “thyroid problems dont cause depression or anxiety so take the anti depressants we have given you.” I then took this up with my female doctor and she started to back track on what she had said and went along with the male doctor saying it causes tiredness not depression. Thats not what she said. Its like they jist want rid of you and your complaining 🙄
How long did your symptoms last for? I’m glad your symptoms went away xx
My symptoms were around for months - they just kept building until I started making changes. It sounds like you are getting mixed messages from your doctors, but it's good news that tests are coming back normal.
Thankyou for sharing. I have made changes and was doing well but I suppose I will need to start over again. So draining going back to square one. Xx
Have your haemoglobin and ferritin levels been checked?
Yep well Haemoglobin is listed on my reaults as normal but doesnt say ferritin. Whats that for im not really clued up on blood tests 🙄 x
That’s your body’s iron stores
Yeah had that tested too everything else was fine apart from the thyroid one xx
Natasha_1991, you say you "definitely have MS now". Can I respectfully ask which medical school you attended and what qualification you graduated with? Did you complete the full five year course?
You say you have discussed your MS diagnosis with your doctor who did not confirm your diagnosis of MS. Your doctor has however diagnosed anxiety.
Your doctor went to medical school for 5 years and has the experience of dealing with thousands of different patients.
I don't know your doctor but I would be inclined to think that he/she knows what they're talking about.
One thing is for sure, people without medical qualifications may suspect they have a particular illness but they are certainly not qualified to make a "definite" diagnosis. Specially if they experience anxiety disorder which is very good at mimicking real organic disorders.
In fact in my observation people with anxiety disorder who diagnose themselves with major illnesses such as cancer, heart disease or MS are always wrong. I'll just repeat that: always wrong.
I suggest that you discuss your fears about MS with a qualified doctor and ask for a second opinion. If that second opinion is that you do not have MS then my advice would be to accept it without reservation...and give thanks that you don't have a major illness.
Could I also make the point that instead of spending time and mental effort concentrating on an illness you don't have (such as MS) it would be more helpful to concentrate on the illness you do have: anxiety disorder.
I didnt say I definitely had MS. I said I feel like i’m starting to accept that i do as I have fixated on it for so long now. Also I do focus on my anxiety but focusing on it doesnt mean I will automatically overcome it. Its hard not to worry and google symptoms. Also I dont think you can guarantee that everyone with anxiety who thinks they have MS are ALWAYS wrong. I have read a lot of experiences of people who were diagnosed with anxiety to then learn 10 years later or however far down the line that it was actually MS. I have also heard of people being diagnosed with MS then turns out they were misdiagnosed and it was actually Anxiety. I’ve learned enough to know that MS isnt an overnight disease which can be diagnosed right away it can take years. I think i have a lot of the symptoms and I am doing what I can to overcome this fear - obviously I dont like feeling miserable and fearful daily but its something thats got a hold of me. You’ve assumed I dont focus on my anxiety. I do, a lot, every day but I still have things that i need to overcome. Finally, I do discuss with my doctor but I also like to post on here as its sometimes comforting to know that people have been or are foing through the same, although I wouldnt wish it on anyone.
Thanks for the advice.
Anxiety can take many forms but it is always still anxiety. When we suffer from anxiety disorder everything seems ten times more serious than it really is: we always go straight to the worst case scenario. That's because our nerves become over sensitised, we see danger and disaster everywhere.
Over the past 40 years I have had cancer of the nose, liver cancer, kidney stones, cancer of the throat, heart failure, lung cancer, gall stones and retinal detachment. In fact, I am glad to say that in all those years the only real illness I've had is a very bad cough. Oh, and anxiety disorder of course. Thank Heaven that over those years I have come to know the ways and the wiles of a nervous system slightly on the blink.
Of course, it's quite possible that one day we can have something serious and we can't just dismiss everything as 'nerves'. Like they say, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean your not being followed.
That's why it's important to report all one's health fears to a doctor. If not satisfied, if we think the doctor has 'missed something' it's quite in order to ask for a second opinion and more tests. But when the result comes back the same as Fine we must then accept that diagnosis. The reason for this is that we can't cure ourselves of an illness we don't have no matter how hard we try. Far better to spend our time addressing the illness we do have: health anxiety caused by over-sensitisation of the nervous system caused by stress, worry, overwork, loss, grief, betrayal or guilt. Hopefully not all at the same time.
Maybe MS is hard to diagnose but there are pointers even at an early stage and nothing at all resonated with your doctor. All those symptoms you describe are well within the capabilities of a nervous system that's become super sensitive.
I can tell from your post you have done a lot of research into MS. Now maybe focus onto further research into general anxiety disorder and health anxiety. No better starting point (and ending point come to that) than a new or used copy of 'Self help for your nerves' written by Claire Weekes available from Amazon. In America the same book is called 'Hope and help for your nerves'. If you only read one book in your life on the anxiety state this is that book. Written before you were born, it has brought understanding, reassurance, respite and recovery to untold thousands through the method that Doctor Weekes devised based on four simple imperatives: Face, Accept, Float and Let time pass. Either way, I wish you success and God's speed along the Yellow Brick Road to recovery.
Thankyou. I do agree with everything you have said. I have also listened to the audio book of Claire Weekes. I used this to help me not so long ago. Everything she says makes sense and I actually know that I can follow what she says. Ive been doing it all. I felt better. I can deal with the thumping heart, the brain fog, the panic attacks - I have them under control and I KNOW they are the symptoms of anxiety when they happen. The only thing I struggle with is believing that all the new symptoms I have developed are anxiety. I just cant help having doubts its all new to me even though I have had anxiety for the past 14 years I have not had these symptoms before. I will see what the next few weeks bring for me. In the meantime I will continue to keep busy, stay active, eat healthily, exercise and be a good mum to my kids. I wont let myself get into another depressed state because either way life does go on. If I feel that I need a second opinion (which has been a thought) then i will maybe do that. Im waiting for my latest blood results and will see what comes of that.
Thanks again.
One last point, Natasha, if I may. People who recover from anxiety thanks to Claire Weekes' book do not do so because they have read or listened to her book.
They recover because they put into practice her method of acceptance (for the time being). It takes practice and persistence with little reward to begin with and it does not provide instant results. And it takes constant reference to her first book until you know how to react by instinct.
We live in a society that seeks instant gratification: there is none such thing for anxiety sufferers (outside of diazepam and xanax which you can't take for ever). After all, we spent months, even years, getting ourselves into this state, allow a few more weeks or months to resolve it.
BeeVee summed up the success of Claire Weekes' method perfectly: Learn to live with your anxiety and soon you'll be able to live without it.
How did everything come out? I have this fear too.
I have the burning in my upper body. I am suffering from anxiety. The top of my head is itchy, sometimes burns, i can feel the nerve endings in my head buzzing and going crazy. Both sides of my face burn and itch, my face is sensative to my hair on it even sensative to hair laying on my ears.i get burning on forearms, sometime one arm sometims both. I take 200 mg pf Ibuprophen when this happens. It seems to sooth the nerve endings and stops the symptoms within 1/2 hr.
Guess itd nerves firing ofg from anxiety.
yes i have the burning on the top of my head along with feeling the nerves goinh crazy and buzzing. The sides of my face burn somtimes feel hairy. Both for arms burn, someyimes only one. My face is sensative to a piece of haIr touching my face and ears. The symptoms in your lower extrematies could be neuropathy . If your in an anxiety state it could be oversensatized nerves. I found by taking 200 mg. Of Ibuprophen gel cap relieves the symptoms .
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