Hi I've just joined this group and was wondering if anyone can help me. I'm very worried I have MS at the moment. It all started getting a weak/numb but more weak feeling in my ring finger and pinkie and that made me feel like it was a carpel tunnel. That eventually went away but after I started getting weakness in both legs mostly on my left leg sometimes in my left arm, it feels different sometimes it's almost like a light buzz feeling on my left leg but the strongest feeling is the weakness it kind of feels heavy/numb if I don't move it so I move it just to make sure it's ok and I make a circle feeling with my feet which helps it a little bit. I can mostly feel the weakness on my feet and calves. These feelings I get are mostly at night when I'm in bed or sitting down it's very mild when I'm up and about walking it's unnoticeable actually. I notice they jerk sometimes when I fall asleep but I don't know if that's related. I hope someone can reassure me because I'm worried it might be MS
Do I have restless leg syndrome? - Restless Legs Syn...
Do I have restless leg syndrome?
Hi Healthanxietyhater and welcome to the site. You will find that there are lots of lovely people here who you can talk too.
If you haven't been to your doctor yet with your concerns, I would make an appointment so he/she can either check you out or make an appointment to see a neurologist who will be able to assess you for MS.
I have RLS and PLMD (periodic limb movement disorder) Which is reasonably controlled at the moment through different medication. I was also scared that I had either MS, Parkinson's or Motor Neuron. The neurologist ruled out all 3.
So please don't worry too much, make an appointment today. Good Luck. X
I would advise seeing a doctor to start with for reassurance. Sometimes the medical profession can't explain why things are happening, but they can give you peace of mind that it's not serious. don't put it off to as soon as you can instead of worrying. Lecture over and please let us know how you are. Lots of luck.
As the other member has said you need to see your doctor to find out whats going on with you. Check the criteria for RLS, one of the important parts of the criteria is having the urge to move, a urge you cant resist. irlssg.org/diagnostic-crite...
You will find the same diagnostic criteria on our website and also the RLS severity scale... rls-uk.org/diagnosis/
See your doctor asap for sure.Look up symptoms for pernicious anemia/ b12 deficiency.It could be that. Good luck.x
Restless legs are very common and it is usual for them to indicate anything serious. However I think it might be worth you having a look at B12 group.
Hi sorry do you mean it is usual to indicate anything serious? Like it's common it could be related to something serious or did you mean unusual for it to be? Sorry I'm quite a anxious person
Hi, I think mandyjane meant that it is NOT usual for them to indicate anything serious. RLS can't become or hide anything else. For some of us it's quite bad enough on it's own! For others it can be a minor irritation. Hope you can get a diagnosis soon - if it is RLS you will find a lot of help on this site.
I'm trying not go to to my doctors as much because I feel like I'm bothering them too much but it's clearly bothering me so I will give them a visit soon. Thank you ever so much for reassuring me and thank you to everyone who took the time to reply sometimes I feel like I get more support on here than my own doctor
apologies for unfortunate spelling mistake. It is unusual and unlikely to be anything serious.
Something like lack of B12 can become serious if left for a long time, as in my case I went untreated for 30 years.
It is however seriously annoying.
Sleep deprivation can cause all kinds of issues, and kill your quality of life when you have a bad case of it. There are many levels to RLS.
Hi there and welcome.
I have MS as well as RLS. Visit your GP as He/she can give you a Neuro exam and refer you if anything is untoward.
It doesn’t sound like MS or even RLS. Do you have an unbearable need to move your legs to relieve the creepy crawly feeling?
Do you manage to sleep or do the feelings in your legs keep you awake?
Well it's not unbearable most of the times I try to just keep still when I sleep but sometimes I have to move it to check if it's ok because I feel like I'll lose feelings of my legs or paralysed but those might be due to my anxiety. When I move them I also stretch my muscles and it does help a bit. What do you think it might be? It does come and go
I did go to the Gp about this and they did give me a neurological exam they said it was a pinched nerve I think
You don't remember what the doctor said? Time to call him/her.
We cant diagnose you as we are not doctors and cant really guess. I would go back to your doctors for further discussion.
Honestly I wasn't asking for a diagnosis as I know most of you or any of you for that matter have not been to medical school for 10 years I just wanted some reassurance, whether if someone decided to say it sounded like MS or RLS I would of visited the doctors office as soon as I possibly can. Unfortunately I cannot book a doctors appointment until next week and as someone that is anxious I needed to know what people's thoughts was so I could've been prepared or have an idea what it is. Just like everyone else on this website who wants to query or want advice I made a post if everyone simply commented and said the same as you "we cannot diagnose you as we are not doctors" then I'm sure this forum or even health unlocked would exist. Like some others who advised me to look into vitamins And do my research I found that very helpful and that was the replies I was expecting to get.
You asked .. what do you think it might be... and that was after some members had given you replies. Thats why i replied saying we are not doctors and i had 3 people who clicked like so they were in agreement with me. I gave you the criteria for RLS, as helpful information so you could see if it applied to you. And non of us on here have never been to medical school as far as i know, we are just RLS sufferers who give our own experience and knowledge on RLS. I am sorry you didnt like my reply i was just replying to your question of what do you think it might be.
As Elisse says, we cannot even say that anything sounds like MS. We would VERY irresponsible if we did that. We can talk about RLS til the cows come home, but we cannot speak to the subject of RLS, except that a lot of people fear the same thing, and it common for anxious people to assume things might be worse than they really are. I would like to hear more about what you think might be RLS. People have many ways of describing symptoms. I have been managing RLS groups for over 26 years, and there are a million ways to describe RLS. Look at the link Elisse gave you, That is the International Study group that sets therapeutic doses of meds used for RLS and especially the diagnostic criteria, You must have all 5 to have RLS. A lot of your symptoms do not sound like RLS, we NEVER worry if our legs are paralyzed, that is on sure thing I can say. We are trying to help, but you are asking for things we cannot give you. We can give you support, many of us, including Elisse who I gave known since my very first email group, which was the first ever online group for RLS, and she knows RLS well, as do many many people here. I dis study pharmacology in nursing school. But, that still cannot let me say if I think you have MS or not. Tests must be done, and you are worried about many things, so if you want to discuss RLS, then we are here for you. Wading thru the maze of symptoms is hard when we think we have RLS, so look at that web site with the diagnostic criteria. We are trying to be responsible here. and no one is blowing off your concerns, we are just telling you what we can and cannot do. MS is a difficult diagnosis. Would also suggest the B12 group , like someone else did, and I am sure there has to be a group on MS on this web site. it would be unwise for us to say anything else. We can talk about RLS all day. Yo do mention keeping your legs still , but you also say you wake up afraid that your legs will be paralyzed, so that, as I said, is the exact opposite of RLS in all descriptions, 
MS is actually quite rare and I would think if it was MS you would have lots of other symptoms along side. I am currently being assessed for MS.
It sounds more like exhaustion at the end of the day or a trapped nerve affecting your legs. I do think worth checking with doctor so he/she can assess.
There are a wide variety if symptoms with MS such as migraines, chronic fatigue, nerve pain, balance issues and frequent falls. The symptoms tend to be long term so if this is something you have just noticed it is more likley to be something else.
I’m sure it’s nothing serious. It doesn’t sound at all like MS and the fact you can keep your legs still means it’s not RLS.
Like your GP has said, it’s probably a trapped nerve which is why the gentle stretching has helped. Sorry that you suffer from anxiety- trust your GP in this- it really does not sound at all like MS or RLS.
This was months ago but to come from someone who has MS and RLS (which I'm sorry to hear) to reassure me I'm very thankful. I will let you know what my GP says. I just don't know if a neurological was enough to rule out anything bad. was your neurological exam not normal when you had it? I will have to let you know what my doctors say thanks for your reply.
No my Neuro exam was not normal. GP wouldn’t let me leave surgery until she’d booked an emergency appointment with a neurologist.
I see from posts you’ve made on other forums that you suffer badly from anxiety and you’re very young.
Honestly, what you describe is not MS or RLS. Stress and anxiety can release chemicals which can make you feel unwell.
If I can suggest one thing for you, it would be to take up yoga and gentle meditation.
It would help any strange sensations in your arms and Legs and would really reduce your stress and anxiety.
You will be alright .Try to stop over thinking and worrying and trust your GP on this.
Good luck
Jools is absolutely right, I am picking up on the anxiety more than anything else, and as she said, trust your doctor in this. You need to find some things to lessen your anxiety, and I am afraid it is not helping you to keep worrying that you might have something serious. I agree with Jools, you are quite young, and I told you I USED to have panic attacks, and DO have PTSD. A talk therapist and a psychiatrist helped with most of that, and after 4 years of lots of talking, no more panic. PTSD is from a bad marriage and a couple of traumatic events in my life. So, you need to work on that the most, in my opinion, and others here.
It does sound like you have a lot of anxiety. If you feel like you are losing feeling in your legs that is the opposite of RLS, because you sure CAN feel them, RLS is just what the name says. RESTLESS Legs Syndrome. You CAN have some pain with it, though the RESTLESS part has to be there to get an RLS diagnosis. Why do you feel like you are "bothering" your doctor? Your anxiety (I used to have panic attacks) is very evident, since you mentioned it and it is in your screen name. Sound like you need to work on that, too. You are worried about several things, BUT RLS does not lead to MS, and it does not lead to parkinson's, that I can assure you.
There is also something called sleep paralysis which is scary but mostly harmless when you wake in the night unable to move. I think it is when you brain wakes up but body still asleep ( something like that) I have had it a few times and it has made me a bit panicy as I have been unable to move for a few moments or minutes even.
That doesn't sound like RLS, there is no decision to move legs to check-in anything it's an absolute imperative, I have to move my legs there's no decision and no choice with RLS, or mine I should say.
Hello,
I briefly looked at your profile; you seem highly anxious. Anxiety is a very real thing, so I’m glad you’re getting support for it. Everyone gets anxious at times, a little anxiety is actually good for us. How else would we know danger, etc.? But too much and you have an anxiety disorder. As real as anxiety disorders are, we need to learn how to control them. I’m going to give you some suggestions, ok?
1. On one of your posts you said you had looked on google to check on a symptom, read about Hashimoto’s (?) syndrome, and got scared. Please don’t look on google, webmd, or anywhere on the internet to check yourself. It is just going to needlessly heighten your anxiety. Heck, doing that would make anybody anxious. Back when I was around your age (not long ago — I’m 36) webmd symptom checker was my thing. This drove me nuts and got me overwhelmed. You use the word «scared» a lot. This is what looking up symptoms on your own will do to you.
2. I recommend the New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook series. These are co-authored by people who have a PhD in their field. They have workbooks on everything from anxiety to PTSD. If in the States, Barnes and Noble has them. If in UK, I’m not sure, but I know Amazon has them! I’m actually working my way through one now and it really helps.
3. You mention hypochondria at one point. I don’t know you, but I am going to bet that you are not a hypochondriac. Your symptoms are very real!! That said, though, here is a word that might suit you better. Have you ever heard the term «psychosomatic»? This would be a better term, I believe. Don’t worry, it’s not dangerous😁. My psychiatrist suspects a psychosomatic element at play in me as well. Psychosomatic first and foremost does not condone that everything we feel in our bodies is real. To the contrary, it has to do with the body-mind connection and suggests that our anxiety can influence how we feel physically. Please look it up.
4. Are you talking to a therapist about this? (You don’t need to answer if too sensitive a question). Therapy does not work for everyone, but it works for me.
I hope this helps some.
Take care,
Jess368 said all I was going to say. The internet can be your friend, but it can be your enemy if all you are doing is looking up all these odd and not common diseases and scaring yourself. That is not good for you at all. I second Jess's advice. Stay off the web sites with the symptom checkers, it will only make you more anxious.
Why, thank you😁
I agree with everything Jess has said and recommend in her comment. As a teenager my dad had a medical dictionary in his bookcase. Having a clear out of clutter he threw the book away and said ""well this was my dads ,he would look up his symptoms so often it's a wonder he didn't die of a misprint "" I didn't understand exactly what he meant then but I do know.
I know that you are questioning and looking up things to try to calm your anxiety but all it does is increase it in the long run,
Please push for more help for your health anxiety it is the only way forward. I wish your luck in what must be a difficult and draining situation x
Good stuff well said. I hope it helps. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing where the internet is concerned.
All i can say is it doesn’t sound like my rls
Healthanxietyhater,
Please let us know you’re okay with the way we are all replying to you. As a somewhat-anxious person myself I know we can get upset if we don’t get the answer we’re looking for. It’s like saying «what do you mean I’m fine?! I. Am. Not. Fine.» For those who aren’t anxious it’s a relief hear everything is fine, but for those who are anxious it can be the opposite. So, please let us know you’re okay!
Are you sure your dx of MS is correct? Parkinson’s Disease affects one side of body worse. You seem to be describing that.
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