hambo_12
01-03-2007, 09:17 PM
Well lately I have become very paranoid about my health.
Male, 22, slightly overweight.
I have nearly diagnosed myself with every bloody disease I read about!
But lately I have been having the following symptoms, which has led my stupid mind to MS. I have rated the pains / discomforts out of ten in regards to severity:
Tightness in inner thighs - 1/10
More frequent urination / bowel movements
GERD related symptoms
Sore neck on one side - 4/10
fatigue / dizziness / faintness - 7/10
Weakness in arms and legs - 5/10
chest pain - 3/10
lower back pain and hip pain - 5/10
slight itchiness - 2/10
Floaters in vision (I have had floaters for around 4 years, but didnt put it down to much until I noticed a few more coming up, now there are a lot when I look at the sky).
My doc has diagnosed me with GERD previously, but I barely feel like I have it...
Do all of these syptoms point to MS or something else?
Please help me, I am really going out of my mind here.
Male, 22, slightly overweight.
I have nearly diagnosed myself with every bloody disease I read about!
But lately I have been having the following symptoms, which has led my stupid mind to MS. I have rated the pains / discomforts out of ten in regards to severity:
Tightness in inner thighs - 1/10
More frequent urination / bowel movements
GERD related symptoms
Sore neck on one side - 4/10
fatigue / dizziness / faintness - 7/10
Weakness in arms and legs - 5/10
chest pain - 3/10
lower back pain and hip pain - 5/10
slight itchiness - 2/10
Floaters in vision (I have had floaters for around 4 years, but didnt put it down to much until I noticed a few more coming up, now there are a lot when I look at the sky).
My doc has diagnosed me with GERD previously, but I barely feel like I have it...
Do all of these syptoms point to MS or something else?
Please help me, I am really going out of my mind here.
Sponsor
SRSuper
01-03-2007, 11:30 PM
hambo-
sounds like you have a case of the med student syndrome...
this happens to a lot of first and second year med students who have any sort of health issue, from the sniffles to an old sports injury.
you read something and suddenly, oh my god, youre presenting symptoms and you might have one of everything!
not to say these symptoms arent real, but our minds are extraordinarily strong and some are more impressionable than others.
best bet- take 2-3 months and STOP READING MEDICAL LITERATURE. and start getting involved in a hobby that promotes or suggests wellness (such as a sport, working out, or maybe focus on an intimate relationship....but im not advocating any sort of crazy behavior here..)
see what happens.
sounds like you have a case of the med student syndrome...
this happens to a lot of first and second year med students who have any sort of health issue, from the sniffles to an old sports injury.
you read something and suddenly, oh my god, youre presenting symptoms and you might have one of everything!
not to say these symptoms arent real, but our minds are extraordinarily strong and some are more impressionable than others.
best bet- take 2-3 months and STOP READING MEDICAL LITERATURE. and start getting involved in a hobby that promotes or suggests wellness (such as a sport, working out, or maybe focus on an intimate relationship....but im not advocating any sort of crazy behavior here..)
see what happens.
cappy7
01-04-2007, 01:06 PM
Hambo, have you been tested for Lyme Disease. I have it and the symptoms you have point in that direction. You should get tested if you haven't already. What did you doctor say?
hambo_12
01-04-2007, 02:56 PM
Cappy7 - No, I havent been tested for Lyme disease, but I will ask my doc about it. I do live in Australia, does anyone know the prevalence of lyme disease over here? I also work in a beef abattoir, would this increase my risk?
Doc sent me for lumbar sacral spine xray for lower back and leg pain. Awaiting results.
SRSuper - I really do think that I have a problem, and need to stop reading up on stuff that I have really no idea about. Im going to take your advice and try to do things for a few months to try and get my mind off thinking I always have something wrong with myself. I suppose if there really is something wrong (lets hope not) it will still show itself later on also.
Doc sent me for lumbar sacral spine xray for lower back and leg pain. Awaiting results.
SRSuper - I really do think that I have a problem, and need to stop reading up on stuff that I have really no idea about. Im going to take your advice and try to do things for a few months to try and get my mind off thinking I always have something wrong with myself. I suppose if there really is something wrong (lets hope not) it will still show itself later on also.
MSNik
01-04-2007, 03:37 PM
Gotta agree with SRSUper on this one..stop reading, stop self diagnosing, and no, your symtoms do not sound like MS. You should see a doctor, have an MRI and a LP and then talk to your doctor about the other symtoms...make sure the doctor is a nuerologist!!
Reading the internet is a sure fire way to freak youself out! Do yourself a favor and dont read anymore literature or whatever you are reading....see a doctor! Your symtoms could very well be Lyme, but really, they dont even sound like that overall...
see a neurologist..good luck.
Reading the internet is a sure fire way to freak youself out! Do yourself a favor and dont read anymore literature or whatever you are reading....see a doctor! Your symtoms could very well be Lyme, but really, they dont even sound like that overall...
see a neurologist..good luck.
hambo_12
01-04-2007, 05:04 PM
An LP sounds very extreme, but I guess it cant hurt to be sure. Thanks very much for the encouragement. Will my GP likely refer me to a neurologist, or send me for an MRI himself??
MSNik
01-04-2007, 07:25 PM
Your GP may order the MRI himself, however, they are not as accurate at reading them as a neurologist is...my emergency room doc ordered my MRI, and then immediately sent me to a neuro because he didnt like what he saw, but wasnt entirely sure of WHAT he was looking at....a Neuro is trained to read MRI's and MS is detected partly by legions on the brain, and partly by LP's. ALL neuros will order an LP to RULE out other things such as Lyme, bacterial infections, menengitis...it doesnt necessarily mean it IS MS, however it is very important to rule out other things before even considering MS....does that make sense?
An LP, is not the end of the world...its a much scarier prospect then actual procedure...if you search on both LP, lumbar puncture and also spinal tap within this board, you will see a zillioin different peoples thoughts on the actual test, including my own. It was nothing, however, worrying about it was horrible!!
You have a choice to wait and ask your GP about an MRI, and see what he says, or just find a Neuro, who either specializes or at least treats MS patients and go see him/ her....that way, the Neuro can evaluate your other symtoms and see what is going on, and whether the MRi is necessary. It really depends on your relationship with your GP, if you feel comfortable asking him/ her to send you for one, and telling them you want to rule out MS, by all means, have them order the MRI and see what happens...you can also tell your GP that you would like an opinioin from a Neuro, and ask them to refer you...like I said, it all depends on your relationship with them. I personally would see a Neuro- only because ruling out things at this time, is probably more important than getting an actual DX (diagnosis). MS can take years to diagnos..
good luck, keep us posted.
Nikki
An LP, is not the end of the world...its a much scarier prospect then actual procedure...if you search on both LP, lumbar puncture and also spinal tap within this board, you will see a zillioin different peoples thoughts on the actual test, including my own. It was nothing, however, worrying about it was horrible!!
You have a choice to wait and ask your GP about an MRI, and see what he says, or just find a Neuro, who either specializes or at least treats MS patients and go see him/ her....that way, the Neuro can evaluate your other symtoms and see what is going on, and whether the MRi is necessary. It really depends on your relationship with your GP, if you feel comfortable asking him/ her to send you for one, and telling them you want to rule out MS, by all means, have them order the MRI and see what happens...you can also tell your GP that you would like an opinioin from a Neuro, and ask them to refer you...like I said, it all depends on your relationship with them. I personally would see a Neuro- only because ruling out things at this time, is probably more important than getting an actual DX (diagnosis). MS can take years to diagnos..
good luck, keep us posted.
Nikki
hambo_12
01-04-2007, 08:09 PM
Thanks again for the reply. I will be sure to discuss it with my GP first, and see how I go from there. I am instantly more confident that you have said they do not sound like MS symptoms, but I will be sure to push for a check.
Does a clear LP and brain MRI rule out MS??
Does a clear LP and brain MRI rule out MS??
MSNik
01-04-2007, 08:37 PM
I am actually not comfortable answering that. Like I was tryng to tell you before, we are not doctors, nor are we capable of understanding all that doctors read/test/diagnos. I honestly do not know the answer to your question. I would Guess that without legions on the brain, docs would look elsewhere for an answer...Legions, are what cause the neurological problems associated with MS. However, even that I wouldnt answer you for sure...do you see why? You understand that I do not have the answers you are seeking?
Lyme shows up very similar to MS, so do many infections of the brain..most of these are found in spinal fluid, thus the LP....however, not everything is definative. I believe that 20% or so people have nothing (no Obands) show in their LP and yet are still diagnosed with MS. I had none....but I have tons of legions...
Try to relax, okay?? Really...I feel your pain and nervousness....try really hard not to think about this until you see your doctor...in the meantime, keep a journal of symtoms, things that bring on symtoms, such as foods, stress, certain activities...write down anything and everything...your doctor will be asking you alot of questions and the more you write down, the better...also, for future reference, if you have ANY tests done...blood work, MRI's, etc, get copies of the films/ reports, etc for yourself and keep them in a folder...you wouldnt believe this but you will probably see more than one Neuro over the next year or so, and each one is going to want a copy of previous tests...trust me on this, notes and test results are very time saving..
again, good luck.
Lyme shows up very similar to MS, so do many infections of the brain..most of these are found in spinal fluid, thus the LP....however, not everything is definative. I believe that 20% or so people have nothing (no Obands) show in their LP and yet are still diagnosed with MS. I had none....but I have tons of legions...
Try to relax, okay?? Really...I feel your pain and nervousness....try really hard not to think about this until you see your doctor...in the meantime, keep a journal of symtoms, things that bring on symtoms, such as foods, stress, certain activities...write down anything and everything...your doctor will be asking you alot of questions and the more you write down, the better...also, for future reference, if you have ANY tests done...blood work, MRI's, etc, get copies of the films/ reports, etc for yourself and keep them in a folder...you wouldnt believe this but you will probably see more than one Neuro over the next year or so, and each one is going to want a copy of previous tests...trust me on this, notes and test results are very time saving..
again, good luck.
hambo_12
01-04-2007, 08:45 PM
OK I do understand that you cant give me any medical advice.
Heres an update. I just called to get my test results for an xray of the lumbar sacral spine. Docs notes were this:
"Everything looks fine, if persists, may need a CT"
Is a CT scan accurate for testing things like MS??
Heres an update. I just called to get my test results for an xray of the lumbar sacral spine. Docs notes were this:
"Everything looks fine, if persists, may need a CT"
Is a CT scan accurate for testing things like MS??
MSNik
01-04-2007, 09:17 PM
no, CT scans are used for things like pinched nerves, torn ligaments, etc....an MRI is completly different. Keep in mind, the person who read this Xray, has no idea why they are reading this or what they are looking for, beyond something "abnormal" and apparently they didnt find anything...
thats good!
You need to stop, and slow down..youre making me nervous! Also, keep in mind that whatever is going on in your body, has probably been going on for yEARS and you didnt know it. Therefore, its not going to change overnight, or even in th next month....breathe. Relax...and call and schedule an appt with your doctor to discuss this in the morning...at that point, you can talk to a professional about all of this and start finding answers...
breathe.
thats good!
You need to stop, and slow down..youre making me nervous! Also, keep in mind that whatever is going on in your body, has probably been going on for yEARS and you didnt know it. Therefore, its not going to change overnight, or even in th next month....breathe. Relax...and call and schedule an appt with your doctor to discuss this in the morning...at that point, you can talk to a professional about all of this and start finding answers...
breathe.
hambo_12
01-04-2007, 09:31 PM
Thankyou msnik.
I have booked an appointment with my GP, but have to wait 2 weeks. I am going to leave this forum, and the internet in general for these two weeks and try to focus on something else. I mean, the only real complaint I have is the fatigue, the muscle weakness and cramping is very very mild, and seems to worsen when I stress and get anxious. Example, before I read about MS, I barely noticed the muscle problems, and only slightly noticed the fatigue.
Thanks again for taking the time, I really do appreciate it. I hate talking about these things with my family / girlfriend, as they do know that I am paranoid, and tell me to stop being silly, so its good to talk to someone. All I need now is for you to slap me and tell me to wake up to myself!
I will be sure to update though on what happens.
I have booked an appointment with my GP, but have to wait 2 weeks. I am going to leave this forum, and the internet in general for these two weeks and try to focus on something else. I mean, the only real complaint I have is the fatigue, the muscle weakness and cramping is very very mild, and seems to worsen when I stress and get anxious. Example, before I read about MS, I barely noticed the muscle problems, and only slightly noticed the fatigue.
Thanks again for taking the time, I really do appreciate it. I hate talking about these things with my family / girlfriend, as they do know that I am paranoid, and tell me to stop being silly, so its good to talk to someone. All I need now is for you to slap me and tell me to wake up to myself!
I will be sure to update though on what happens.