Could it be MS despite short episdoes of symptoms and Fibromyalgia diagnosis?

New diagnosis and before diagnosis
,
1

Hello everyone! I was looking for a bit of advice on what to do next really please. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia 2 years ago, which is when I started to experience symptoms. However, I was diagnosed without even being seen. I have since had lots of blood tests and urine tests done but nothing abnormal, however safe to say I don’t really fully believe the Fibromyalgia diagnosis. I am a 23 year old female and had glandular fever 6 years ago.

My long term symptoms include extreme fatigue, frequent urination and problems emptying bladder, pain, crawling skin sensations, burning scalp, itchy skin, unable to regulate body temp, brain fog, cold hands and feet, raynauds syndrome, stiff muscles, episodes where my ear goes bright red, hot to touch and bruns and is painful, convergence insuffiency in one eye, blurred version and sore eyes. These symptoms come and go but have ngot progressively worse over time. However, in the past couple of months I have started to experience numbness and tingling in hands, feet and arms, muscle cramps, my hand siezes into a claw shape, the feeling of something wet on the back of my leg when there is nothing there, more severe cold hands and feet and an episode where I was stood with my Dad taking a picture of the beach and next minute had fallen onto my knees, no idea what happened - didn’t trip or fall or faint or anything.

My GP seems reluctant to do any more tests and has never referred me, however yesterday I spoke to a private GP who mentioned only MS and anxiety as possible causes but said that she would be suprised if it was ms due to my numbness/tingling/claw hand only lasting a few minutes at a time (up to 20/30 minutes). She has sent me a private neurology referral. I am wondering if it could still be ms despite the numbness/tingling/claw hand only lasting up to around 20/30 minutes at a time? Or is it just anxiety. And what should my next steps be - follow up private referral or speak to NHS GP? Thank you so much for your help it is really appreciated.

2 Likes
2

You’ve clearly been dealing with a wide range of symptoms for a long time, and it’s completely reasonable to want a clearer answer—especially if the diagnosis of Fibromyalgia was made without a proper assessment.

Some of your symptoms—fatigue, brain fog, temperature sensitivity, and widespread pain—can fit with fibromyalgia. However, others you’ve described (intermittent numbness/tingling, hand “clawing,” bladder symptoms, visual issues, and the unexplained fall) do warrant a more thorough neurological evaluation.

In conditions like Multiple Sclerosis, symptoms typically last longer (days to weeks rather than minutes), so very short episodes (20–30 minutes) are less typical. That said, it’s not something that can be ruled out based on that alone—especially given the mix of symptoms you’re experiencing.

Anxiety can sometimes amplify physical sensations, but it would not fully explain features like bladder dysfunction, visual convergence issues, or sudden loss of control leading to a fall. So it’s important not to dismiss everything as anxiety without proper investigation.

In terms of next steps:

  • The neurology referral is absolutely the right move—whether private or NHS

  • You may need imaging (MRI brain/spine) and possibly nerve-related tests depending on assessment

  • It’s also reasonable to go back to your NHS GP and request a referral if access or continuity is better for you

Overall, this situation needs a proper, in-person neurological review rather than assumptions. You’re right to question things and push for clarity—your symptoms deserve to be taken seriously.

3 Likes