Does MS ever present like this?!

I first put this all down to stress and anxiety resulting from family problems, but their presence is causing me further worry. It has been going on for a few months now. I did not believe that I was stressed though I have reason to be so supposed that it was expressing itself like this instead of in my thoughts or behavior. However, since speaking to a doctor a couple of weeks ago over the telephone I am now scared that I have MS as with her brief mention of it I googled it(I know I know!) I am worried that the chest pains are what is referred to as an ‘MS Hug’ and the tremors and twitches in my arms similarly associated. This probably isn’t making them any better I understand but I am not able to see a doctor for some weeks and wondered if it ever presents like the below:

  • Twitches, particularly in my arms that are visible but mostly felt. The best way I have of describing these is like the reflex a horse has when a fly lands on its side. Short, rapid bursts lasting a few seconds that I don’t think I could mimic myself. I first noticed these in October of last year. When walking into the kitchen I thought someone had brushed my arm and turned around to see who it was. They were initially only in that arm and lasted a couple of weeks at most; I thought I must have leant awkwardly on that arm and pinched something. They then went away but now seem to come at random intervals in both arms yet I can go for hours, perhaps days without any. Again, it does not seem to happen when I am feeling especially stressed. It is like the twitch you occasionally get in your eyelid & I have also had this for a few days but don’t think it’s related. I sometimes feel them in the backs of my legs and in my back, but cannot obviously see these. I initially wondered if they were to do with overuse of a computer.

  • My hands shake noticeably, not necessarily when I am feeling anxious. I can be doing something very mundane and they quiver dramatically, particularly my fingers. I know that everyone has a little bit of a shake when they hold their arms out but this is exaggerated and people have commented on it. It does not tend to happen when my arms are rested by my sides. I think I have had this since Christmas. Other muscles also shake when I am especially upset but I think this is normal.

  • I occasionally, perhaps once or twice a week, get chest pains on the left hand side. It feels like a sharp stitch and hurts to inhale deeply. It happens when I am inactive but doesn’t seem to be related to eating. I have noticed that if I blow out really hard something ‘pops’ or ‘snaps’, which is painful, but then the pain seems to go away. I don’t think I imagine this. I don’t ever wake up with this pain and it tends to be in the evening when I am sat on the sofa and not when I am feeling stressed. I think I have had his before, about two years ago, when I lived in London and it went away then so I have not fretted about it. Again, this has been happening since Christmas.

Neurology is complicated because many conditions have similar symptoms so while some people with MS have symptoms like yours, there are actually loads of different things that might be causing them.

A twitching eye is often associated with calcium or vitamin deficiencies. These can also cause other twitches, tremor and lots of other neurological symptoms. So, the first thing I would recommend you do is to see your GP and get a thorough battery of blood tests done.

Make sure to get your chest pain checked out too - it’s best not to take chances with hearts!

If everything comes back clear, then a referral to a neurologist is probably the next logical step.

Good luck.

Karen x