MS or something else?

[Abs811]

I've had symptoms for a month now and I can't help but think it's MS, although I do have severe HA.

My symptoms are: tingling feet and hands, mild and not all the time. Fatigue. Now this is the scary bit. I was googling and found L'hermittes sign so I obsessively tried to do it. When I bend my head forward fairly quickly, I don't feel anything..however if I snap my head forward really quickly, I get a 2 second jolt/tingling in both hands. I don't feel any electric shocks or pain down my back or neck, or down my arms. All I feel is a tingling fizz in both hands, and only when I snap my head forward really quickly. Does this sound like L'hermittes?

For more information, I have iron deficiency and low ferritin, and my gp now wants to investigate my b12 and folate.

But this possible l'hermitte sign is scaring me into thinking its MS.
I thought I should also mention that for the past 2 months, I have what feels like constant back on neck pain. Could this have something to do with the feeling in my hands when I snap my head forward?

Sorry for the long post.

Step away from the internet. Honestly, tingly hands and feet can be associated with B12 and iron deficiency. Snapping your head forward is really not doing anything any good (whiplash anyone). I'm not going to say it's not MS but your letting your HA run away with you

I have MS and have had all those symptoms at various times but I also have friends who don’t have MS who have had those symptoms.

Let the GP investigate. If you want to do something practical for yourself start taking vitamins D supplements.

Googling symptoms and self diagnosing is honestly the way to madness because your mind will always hone in on the worst possible scenario and convince itself that that’s what you’ve got and you’re doomed.

I thought I had MS, it turned out to be low ferritin. Get you levels right back up with ferrous Fumarate and red meat.

@DustyLee123 but it's the snapping my neck and feeling a buzz in my hands that scares me. Did you have that? I know I shouldn't google but it's hard not to with HA

My doctor told me that MS usually presents in a particular body part, not all over your body all at once. That would be something more systemic, like a vitamin deficiency or virus etc. Also it can often affect your balance (you can stand still with your eyes open but lose your balance if you close them). You will also usually present with some loss of sensation or strength in your muscles, and autoimmune markers in your blood, which no doubt your GP has checked.

You don’t have MS. Your symptoms can be explained by vitamin deficiencies and anxiety, or worst case scenario you have a bug that’s making you feel a bit wobbly. Anxiety can make you quite poorly if you don’t get hold of it, you need to get on top of it before you develop more anxiety related symptoms and start worrying about them too

When we had lectures on MS they told us at the start of the lecture that probably half of us would think we had it by the end of the first lecture, it’s the perfect illness for health anxiety to latch onto because of how vague and widespread so many early symptoms can be, and how much they overlap with and can be exacerbated by anxiety. Get your symptoms investigated, but don’t feed that particular worry needlessly. And once you’ve had a physical check up maybe take it as a sign to get some more help with the HA? I do it myself so I know how hard it is.

Sounds more like low iron levels than MS

L'hermittes sign is elicited by gently bending the neck forward

Snapping your head forward - not a good idea - do stop doing it before you injure yourself

I thought I had the start of MS as I had lightening type shocks down my spine, especially my neck and lower back. I suspect it was down to weird side affects of the iron infusions I'd had for low iron.

@Kaill it's interesting you say that as a year ago, I was found to be very deficient in Vitamin D, but I never linked to symptoms. Can Vit D deficiency cause these symptoms?

@longtompot that must have been scary. That's what I worry about about, early MS, although I don't feel any lightening shocks down back, neck or legs, just a buzzing in hands when moving head down very quickly.

I am waiting to more bloods done but in the meantime it is helpful to hear other people's stories