36, female
It’s hard to say when it started but in the past year I have spent a lot of time feeling like a hypochondriac.
When I was pregnant with my second baby I experienced my first migraine with an aura (twinkly lights) which was obviously quite worrying as I’d never had one before. Had another during pregnancy but didn’t think much of it.
When my son was about 13 months I got a headache/migraine that was coupled with tingling in various locations, dizziness, clumsiness, and a spaced out/brain fog feeling. I went to the GP who eventually sent me for an MRI which came back ‘normal’ and nothing more was said about it and the symptoms seemed to resolve. I breastfed until my son was 15 months so I kind of put those symptoms down to my body readjusting hormonally and also getting new glasses.
Since June-July I then started getting bloating, pelvic pain and diarrhoea. The bloating is infrequent but the pelvic pain has been chronic since then with the odd few days or weeks of easing. I am awaiting a second pelvic ultrasound (first one came back with a slightly enlarged right ovary) and abdominal ultrasound. I also recently had the CA125 blood test which came back normal. Obviously those symptoms have got me thinking ovarian or bowel cancer.
In between June and nowI had what I can only describe as heart attack like symptoms; chest pain, palpitations. But the ecg showed nothing. I actually had something very similar in Dec 2014 and went to hospital with the same result of no explanation or further investigation.
In the last few days though I have been having the brain fog feeling with the tingling (mainly in the legs when sitting) which has brought my mind back to MS. Strangely the pelvic pain has eased. It seems to be one thing or another which I why I feel like a hypochondriac!!
I have obviously retaken to Googling possible causes of tingling and I came across restless leg syndrome and thought, okay, I could live with that, but then some more googling told me that people with MS are 5 times more likely to have restless leg syndrome.
Obviously no one wants to be diagnosed with a lifelong disease but I’m really starting to not trust my body, or rather the sensations I think I’m feeling. From what I’ve read about MS it’s very difficult to diagnose and can take many years. As none of my symptoms (pain, tingling, brain fog) present themselves physically for people to see I do end up feeling like I’m just making them up.
I have recently restarted taking the mini-pill as I’ve noticed an association with my periods and headaches. Hoping it’s a miracle pill and solves the other issues too. Also taking a multivitamin since some vitamin deficiencies can lead to tingling and I am a vegetarian so probably don’t get enough of some vitamins and minerals.
I don’t really know what kind of responses I’m hoping for…I guess someone who has gone or is going through something similar. Also, is the pelvic pain, diarrhoea, chest pain, a sign of MS?
I don’t really feel like I can talk to my husband about these things anymore. I don’t want to worry him, but also he has been through many different things with me that have resulted in no explanation which makes him very sceptical. I have a second ultrasound for the pelvic pain next week and an appointment with a gastroenterologist in March but I’m starting to think maybe I should be seeing a neurologist instead. I hate going to the GP though as I’m sure they think I’m crazy.
Being trapped in your own thoughts is a very lonely place.