Bizarre MS psychosomatic symptom

[Sunshine]

Ever since my first major attack in 1998, I have had this awful psychosomatic problem.:

When I read of medical procedures like the Botox thread on bladder problems, or even read about an injection or blood draw, I get huge bad tingling , which I call The Willies, on the back of the thighs until I stop thinking about medical procedures. It also happens if I shout in anger at my family. On the plus side, I no longer shout, I just rationally discuss my anger.

On another plus side, when I get a flare up, the painful Willies will occur on the site where the flare up is. So, if I am wondering if I am flaring or just an injury, I just think of something medical-- this helps me distinguish between an MS flare up neuropathy rather than a regular injury.nifni get the Willies on that part of the body, then I know the pain is MS and not an injury.

Does anyone else get this type of pain triggered by something psychological like a thought or an emotion?

I think I deserve an award for most bizarre MS symptom of the week...

[Lazarus]

Yup! You get the Oscar....

[nuthatch]

I sometimes get a strange tingling on the back of my thighs on occasion but can't make it happen by thinking of something. Years ago when my kids were young, I would get a quick zing through my fingertips whenever I saw my child get hurt, like bump their head or fall and skin a knee. I always thought I was weird and maybe a bit over sympathetic.
On second thought, I KNOW I'm weird . . . but I'm okay with that fact!

You're okay too, BBS1951! But yup, you win the award THIS week. Who knows what's gonna happen next!*calvin1

[agate]

This sounds very uncomfortable.

Let me send up this trial balloon and see how it goes over. With MS we're losing control of so many functions that we've been taking for granted, and it may not be too surprising if we focus on trying hard to control any parts of ourselves that we think we can control. We're running scared, no doubt, even if we don't realize it.

When you say

On another plus side, when I get a flare up, the painful Willies will occur on the site where the flare up is. So, if I am wondering if I am flaring or just an injury, I just think of something medical-- this helps me distinguish between an MS flare up neuropathy rather than a regular injury.nifni get the Willies on that part of the body, then I know the pain is MS and not an injury.

it sounds like an instance of trying to have some control. You want to be able to tell the difference between an MS-caused problem and some other kind of problem. I think all of us work hard at figuring that out every time something goes wrong and we have a pain, an infection, a series of unexplained slipups.

I'm not saying your explanation is wrong--just that I think I know why you're trying hard to find an explanation. We keep wanting to think that this disease makes some sense.

[renee]

Anxiety brings on real flare symptoms until
those disappear backstage.

[Sunshine]

I like to know if it's Not MS because then it might be something that needs treating. Like, is it MS neuropathy, or is it sciatica. Is it MS pelvic neuropathy, or am I brewing an infection.

[Virginia]

I agree with Renee about the anxiety bringing on different symptoms.

I do sometime get a tingling and I will think where did that come from? It is just different. I have tingling in feet and part of legs 24/7, but then I can get extra tingling and that when I wonder what is going on.

However, since you said your symptom occurs when you think of a medical procedure or get angry and yell at family it kind of sounds like it is caused by anxiety that these particular things cause you. This is the most weird one I have heard of. I think you probably do win the prize (whatever that is).

[Sunshine]

I just call it "The Willies" and liken the ohenomenon to like how some feel when chalk squeaks on the blackboard :) The Willies only show up in places that MS has affected.