Face Tingling/Itching: Help!

I posted a couple weeks ago about my face tingling - well unfortunately it has not subsided and has spread to my mouth/tongue. For about 2 weeks now my face has been tingling and I am constantly itching it to remove the imaginary hair that is causing this sensation. Of course, there is nothing there. Over the last few days my tongue has also started to have this feeling - kind of like I have a strand of hair on the tip of my tongue. Or it's as if I had novacaine and it is wearing off. Despite a few nice folks earlier having told me they had something like this on occasion, I haven't seen anyone here with such continuous long-lasting sensory issues with their face/mouth, so I am now pretty much convinced this "thing" is MS.I have put off raising this with either my GP or neuro b/c I didn't want to seem like a hypochondriac having just gotten the "all clear" about a month ago from one of the top neuros in the country. But given the consistency and progression of this new symptom I have decided to go see my GP tomorrow for a sanity check. My guess is that he will send me back to the neuro (which will mean a couple month wait to see him), and possibly an MRI. I'm dreading the next several weeks.Sorry to bring this forum down with my bad news. I wish I could stay just a BFS'er and help others out, but it looks like it is not to be. I guess I can take some hope in that my sister has had MS for over a decade now and she is doing OK and getting on with life. Looks like I'll have to do the same.Chris

Chris: If you have gotten an all clear from your neuro a month ago, why do you think it would be any different now??? I suspect you will get the same answer--that you're okay.Cindy

You just got what sounds like the best reassurance you could get, and what it also sounds like, from the BEST!! I think BFS can affect ALL nerves as people have had everything from tingling,to buzzing,to odd sensory sensations, the works!! Type in tingling in the search tool and I bet you get several pages of BFS'rs tingling. I have too!! I'd wait it out and see what happens. I've had tingly spots last on and off for a few weeks......not fun, I agree. Hang in there before you go back into a doctors office. I'd say without any accompanying dizziness, loss of vision, etc...youre ok, anxiety symptoms present like this too you know, and although you got some good news, it may take your body a few addt'l weeks to calm back down, my advise, get active, go work off that anxiety, it will boost your confidence that everything is ok and your mood!!Good luck,B

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I should probably give a bit more info as to why I'm thinking this is MS and not BFS.* Tingling/Neurologist visit: Never mentioned tingling as I didn't have it before then. He can only go on what I told him. The only part of the clinical test which I did not appear to pass was the sensation test on my left foot. Couldn't feel the vibrating tool when placed on the top of my foot. He moved on and didn't mention it, but this ties into:* Balance issues: I have always seemed to have poor balance but it seems to have deteriorated over the recent months. I didn't raise this with neuro as I wanted to see if he identified this through the exam. He only had me do a bit of walking in his office, which I did OK. What's not OK are more advanced tests of balance, which he didn't do. I certainly seem to have lost some sensation in my left foot, and to a lesser extent, my right.* Eye issue: About 6 months ago, I had significant eye pain in my left eye. Thought it was sinuses so took lots of sudafed and tylenol over several weeks. Never noticed any impact on vision and was really busy at work, so never saw a doc about it. Mentioned this to my GP at 1st visit back in Dec., but as he did not follow this up, I put it out of my mind as an issue. Once I became focused on ALS, I stopped bringing it up. Looking back now, was this part of the MS onset? Maybe.* Sibling with MS - supposedly results in 2%-5% probability of getting the disease.I'm keeping an open mind, and I'm not 100% convinced it's MS and not BFS, but I think the odds have shifted significantly in favor of MS with the onset and continuation of the face/mouth tingling/numbness, in conjunction with the balance issues. Oh, and I am still twitching as I have been for the past several months.I had already planned on going back to my GP as I had stopped taking Lipitor once this all started, and wanted to get my cholesterol checked and to discuss whether to start again. I will simply bring this new sx up with him at this visit and let him decide whether this should lead to any further action.

Chris,I had the "imaginary hair" (great way to describe it) sensation on my face and on my leg. Same spot everytime and it was constant. It lasted a few weeks and finally subsided. It drove me nuts! This was a symptom that came on about 6 weeks in to it. I, too, at one time was convinced I had MS. I've been at this "condition" for a little over 7 months. I experienced everything from muscle twitches, muscle pain, buzzing feeling, internal tremors, muscle fatigue etc, etc, etc. I have had a few office neuro exams that were all normal. Also, normal MRI of the brain & C-Spine with contrast and clean EMG & NCV. All the docs I've seen say no MS, ALS or Parkinsons. I believe this "condition" is a marathon and not a sprint. I've learned that there are many ups & downs while battling what we all have. Your PCP may request an MRI with contrast and I'm confident it will be completely normal and you will be experiencing an 'up" again. You, like the rest of us, are just being pestered by some goofy benign condition.CDC

Chris,Have had the face tingling a lot over the years, the top of my head also! I have that hair feeling on my face, tongue, back of throat, etc. often as well. I've had a lot of sensory symtoms with this over the years. I have had several MRI's, then a few years ago, I had tingling mostly on my face and went back for another MRI to r/o a mini stroke because I'm in that age group now when my dad had his first strokes, and have high blood pressure and cholestral. MRI was fine, but I thought to myself, how ridiculous, just same old BFS symptoms, but as I get older I have to make sure that they don't mean something age related that runs in my family!!! Take care and don't worry! Best Wishes, Denise

Hi all,Thanks so much for your posts and PM's. When I posted this, I didn't really expect anyone to say anything that would cheer me up or change my perception that this new symptom was bad news, but hearing some of your experiences has really helped. I am more optimistic heading into my GP appointment today that there is a real chance that this could just be another manifestation of this thing, and not MS. I'm still not sure whether I should push for an MRI just to be safe, or to just accept the likely additional admonishment from my GP to relax and stop stressing about every variation on my symptoms. I guess we'll see how it goes.Chris

Hi again Chris:I'm sure you read my previous posts, but I was "convinced" that I had MS recently too. I had numerous symptoms and while each one of them could be explained by one thing or another individually, taken together (Occam's Razor) it all pointed to the same thing - MS. I have had wicked tingling/periodic numbness in my right foot and strange "chill" sensations in my right leg, then started with serious pins and needles in my left foot. I also had long-term disequilibrium, light phosphenes, nystagmus, anisocoria and crashing fatigue. And of course, the infamous twitching. My symptoms read like a symptom list from an MS web site. Turns out, my recent MRI with contrast was normal. Could have knocked me over with a feather. I was absolutely certain something would show up on that scan and still sometimes wonder whether it was read correctly or whether I just had the darn test too early before any lesions had a chance to show up!!! (Talk about pessimism!!) I'm glad you're feeling at least a little better - please do take comfort in the shared experiences of others here. I'm sure you're OK and that the neuro will tell you the same thing - in a few months! Joanne

I have the same thing (see my post "numbness") and have head-MRI again on monday (it's a long story, WHY this MRI is done and does not affect your symptoms).

Tingling in my face is one of those things I have had on and off for years, I also get twitching in the same areas that tingle.It's unpleasant when it happens, but something I just forget about when it does not. I doubt if it is MS

Chris,I had to respond to your post. I wanted to tell you that this was my first symptom that I had when all my sensory issues started 7 years ago. In the Fall of 2000, I noticed the hair on the face sensation, I concentrated on it all the time, which probably made it worse. I started googling this and MS came up as a reason for this type of sensation. Well I panicked because my gram was diagnosed with MS at the age of 60. She has since passed, but did very well with it in the 19 years that she had it. So, I ended up a basket case and had a severe anxiety attack in the early part of 2001. I had made 4 trips to the ER and they kept telling me that I had a virus, because my only symptom was nausea. The nausea lasted 3 months and after the nausea went away I was left with the hair on the face feeling everywhere else on my body also. I have had tons of blood work done in the last 5 years, MRIs also. Each neuro that I have been to tells me that I'm normal. No lesions, no auto immune disease, no rheumatoid arthritis, no lupus, sed rate is good. I have burning feelings throughout my body everyday. I don't know what is wrong with me, but I don't see how the mind could cause all these feelings, but they say its a very powerful thing. My GP says anxiety. My chiro says fibro. The one neuro says post viral syndrome. The other neuro says migraines, which I do get. I go on the 10th of April to a new neuro and am hoping to maybe get further than I did with the last 2. Its very hard to not think of MS when its in your family. I wish I could give you some encouragement, but like you, I am frustrated also. The neuro on the Med help forum said that MS is the most sought after disease on the internet.I hope that you find answers for yourself. I will keep you posted on what this new neuro has to say.Tack care, Jen