Other Psychosomatic disorder?

[Franzi]

Hey guys!

For the last 6 six months I've been struggling with the weirdest neurological symptoms. It all started very mildly with some kind of numbness in my forehead. I can still feel it when I touch it, it just feels numb from the inside if that makes any sense. At first I only had it at night or when I was just watching TV or something but I got more and more continuous. Anyways, I started getting other symptoms all over my like tingeling and burning sensations under my skin. Sometimes my fingers, feet or parts of my face get numb.
I went to a neurologist, he did some kind of neurological examination and I got an MRI scan. Both turned out to be totally fine and he said that a psychosomatic disorder is probably causing my symptoms.

Btw, I am not depressed nor have I any psychological poblems. However, I am a very sensitive and anxious person and cry a lot, sometimes for no reason. I also had an eating disorder as a child/teen.

Is it really possible that the psyche can cause such weird symptoms?

 

[ms spock]

Absolutely. Somatisation is a thing, look it up. I have done it since childhood. I don't do it as much any more. A lot of abuse survivors do it.

 

[shimmerz]

From my experience, it is my body's way of trying to 'tell me something'. When I figured out what it is trying to tell me, the somatisation still played out, but in a different way.

 

[Chava]

I get numb and tingling in my face when having panic attacks sometimes (also hands go cold sometimes or feel numbness elsewhere). Not an uncommon anxiety and panic symptom. Sometimes I notice no trigger or sensations beyond the numb/tingling. If neuro doc thinks its psychological, and you are otherwise healthy, best next action would be to see a psych doc for evaluation.

Do you think you have PTSD? (not saying because these are necessarily related, but because you posted here)

 

[Franzi]

I don't know. Like I said I don't have any serious psychological problems...but there are some factors which might have caused a PTSD. My parents got divorced when I was very young, bad relationship with my mom, my dad's alcohol problem, the eating disorder and resulting self esteem issues. All that has never really bothered me too much I think but maybe it unconsciously did? :/

 

[Chava]

Though challenging, the adverse events from your childhood, as you've explained briefly, would not likely cause PTSD (also, you'd be noticing symptoms aside from this sensation you're wondering about).

If you're interested in how maybe all the stuff intersects in your life, since likely there is some way it does (just does not mean it has to be PTSD, or even something clear cut), seeing a psychologist or some similar specialist would probably make most sense. But if you feel like you are basically doing okay, like you say not struggling much with psych issues, maybe it's just one of those mystery symptoms you get reassurance from a doctor about and leave behind. Under stress or exhaustion, I'm prone to some pretty weird symptoms, some of which have not yet been explained by any doctors and I've just settled for that because I know I'm basically okay.