Hey anniebooboo,
Stress plays a huge part for me. I need to consciously work on maintaining an even level of stress. For me that means letting things go, delegating work and house-hold responsibilities. I try not to worry about the things I cannot control. It is hard to do but with practice it gets easier.
I am not sure I can answer your pain question. I don't know if your pain will subside and become numbness. For some that is the case, for others, they are left with pain. This is usually called nerve pain. It is real pain and can be very disruptive to quality of life. There are medications that can help (neurontin, lyrica and cymbalta are a few that get mentioned a lot here). I don't have a great deal of nerve pain. I have pain associated with spasticity, or muslce tightness. I manage it by stretching, staying as fit as possible and using klonopin when the pain is really bad.
Again, make sure you tell your doctor. Good luck with your MRI. Let us know how you are and what the doctor says.
Love and prayers,