Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Experiencing MS hug for the first time

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Experiencing MS hug for the first time

    I'm not sure, but my spine doctor thinks that's what it is. For the past two weeks I thought it was my heart. Its very frightening and at times I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack.

    This is very new for me and I'm scared. I've been sick over 20 years and never experienced this before. I have it at the moment and I feel really panicky. Stress obviously makes it worse because my heat intolerance is double in intensity from the stress of this new condition. Unless that's the norm? This is too much.

    It starts in the center of my chest right below my breasts (guessing it's diaphragm?) and I feel like my chest is being crushed. I'm suffocating. Almost knife-like dead center chest and some times it goes up to my throat and even face.

    It wraps around my chest and around my back and it has a constant grip on me. There's a burning in my face at times, too. I have severe heat intolerance and my face turns bright red from being so hot and I'm dripping sweat at the moment.

    Laying flat is the absolute worst. I have to turn over, sit up in bed and/or put my head out the window for cold air. My window is right by my bedside. Squeezing, crushing my chest, ribs, whatever it is.

    Is this the hug everyone talks about? Will Gabapentin help? Anything help?! I have it the pharmacy. My doctor called it in today. TIA!!

    #2
    Hi Dayna - it certainly sounds like the MS hug. It was one of my first symptoms years ago and felt like I was being squeezed by a boa constrictor. It is caused my muscle spasms and I've heard of people using gabapentin to help.

    "The MS hug occurs because messages from nerves are blocked or disrupted by the damage caused by MS. The feeling of tightness around your chest can be due to spasms in the small muscles between your ribs (the intercostal muscles) which help expand your chest when breathing."

    This article from MSTrust explains it https://www.mstrust.org.uk/a-z/ms-hug

    Hope you can get this to lessen up a bit. It can be quite painful!
    Take care
    1st sx '89 Dx '99 w/RRMS - SP since 2010
    Administrator Message Boards/Moderator

    Comment


      #3
      I am sorry for your pains. On the road right now, but this link might help you.



      https://www.msworld.org/forum/showth...-gt-The-Basics


      I wish you well...

      Comment


        #4
        Thank you Seasha and Marco for those links. Appreciate it greatly. I'm reading them now.

        Comment


          #5
          Hello Dayna,

          I have no expertise in this area but I am praying in this moment for you, if you don't mind me doing so. I'm asking God, the love and compassion of the universe, to comfort your heart and settle your mind so that you can discover the way forward specific to this problem. I'm praying that your understanding will grasp and utilize information being supplied through Marco, Seasha and others to make the most prudent decisions for yourself; the best treatment or treatments for you personally to relieve this condition.

          It must be terribly frightening, as well as terribly discomforting to experience this condition even knowing the intensity will decrease with time.

          Please continue doing all the things you know is right... stay extra cool if heat exacerbates the condition, deal with stress as efficiently as possible, use meds correctly, continue seeking good counsel.

          Please know that my heart is deeply touched by your expressions. How much more, how very much more, concern, care, and help shall be provided by the love of the universe I call God. Such love is not limited by my finite mind and I trust, because of what I feel within me that love in various forms will come speedily to your assistance in this, your present need.

          Please continue reading, continue educating yourself, and please continue sharing your experience and knowledge because in doing so you will help alleviate suffering in others.

          Best wishes!

          Comment


            #6
            I started having the hug last summer

            Mine is different from yours but it is a spasm that scared me at first thinking I was having a heart attack. The pain was/is intense. For me it was in my back between my shoulder blades. Happens a lot and I think mostly at night. It has become one of my thousands 😖 of symptoms.

            I have esophageal spasms too so these two seem to go hand in hand for me. When one is active so is the other.
            "Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning the devil says:"Oh Crap, She's up!"

            Currently on rituxan

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by MSLazarus View Post
              Mine is different from yours but it is a spasm that scared me at first thinking I was having a heart attack. The pain was/is intense. For me it was in my back between my shoulder blades. Happens a lot and I think mostly at night. It has become one of my thousands 😖 of symptoms.

              I have esophageal spasms too so these two seem to go hand in hand for me. When one is active so is the other.
              Actually, you describe me to a T. This evil MS hug comes in many forms. It's so scary. I've called my cardiologist twice now. I'm praying to God that the Baclofen and Gabapentin will help. I just started them both.

              Thank you for sharing. It helps to know I'm not alone and especially going crazy. ❤

              Comment


                #8
                Dayna, I am so sorry to hear that you are suffering from pain in your mid section....be is MS Hug or spastic muscles in your chest. I think it can present differently in each person. You are NOT alone....we all here truly understand. It is scary, painful and the uncertainty of how long it will last and how it limits your activities can be very mentally difficult to deal with. Hang in there....and keep us posted!!! 💕

                Comment


                  #9
                  Hi Dayna

                  I have had these hugs a few times , I too take baclofen and gabopentin . 3 times it was so bad I could not breath after 2 hrs of trying to get through it I got scared and went to the ER.. again they thought heart attack but was not. It went away with a steroid shot and a narcotic shot in 30 min then breathing returned to normal... But it will be up to you to educate the ER doctor they don't know what to do ... don't want to scare you but education is important Limppy

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Magnesium

                    I take some long acting magnesium to keep them at bay, at bedtime. Added bonus, it also helps me sleep.

                    Comment

                    Working...
                    X