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How painful can MS hug get?

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    How painful can MS hug get?

    Since catching the flu bug, the abdominal squeeze has made a reappearance and came on so strong it made me sweat. I was not able to stand, or talk, it was too painful. I've not needed any baclofen for a while, and couldn't get to the kitchen to get the deed done. I had to ask my hubs for help and it sort of freaked him out.

    I found another new 10. It's worse than induced labor or post-uterine ablation cramps, suspected kidney stone or ruptured ovarian cyst. All of those seem like a cakewalk after this. My ribs hurt the next day.

    Am I going to be a tough cookie, or a wimp after this?
    I do not have MS. I have Whatchamacallit; and all of the symptoms are mirages.

    #2
    Yes, it can really, really hurt. I wouldn't say a 10.
    Probably a 7+, which is enough to get you morphine in hospital.
    I didn't know such a thing as a MS Hug existed, until the first time it got me, with awful cramps like a boa constrictor was wrapped around me.
    I was looking up "symptoms of stomach cancer" until I read about it here.
    Anti-stomach cramp medication will help. Buscopan Forte, they call it in Australia.

    Comment


      #3
      Permanent MS Hug ?

      Sorry to hear about the pain you've been having. My MS Hug spasticity is one of my biggest challenges.

      Unfortunately, I can relate--I have at least a mild pain in my mid-section every morning when I first get out of bed. As the day progresses, it will get worse. The only thing that is different from day to day is how much wose it gets & will it be a show stopper that puts me on the couch for the rest of the morning or day.

      I take the max amount of baclofen daily & it helps, some. I would like to be assessed for a baclofen pump and will be pusuing it again when I can---a request, referral by my neuro to a specialist group never got an assessment scheduled--perhaps because my primary insurance is Medicare---no response from them after several attempts, so I will try another clinic in another city.

      Avoid all heavy work like pushing a vac, mopping, bending over to garden, etc, etc. I find this eases the chance for pain. I use a small neck roll type pillow that I hold against my chest when I ride in a car, sit at a desk or computer for very long, etc. If I need to stretch out to rest & ease the pain I use Icy Hot with a roll on applicator to try to ease the soreness for awhile & until I fall asleep for a nap,etc.

      Take care---I hope things improve for you.

      Comment


        #4
        Yes, me too. The MS hug is going on 2 years now with not a single day off. I thought it was anything other than MS; never dreamed an MS symptom could be so painful or persistant. If I get stressed (usually emotionally, like when DH comes home and announces he's quitting his job), the pain ramps up to a 10. Unbearable. Usually for me it's in the 7 range.

        I take Zanaflex generic and just started something called nortriptyline. Nothing helps much. I'm supposed to do a course of IV steroids. Waiting for that to get scheduled. It's frustrating that something so painful and urgent to me, that I've been battling for so long, that is so much agony of pain, and here I sit waiting for the doctor to call. And no guarantee that the steroids will make it stop.

        I am getting desperate. I've never even *heard* of a Baclofen pump. I need a better doctor, clearly.
        Proud Mom of three kids!
        dx'd 1996

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          #5
          I'm not glad there is someone else out there that can relate to that awful pain. Although, it's good to know I'm not crazy. Of course, my hubby witnessed it, and he was ready to call an ambulance because of the intensity. He didn't believe me it was just a muscle spasm.

          Mine aren't permanent, they come and go. They seem to be fading out, thankfully. I don't know how anyone can live with that kind of pain day in day out. I don't think I could do it. I couldn't bear 30 minutes of it, and I have a high pain tolerance.

          Thanks for the replies, and hugs to anyone suffering with the squeeze of death. Hug, my patootie.
          I do not have MS. I have Whatchamacallit; and all of the symptoms are mirages.

          Comment


            #6
            I have had the "Hug" for more than a decade.
            It is mostly just a constant pressure that aches.
            It can come on hard enough to drop me to the floor and mess my pants. (grateful that has not happened for a while now.)
            If I don't medicate it or deal with it somehow, I am completely useless.

            I never imagined how painful it can be until I experianced it myself.

            Comment


              #7
              Sending you (((hugs))), jumpinjiminy and hope things are easing up. Oh wait! - you probably don't want I hug, but you know what I mean. It was the very first MS sx I experienced (almost 23 yrs ago) and I remember laying in bed moaning and crying and praying to God to just take me that night. I didn't think I could carry on and of course I had no idea what was happening!! It went away after awhile and to this day I sometime experience it, but definitely not with the same intensity. Stay strong and be well

              Seasha
              1st sx '89 Dx '99 w/RRMS - SP since 2010
              Administrator Message Boards/Moderator

              Comment


                #8
                LOL, thanks Seasha. Hugs are okay. What they call a hug is NOT a hug. I think we need to start calling them the squeeze of death. But that's probably not rosy enough to be PC.
                I do not have MS. I have Whatchamacallit; and all of the symptoms are mirages.

                Comment


                  #9
                  A MS hug can be permanent? I could hardly stand two days of it. It is just awful.
                  MS - the gift that keeps on giving.
                  All my sympathy.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    An ice pack hugged against my chest often reduces the pain of HUG. Fortunately mine don't last long, only a few minutes.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Maybe instead of "hug" they should call it "iron belt" or "iron girdle." That's what it feels like to me. I was telling every doctor I saw that it felt like I was wearing a tight, tight belt that was squeezing me in half.

                      tommylee, I don't know how you are coping. I've had it for almost 2 years and I am so miserable! If this is going to be permanent, I'm going to have to do some serious thinking.
                      Proud Mom of three kids!
                      dx'd 1996

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Iron girdle works. It feels like someone has a hold of your insides and is trying to crush them to a pulp.
                        I do not have MS. I have Whatchamacallit; and all of the symptoms are mirages.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Here's the other dandy thing about it, as if the pain itself isn't enough, you never know when they're going to hit. The first one I ever had hit me while driving to the neuro's office. Uh huh. I was afraid to go to school for a couple of days, fearing one would hit during class and everyone would get overly concerned about it. Even worse, having to grit through that pain in a room for of fellow classmates. Not a fun thought.

                          I think I'd do my best to go in the hall and get through it without an audience, but you never know how long it will last or when the next one is going to strike.
                          I do not have MS. I have Whatchamacallit; and all of the symptoms are mirages.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by jumpinjiminy View Post
                            Iron girdle works. It feels like someone has a hold of your insides and is trying to crush them to a pulp.
                            Or how about being squeezed by a boa constrictor to the point of not being able to breathe
                            1st sx '89 Dx '99 w/RRMS - SP since 2010
                            Administrator Message Boards/Moderator

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by Seasha View Post
                              Or how about being squeezed by a boa constrictor to the point of not being able to breathe
                              The Boa strangle.
                              I do not have MS. I have Whatchamacallit; and all of the symptoms are mirages.

                              Comment

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