Having a Bad, Bad Day, Advice please?

Hi Dear Forum Friends,
I need your thoughts on this for those who have had the MS Hug.

After bragging and updating to you all that I was feeling brilliant, hence why I had not been around much I have fallen in a heap in less than 24 hours.

I have had rather sudden onset of what my neurologist's nurse said was the MS hug. I don't have MS, but I have TM and the symptoms can overlap or be much the same, especially symptoms that are due to spinal cord lesions.

I was just wondering if this is what the hug feels like for you, as there is no way that this should be called a hug, painful is an understatement. I have had quite a bit of back pain (banding type of pain, like a belt being pulled tight, but I almost felt like I was having a heartattack or something it was horrible but then I got numbness and weakness and the worst pain radiating down into my arms, it was travelling from my back into my arms and there was no strength in my arms, this in itself terrified me, the pain was terrible and the loss of strength was shocking too.

I haven't heard of anyone getting this with MS???  I know the hug thing with the banding is common, but the pain was shocking, but I have had burning sensations again, and pins and needles and some weakness in my legs too. Grrrrrr.  My MS nurse is ringing me tomorrow for an update, but I was wondering if this sounds like the hug or something else.

But I did read a section on TM and it says that you can get back pain and then radicular pain that can be in your arms and legs, so I suppose that is that, I just hope I am not having another attack, I have been tired and it has been hot, so I wonder if it is just that a pseudo flare, as long as it doesn't gradually get worse as the nurse said sometimes the hug can be the start of another attack, but TM is usually a once of thing, but can reoccur.
Sorry I am rambling, has anyone with spinal cord lesions had anything like this.

Thanks
Udkas.

[PastorDan]

Don't know for certain, Ud, but I'd suggest getting the old ticker checked out, from the description you shared.  You may have TM, migraine, MS, even all or none of the above, but you could still have cardiac problems on top of that.  No sense in taking chances, IMHO.

[HVAC]

It is always better to be safe than sorry. A few weeks ago  while out of town, I had an hour long squeezing of the diaphragm and other symptoms that were like a heart attack, face numbness, extreme weakness for days. With the advice of many on the forum I had a heart work up. It turned out not to be my heart but I am glad I had the work up because in women heart attacks present differently and you never know. Also I have it documented it was not my heart so that eliminates one possibility.

I was told it probably was triggered by my brain stem lesion. Mine wrenched the snot out of my diaphragm and took me a week to get over completely because of the respiratory involvement. This was not the squeezing of the ribs I had read about. I had been pushing myself full throttle the weeks before. I guess a part of me just does not want to accept I can't do anything I want with out consequences.

Alex

[sllowe]

Hey Gal,

I feel like Pastor D, Alex do. The hug can be as you describe but I'm the type who has to exhaust a condition that anyone of us can get. Can you get to your MD?

-shell

[Sumanadevii]

I only speak of my own experience, Udkas.  The hug felt like a heart attack to me, too.  Both times I went to the emergency room.  I, like you, have lesions on the brain stem that affects my breathing and swallowing.  It is an awful feeling.  Right now I am on Ensure and any soft food without lumps...lol...like applesauce and yogurts.  I don't have many pounds left to waste.  I don't know what will be done...I am just hoping it passes.

[RedFlame]

Hi Udkas,  I'm sorry to hear that you are going through so much  Unfortunately, at least with MS everything can change in a day---at least that has been my experience.

The MS Hug is extremely painful.  Everyone who has it experiences it differently and the intensity can change as well.

As the others have said, make sure this isn't something like your heart

take care

Red

[Udkas]

I never even thought about my heart, It feels neurological, and I guess I was assuming it was because of my neuro's nurse saying it was the hug.

I will be talking to her and possibly my neuro today, so I will talk to them about the heart and I will ring my GP too and I will keep you posted.

I did some more reading on Transverse Myelitis and it can present with severe back pain and radicular pain into the limbs depending on where the lesion is located, my pain would travel down into my arms through to my fingers but then my arms were so weak I was unable to function (could not even hold a cup), this lasts for about 5 to 15 minutes then it goes, but I have had burning and other symptoms.  I have permanant loss of strength in my legs and my left arm anyway, but this is weird, almost like I have a pinched nerve or something,  I ended up sitting at work slumped over the chair until it passed, it's been hot here too and my work is physical and hot,  Dunno, but it scares me, so I will get it all checked out and keep you posted.
Thanks for your support.  I needed to vent, I hope it doesnt get worse other wise I will want some pain relief as it is very, very painful
Cheers,
Udkas

[jensequitur]

Hey, I have rhythmic contractions of the stomach, as well as the MS hug, and esophageal spasm.  Has your doctor given you a spine MRI?  I have several lesions in my spine which seem to cause a lot of problems, including weakness in my legs, constipation, myoclonus, and paresthesia.

[Udkas]

Hi,
Jen, I have all of the above symptoms that you describe,  I have clonus, and hyperreflexia, weakness and bladder issues, oh and boy am i constipated, not sure if that is related, but my MRI was normal, but my neurologist says I have spinal lesions, he seems definite about that, he reckons MRI even good machines can still not detect all spinal lesions and they can heal and disappear.  I have not had a spinal MRI now for at least 12mths I think.

Will let you know what they say today, I seriously don't think it's my heart but worth a check I am sure.
TM is a bit different from MS with it's pain and radicular pain presentation.

[supermum_ms]

I've been having intercostal muscle spasms for a few years now, first time it happened it was the most excusiating pain, thought it was a heart attack, i did say it was worst than child birth. I've had it going on since 08 now, more common for me in the summer months than the winter ones, dont know why that is. I still get individual muscle spasms but they are not as bad as when the all go off the planet of normal.

Banding, sudden pows of pain in one area, my left side is my problem side but i've had it just across my back, curving around the front but thankfully not my entire rib cage. I can see my ribs contract with the spasm, it hurts for sure. When I asked a similar q end of last summer, every one said i need to get my hear checked out, totally logical though i didn't think it had anything to do with my heart because it was a familiar feeling.

I wouldn't muck about, just in case, its no biggy if it is the hug (yep stupid name) but if its the heart then the earlier it gets caught the better, so please get seen to as I said, Just in case!

GENTLE HUGS...........JJ