MS HUG

[4happygnomes]

Does a MS Hug feel like you can't take a full breath in?  I've had a couple of days where the top part of my chest/back feels tight and I can't take a full breath...or like an elephant is sitting on it.  The sensation has lasted for a couple of minutes and then goes away...

[4happygnomes]

Thanks for the descriptive response, that sounds horrible!  At least at the end of all the contractions, you have a little one to love, no real "reward" when the MS Hug is over!  Yuck!  Hope yours are few and far between..or better yet, never happen again!!

Karen

[supermum_ms]

From what i understand, the MS Hug is associated with spinal cord lesions, and it's usually described as a 'banding' feeling, that fully or partially surrounds anywhere along your torso. Common torso locations where the hug is experienced, would be around the ribcage and below but if you search MS Hug within the community, you'll read many peoples experiences in other torso locations.

The ribcage has what's called intercostal muscles between each rib, they allow the ribcage to expand and contract whilst breathing, with the hug these intercostal muscles spasm, locking down the ribs in it's contracted stage and that restriction varies from feeling like your bras too tight to being incredibly  painful.

I experience individual and multiple intercostal muscle spasms, the most painful lasted 3 days at it's worst, the entire left side of my ribcage was locking down in it's contracted stage and not releasing for a few minutes at a time. It felt like i was being squeezed, you could actually see the ribcage contract with the spasm, very weird and very painful. For me it was reminiscent of giving birth, wave after wave of incredible pain, and knowing the next was coming...

At it's gentlest the same muscles just flutter spasm but it doesn't hurt, lol the first time DH felt it, it shocked the heck out of him, his arm around me and his hand on my ribcage lol and my muscles rhythmically rippled....just saying doing there thing.

Hope that helps explain the Hug a bit :D

Cheers.......JJ    

  

[HVAC]

It could be MS just don't over look other conditions.

Alex

[4happygnomes]

Thanks for the response...hmmm, no, I don't have asthma...guess I will just keep track of it and mention it at my next appt...goodness,  after all I've read with other people's experiences and various conditions...it amazes me how often/how long doctors don't get the diagnosis right...not to knock them, just an observation!  thanks!

[HVAC]

Do you have asthma I would check that out first.Not everything is MS. I had diaphragm spasms which lasted for hours at a time. My GP thought it was MS it was Cancer in my Diaphragm. It took six years to be diagnosed with Cancer because the GP blamed classic Cancer on MS.


Alex