MS Hug = Spinal lesion?

Hey, I've probably asked this question already but can't remember.  My old sternum/rib/back pain has popped back up.  Do those symptoms definitely indicate a spinal lesion?

[jensequitur]

Went and googled it... and yes, it does - never mind!

[Heather3418]

These symptoms can be from a number of things, as you know.  Now if you mean what is described as the "MS Hug," I was told by my first Neuro that this was coming from my upper thoracic spinal lesion.  It seems that particular lesion to this day, is blamed for alot of my "MS problems."  At least they tell me that they believe that my chronic leg pain is caused from that damaged area in my spinal cord.

Guess the twelve lesions in my brain cause little problems, but I do blame my balance problems and my occasional speech difficulty on the brain lesions, although I have other symptoms, too long to list.  Don't want to bore you.

Heather

[jensequitur]

Don't worry!  As we all know, MS can include a lot of symptoms.  Here, I'll bore you for a minute.  ;-)

What I'm calling the MS hug is a pain in my sternum, quite sharp, that sometimes radiates out along the ribcage, and sometimes shoots around to the back.  I've found that drinking a glass of warm water will relax my esophagus, which seems to be a major contributor to the problem, but the esophagus will still be sore and kinda crampy-feeling.

For years I've had this, without knowing what the heck it was.  When it first started acting up, my left leg swelled and develop some alarming varicose veins.  With the back pain I self-diagnosed a sciatic nerve compression, slept on my stomach with an ice pack for a few days, and it eventually went away.  (Although the veins are still there!)  I've also had similar problems with my right shoulder.

After my MS was diagnosed, I had a flare that took away my right leg for a while.  It worked, kinda, but there were proprioperception problems, weakness, numbness, etc.  I've also had spasticity in the left leg, hamstring and calf.  The right leg is back, but it's definitely atrophying a bit.

I also have numbness from my bra strap down on the right side of my torso, front and back.  It tapers off around the lumbar region, but both armpits are numb, and the skin is close to being completely numb.  Definitely less sensitive to pain and heat.

So my theory is that I have a lesion in the spine, somewhere around T3-T7.  Maybe I have one further down, too.  I've heard people say that they can feel when they have a lesion forming in their back.  I think they're right - I get a pain right above the braline.

Heather, where is your spinal lesion?

[Heather3418]

I'll have to find my MRI report and let you know.  I have most of my problem at my bra line too.

The sharp pains you describe sound like what I used to have and it was my esophageal spasms.  I know I didn't spell that right.  I take Prilosec every day and don't seem to have a problem with it very often anymore.

I will let you know where my lesion is when I can find that report.  I do know it's high in the thoracic region.  I also have six bulging disks in my cervical, thoracic and lumbar region with the thoracic disk problem causing slight spinal stenosis.

Heather

[jensequitur]

I've often wondered if the spasms are caused by the lesion...  It's a chicken and egg question, isn't it!  I've had problems with acid reflux, that started around the same time the spasms did.  But sometimes I have acid and no spasms, or spasms and no acid.  So who knows!