MS Hug

Dear friends,
I have experienced nightly chest pains since my HA in January - I can count only 5 nights total since January 21 that I have slept through the night.  The cardio doc has tried several rx combos with me, with limited success, having decreased the avr. times I wake up from 3-4 down to 1-2.  

Now that I have a possible dx of ms I am reading about this "hug" and wonder if that it the spasm pain I am experiencing and not my heart - the chest pain/pressure sent me to the er once in May and they kept me for observation and found nothing cardiac. that was my only daytime experience with this extreme chest pressure the rest of the  time is at night and wakes me from a sound sleep. Even with taking lunesta to sleep I wake up in pain.

Since March I have also noticed that my right rib area - and under my lower right rib hurts, especially when walking.  The discomfort is now occasionally on my left lower rib area as well.  

My question is - can this MS hug be predominantly  nighttime/at rest symptom?  

Thanks for any insight you can share.
Laura

[Terrie2008]

Hi

I get that hug but it does not pain its just a weird feeling feels like warm blood is moving from the back of my rib cage round to the front rib cage then gives a squeeze could this be a Ms hug.

While I am here Iv just had a thought at the beginning of this year I started to get this heavy feeling on my chest as the evening went on it got worse it was if someone had put bricks on my chest no pain just heavy bricks.

My Husband took me to to the hospital they were very good gave me an e.c.g but that was fine they gave me an asprin and sprayed something under my tongue  this did not help the bricks where just getting heavier they gave me some morphine, which did.help.

They took me up to the ward and kept me in over night.

Earlier that day I had a banana and they thought it was due to that,in the end they said it was a spasm now Im just wondering if this could be one of the symptoms of Ms

What do you all think.

I have not eaten a banana since.ha ha  

[Quixotic1]

It does sound like you and Laura have been having the "hug."  When it occurs in the chest area I have wondered it it does involve spasm of the muscles in between the ribs.  This could feel like "wraparound" chest pressure or it could also be quite painful.  Also, when it releases it could be leave lingering soreness and tenderness.

Terrie - The banana would have relieved spasm (if it did anything) but it wouldn't have caused it.  You are released to enjoy bananas again, lol.

Quix

[RETIRED53]

I am having it right now, the hug I mean...lol
It's not painful, more like I just ate a 12 course meal and I have this tightness right below the sternum. I can breathe fine but if I take a deep breath it is hard to take it in. It happens whenever it feels like happening, whether it be day or night. It just goes away till another day, hey I am a poet and don't even know it, lol...

Lee

[Lulu54]

we keep thinking it is prinzmetal angina in an "at rest" angina  which happens at night but the symptoms dont quite fit . I usually have arm pain as well - the pain radiates down both arms, not just one like classic CAD symptoms.  It will stop if I get up out of bed, or if I lay still and wait it out OR take a nitroquik.

Lee, I have been experiencing the heavy chest breathing feeling somewhat like you describe. But with me it is the opposite - I can clear the pressure by taking a very deep breath.

Terri - it was most probably nitro that they sprayed under your tongue.  Standard treatment if they don't put you on a nitro drip.  Now about the bananas - I have the same feeling about chicken wings.  We had eaten them the night of my MI - why I thought at first it was indigestion.  And then the 2nd time I went to the ER we had also had a fried wing as part of a chinese lunch out.  I haven't had a wing since then.  :-)

Quix- the spasm idea makes sense and I assume like eerything else with MS the actual symptoms vary patient to patient. I do often have lingering tenderness, but usually in my arms or wrists and not normally in my ribs or chest.

Thanks all, as usual you gave me lots to consider.

Be well,
Laura

[Terrie2008]

ooooooooo Quik

Bananas scare me, but at least if I had one and it happened again then I wouldn't panic this time (well I did not panic the last time just a bit scared when they started treating me for a heart attack).

This is really intresting to me as I always thought, this is not the banana or a heart attack.  Now I am gathering my thought,and remembering things.

Prior to that happening some time before that, i remember something going on in my chest, and my husband got me of the sofa onto the floor as he thought if I was having a heart attack he would want me on the floor so he could attend to me better (no jokes others wise we could be here for ever ha ha) that time was a tightness.

Then the one I have told you about the dr at the hospital said I am not a gambling man  
but If I was I would say it was a spasm due to the banana (well he had to blame something and as I told him about the banana it was easy for him to put it down to that).

I am so pleased this has been brought up sorry Laura I seem to have taken over your post but its all good info.

I had to laugh at "You are released to enjoy bananas again,and the chicken wings.

I will now right this down thanks for reminding me.