Ms Hug?

[Deludel]

I've got to call my ms neuro in the morning..  Primarily because of extreme fatigue so bad I have fallen asleep behind the wheel.

Today I had something new happen..  Pain around my torso..  Chest and back of chest sore and tight, sharp pain with deep breath or reaching with arms or lifting things (like my 17mo old daughter).... Googling led me to pleurisy and "ms hug"  and an "ohhhhhh"...

Reading showed me the hug  can be an exacerbation or pseudo exacerbation..  

I just had a cervical mri a few weeks ago for arm pain (it was clear so I have to see an ortho)...  I had a brain mri in April which showed no new activity...  Curious, if an MS hug were to show on an mri..  Would it be thoracic? FYI..  At diagnosis I did have some thoracic lesions.

[Deludel]

Well, the MRIs were clear … and the symptoms (so intense at the time!) only lasted a few more than 24 hours. It was so THERE for 24 hours then so gone. I was going to see my primary as a follow up but its totally gone .. so I guess that's that.

I don't *want* anything to be MS, but everything I read - EVERYTHING .. this was the damn hug. I guess I'll just be glad it passed quickly, because I cannot imagine living like that for much longer.

[Mcnickyo]

Lulu, I couldn't find the web address u posted in relation to the MS hug

[HVAC]

I thought I had Diaphragm Spasms caused by MS turned out to be something else. They missed a diagnosis blaming it on MS for two years so it is good they are exploring. It is easy to think everything is MS it could be but we can have other things happen as well.

Alex

[immisceo]

An 'ms hug' is the result of neurological damage. She's correct in telling you that pain that changes with body position is not consistent with a neurological symptom. Nerves in your brain or spinal column that are stripped of their myelin sheath don't give a darn what position you're in.

But, yes it can resolve quickly. Symptoms and signs (for the purposes of MS tracking and diagnosis) need be present for at least 24 hours (or at least intermittently for that 24 hours). Additional new symptoms within the same 30 days may be considered to be part of the same, multi-focal episode.

[Deludel]

Follow up : I saw my MS neuro yesterday. If the feeling started the day before with a 9 out of 10, it was down to a 5 when I saw her. Pressure and constricting but sharp pain not there.

I like my neuro. A lot. I trust her. That being said..  She said she's not convinced it's the hug. She said the sharp pain when I breathed or moved my arms was not consistent with an MS hug.

Is it weird that I was skeptical and devastated? It's all about having answers I guess and if it's not ms then what is it?

She did order an thoracic and cervical MRI which I had this morning..  So we will see what the results are.

The feeling is gone today (Day 3)..  For this of you who have had it, can it go away that quickly?

[Mcnickyo]

Thanks Alex. I too am working on mindful meditation, it is helpful. Nicky

[HVAC]

MCnickyo,
    I went to a pain clinic. I researched and went the best in town. For years doctors had kept adding medicines.  I was on over 22 every day. When I got Cancer I could not take pills because of throwing up so I got off all of them. I only went back on what I needed. Now I take way less pills. With the Cancer I am on the heavy medicines but I use only what I need. I also learned mindfulness meditation which helps a lot with pain.

Alex

[Mcnickyo]

How timely finding your post today. I haven't yet read the article Lulu suggests , but I will. I have the hug/also known banding. Many things make it worse for me things like typing,,slicing or chopping veggies etc etc. sitting at the dinner table too long, life brings the pain. Saw a new MS doc today and among the many mind blowing things she said was that banding pain
is very hard to treat. And also the pain meds I take for daily headache, TMJ, fibromyalgia in her opinion I would do better off to redUce all my meds. This ***** the air out of me. The new doc , it was my first visit, did no physical exam of me at all. Do u tHink that's normal? No close ur eyes and touch ur nose, reflex tests-nope. Before I saw doc her nurse took vitals and BP and did the peg test and walk in the hall...Am I over reacting?

[jensequitur]

Yup, thoracic lesions can cause problems with the muscles enervated below the level of the lesion. I get an esophageal spasm because of my lesion at T6.

[Lulu54]

There is an excellent look at what the MS Hug is and a couple of the theories as to why it happens.  I hope it gets better for you soon and you don't inger with this pain.  

http://www.diagnosisms.com/2011/04/29/what-is-the-ms-hug/