What does the MS Hug feel like for you

[alli_alli]

Would you say it's a chest pain feeling or not really?

[socrates2k1]

For me, my MS hug, can be best described in two ways.

One, it's a "tired feeling", I feel in the center of my chest to my throat.
I say, tired, because it's not a pain, it's not my heart racing, it's just the best word I can find to describe it.

Two, it's a "tightness" around my entire ribcage, as though the largest bear in the world, has wrapped his paws around your chest, and is giving you the tightest "bear hug" you have ever received, but never lets go (doesn't release you, from it's grip).  This makes it difficult to breath "normally", so I breath with shallow breathes.

The warmer, the outside temperature is, the more difficult both symptoms get.

Many times, I feel like fainting or passing out, so I try to find a place to sit down, or if I'm "out and about" I look for something to lean against.

Most places I go "shopping" at, I look for a "rider" (electric powered sit down cart), and I use it throughout the store.  Even then, I still have the feeling of wanting to faint/pass out.

This is my experience with my version, of the MS Hug.

-- Socrates2k1

[anon07072023]

The worse MS hug I’ve ever experienced happened a few weeks ago. It lasted almost an entire week.

It first started out as pressure on the right side of my chest. Then I felt tightness/pain towards the lower right side of my ribcage and the upper part of my abdomen. It became tighter and tighter where it hurt every time I inhaled as the tightness/pain began to expand towards my sternum.  Next, it also expanded around the  right side of my ribcage to my backside.  Each time I tried to take a breath I let out an audible sound because it hurt so bad. By the 4th or 5th day I went to the ER – practically in tears. At first they thought I had a blood clot. They did blood work, a chest x-ray, and an EKG. Everything turned out fine. And they seemed to look at me like I was an idiot (at least that’s how I felt).  They told me they thought it was somehow related to my muscles.  At this point I was wondering if it was the MS hug. I decided to take twice my daily dose of Baclofen. So…the next couple of days it slowly went away.  

Typically before this experience – it just felt like pressure/pain around the left side of my ribs and tightness off and on on my back.  

-Kelly  

[serenity402]

I ALSO GET FUNNY FLUTTRRY FEELINGS IN MY RIBS BUT NO PAIN, I WONDER WHAT IT COULD BE

[supermum_ms]

The first time i felt the hug i thought i might be having a heart attack, not because my heart was doing anything abnormal but because the entire left side front to back of my rib cage was crushing me. I couldn't move at all or I set it off and even when i was just standing there not moving, my rib cage would spasm and i'd literally scream until it released again. Oh pain worse than childbirth and it lasted 3 days straight, which was about the time it took me to have both my kidss, i'd rather give birth than the hug lol!

Dx intercostal muscle spasms of no known cause, all i was doing was making my first cup of coffee for the day. I still get it and if its been going on for a while, i crack loudly when i stretch my ribs even a little eg lifting my arms for a cuddle. I also get what JemmAus described too, though i always for get its connected to spasms, it just hurts like i've been punched really really hard and it stays that way until it stops.

I've experienced fluttering intercostal muscle spasms, they dont hurt at all but the full on spasms there is a lot of chest pain.

Cheers........JJ

[serenity402]

I GET HORRID PAIN JUST BELOW MY CHEST IN MY RIGHT SIDE THAT LASTS FOR A FEW HOURS IT IS MOST UNPLESENT AND IS A PAINFUL. IT ALSO RAIATES TO MY BACK, I DONT KNOW IF THIS CONSTITUTES AS A HUG BUT I GET IT ALOT

[LisaJF]

I am not diagnosed with MS, however, I am having symptoms that mimic MS and will be following through with Neurology (finally) to get to the bottom of what my symptoms are stemming from.

I have had last year a bout where it felt like I had "pancreatitis" and passing a kidney stone (which I have kidney stones 3 times before in my life --- I knew what the pain felt like and I was certain I had it). I was home and waited over 20+ hours and was taking Ibuprofen 800mg every 8 hours with Tylenol in between.  I had taken antacids, gas-x.  I used a heating pad.  I was at my wits end and finally went to the ER because nothing was helping with the pain and I asked for a CT scan for a stone hunt. I was 100% sure I had one.  Nothing came up on the CT scan.  My lipase and amylase were fine.  No pancreatitis or kidney stones.  

I was embarassed as time passed, that nothing was coming up in tests.  I was released with the feeling that the medical staff were thinking I was drug seeking (which I didn't even ask for it -- but the ER Dr gave me one shot of  0.5 mg of Dilaudid IV and that knocked me out like a loop.  

There was no explanation, the symptoms subsided in about 1.5 days.  I have no idea what it was.  I had a couple of other times recently where I felt that I was again passing kidney stones or both areas of my kidneys were hurting and wrapped around my stomach to groin area.  I didn't go to the ER those times because 1. I had no health insurance to cover the visit and 2. If I did have health insurance I would not have gone because I was afraid whatever happened the last time would happen again (nothing showing up).  

So I waited, took my motrin 800mg alternated with Tylenol, drank plenty of fluids thinking if it was a kidney stone I would pass it eventually -- but nothing.  

I dont know if that constitutes MS hug or not.  All I know is that I have had unexplained pain in my upper abdomen, mid-back wrapping around to stomach and groin. It eventually passes.

I highly doubt I helped but that was my experience so far.

Best wishes to you

Lisa

[JemmAus]

I'm not sure if what I've experienced is the official "hug", but I'll tell you anyway.

Three times I've got up in the morning, feeling fine, made a cup of coffee, sat down at the computer to read the news, and while sitting there, doing nothing more strenuous than lifting a coffee cup, WHAM, HUGE muscle spasm around the back of my chest. I mean the area on my back that covers the ribs, so upper back region.

The muscle spasm has been so severe it twisted my shoulders. Once my son measured it - the left shoulder was 4 inches lower than the right.

because of WHERE it is, it hurts to breathe, as the muscles won't expand as I inhale. the first time that happened I freaked, thinking it was lung-related.

It usually subsides after 24 hours, and resolves completely after a few days. Stretching and massage helps.

So in answer to your question, yes it's chest pain, but only because the muscle hurts as it tries to expand to breathe, as opposed to the pain of some illness like pleurisy.

That's my experience anyway...

Hope that helped a bit....