how the ms hug affects you

Hi folks just a quick question. Can the MS Hug affect only your back. The reason i ask is i have been having like a major cramp in my back muscles it only affects my back from the last 2 ribs to just below my waist and it is really painful. Thanks guys dont know what i would do if i didnt have you all with so many words of wisdom.

[Sarahsmom46]

Isn't this just the best place for asking all sorts of questions? I agree with you about that.  

Everyone experiences the "hug" in different ways.  Some have the back pain, others the pain is across the abdomen, and some have it wrap around the whole torso.  I have it around my whole torso from just below the ribs all the way aroung my back.  It literrally takes my breath away and taking deep breaths is uncomfortable or sometimes painful.

I wish there were something we could take to make it go away.  What do you do about it when it happens to you?

[jensequitur]

Quix thinks that any manifestation of cramping along the torso is a manifestation of the MS hug.  I've heard people call it a paresthesia, but to me the MS hug sounds more like the intercostal muscles cramping or spasming.

So the real question is if there's a lesion in the spine causing the MS hug-like symptoms.  If the cramp starts in the thoracic region, then it's possible that it's caused by a lesion.  If it's in the lumbar area, however, it's not caused by a lesion.

I get an esophageal spasm, that sometimes feels like it starts in my back, then shoots around to right behind my sternum.

[supermum_ms]

Hi,

I experienced my first MS Hug in 2008, i can honestly say it was the worst pain i have ever experienced, natural child birth is nothing in comparrison, i do have a very high pain threshold so believe me when i say it was excrusiating! I was having wave after wave of what i can only explain as bone crushing spasms, the left rib cage, back to front like a giant was squeesing it, the screams were literaly ripped out of me, just incredible! I've been having what i call baby hugs with this episode, left rib cage again but only the front, not painful really, a fluttery pressure that gets tighter and tighter, livable.

I can look back and see another possible hug, it was in the first few months after my son was born so Jan 98. I was struck by spasms just below/along my front rib cage at the bottom of the rib cage, it was so bad i ended up in a heap on the bathroom floor and again ended up in hospital. Both times the emergency dept had no answer for why i was in pain, the 98 incident was possibly due to my body 'readjusting' after childbirth and the 2008 incident was possibly due to muscle spasms with a fine brake in a rib. No test either time showed any reason for the pain i was experiencing, so i think 'possibly' could well be (when i look at whats happening to me now) probably the unfriendly MS Hugs.

Funny they happened 10 years apart, never noticed that before this minute, I wonder if that has any significance to the timeline of MS, anyone know?

Cheers........JJ

PS. lying down flat seems to help.

[wadeheather]

Not sure if I have actually had a hug or not, but I did have an episode for three days of on and off "squeezing' of my torso.  It felt like my ribs were trying to merge together. If spasms are considered part of the hug I have also had abdominal spasms. In April I had what the urgent care doc called a pulled muscle between my ribs - but I'm not sure how one would do that. I could barely move. But it was only on the right side and only in my lower rib cage.

Not really an answer, but an experience I suppose.

[jules2212]

Thanks guys for sharing your experiences with me. I dont know what this pain is but its agony when it happens, so i will go to my GP with it and see what he thinks and if there is anything he can give me for it when it occurs.
Many Thanks for all your help and for taking the time to answer my question.

Take Care and be Well
Julie x

[Military_Wifey]

I started having them a few months ago. It has only happened when I am sick. Mine goes all the way around exactly where your bra does, but occured when I wasn't wearing a bra. At the same time I had the squeezing it felt as if someone had put a large weight on top of my chest, painful and felt hard to get a good breath in. I mentioned it to Veterans administration neurologist during an exam and he was worried it was transverse myelitis.He told me to call my MS specialist and tell him the same day. I did but the MS specialist said he never heard of it going all the way around and to call the Copaxone's shared solutions nurses because it sounded like a side effect. The shared solutions nurses said the squeezing band was not a copaxone side effect and it sounds like the MS hug. She also said I can go to the national MS website and search my symptom to see if it matches what I felt and then call my MS specialist back. I did that but he said he didn't think was MS hug because it lasted 30-60 minutes at a time ,but up to 3x's a day, and he had only heard of it lasting for much longer. So, back to just a wierd symptom....except I am still sick and still having this symptom....YES, I have just two weeks ago had an EKG and blood work to rule out any cardiac issues. So is that what you guys have and call MS hug, or does yours last much longer at a time???

[essdipity]

Your pain may or may not fit the classic description of the MS hug. That part isn't important, in my estimation. Whatever it's called, it still can be from MS. Some may have obvious paresthesias, while for others it's definitely muscle spasms. Either way, it *hurts*.

One thing it's not is costochondritis (spelling may be wrong here.). That is an inflammation of the tissue between the ribs, something I've had 6 or 7 times. It feels like severe bruising in a specfic area and hurts to the touch or from movement, but not otherwise. I don't know why I get it, but it's not an MS thing. Once I had it right at the base of my sternum, and it was so inflamed I could barely turn my neck and head. Couldn't drive because it was unsafe.

Wifey, it sounds as if your VA neuro is jumping through hoops to say you don't have the hug, when it certainly seems you do, or did. The first time I had it it was off and on, mostly off, for about 3 weeks. Since then I've had several isolated bouts. I hope you're not stuck with that guy permanently.

ess

[Military_Wifey]

It was the MS specialist that kept saying it couldn't be the MS hug. The VA neuro guy was worried about transverse myelitis. I like the specialist but I am not sure he believes me when I tell him things...I wouldn't have told him at all but the VA neuro told me too. Frustrating though because he's the SPECIALIST??!!

Dee

[fdmh]

Interesting.  I posted another thing yesterday about MS hug.  I'm limbolander.  As I read some of these things I realize there have been a few times that for no reason whatsoever I will get severe pain starting below the right ribs in the back down to my waste.  Very painful and will bring me to my knees with certain movements.  Never correlated it to that but I guess I will put that in my journal.  It lasts several hours.  Thanks for the lightbulb.

[luverofrogs]

I may have had something like this happen yesterday.  I was lying down resting when suddenly I felt like I did when I had a kidney stone, so I tried to get up to go to the restroom.  The squeezing was awful.  I couldn't breathe very deeply and I hurt so badly.  It was like combination of a hard labor contraction and kidney stone .  I tried moving around, but couldn't stand being upright and nothing seemed to help.  It passed in about 15-20 minutes.

[BrianGroen]

I have severe MS hugs. So bad it has taken me to the ER by ambulance many times. The Neyuroligist sugested it was made up and in my head as acording to him MS does not cause pain. Today is the first time i read about MS Hugs. I now Know what is wrong. The only thing that helps for me is Lorezapam injection with a pain killer. I take constant pain medication as TEgratol side efffects is to bad for me.

[ShadowsSister]

Hi,
I have suffered from The "MS HUG" for many years, it's been through our group that I learned  this is what those spasms are called. Yes they are Awful !!!!
Once the ER Doctor swore I was having a Heart attack, took almost a week in CICU
before they realized it was MS Spasms. These hugs have twice cracked the vertebra's, and recently two-three ribs on the right side and Four on the left side.. They are now hitting around my Hips... They are so Painful and damaging..
Do you take Baclofen??? Just wondering
I hope you feel better very soon and that you can find some relief. For me, It helps if I Tightly wrap the rib cage..
I hope you'll let all of us know how you are doing...
{{{{~!~}}}} DJ

[pinkminx79]

Hi

I'm in that 'year probabtion' from having the lesions on my brain/spine. The last few months I have been getting the most awful cramp on my left side (thought I was having a heart attack) down to my lower back. The nurse at my practise is checking all kinds of things (blood, urine etc) and says it doesn't 'sound' neurological, but I am paranoid that it is an attack
Should I ask to research the MS hug or ask her to refer me back to my neurologist?

Thanks for giving me a place to vent :o)

[diemyn]

Does the MS hug happen along with being unable to breathe? At times when I lay down or take a warm shower I can't get my breath. It's as if my lungs just forgot how to work and I've got put all my energy and attention into breathing or I just won't, but when I get evena tiny little breath the pain at the base of my rib cage is crushing and so so sharp. When I was trying to figure out why I had breathing difficulties with my new PCP she mentioned pneumonia and I've had that quite a bit. I told her that felt more like a weight and this new thing is like my lungs have just become dead all of sudden. Does that sound like an MS hug?

[OllyOil]

Hello Everyone,
The sun shining here, hope it's shining where you are.
I'd never heard of MS Hugs as I'm new to this site. Reading through all your posts has opened my eyes. Thankyou.
It's a long time ago, I'm sure I had them in my 20's and was fobbed off by the Dr's.
Then about 97 a spasm hit me (whilst working) all round my torso. The pressure and pain was excrusiating. In bed for 3 days. Felt like I'd been kicked in ribs after. About 05 or 06 sat on sofa doing crossword. Then it happened again, could'nt breath, felt sick and passed out. Came round totally confused and felt really pourly. Told my Dr but I can't remember her reply. Put down to nerves.  So I can empathise with all of you

[arnieboy]

just a quick question....has anyone had pain across lower back mainly on one side(mine is right) near where kidneys are?? i have had ongoing aches for about 10 days but last night experienced what felt like labour pain coming in waves...awful. it lasted about 20 mins. I took neurophen and paracetamol and got some releif. I attened dr this morn and had CT scan to eliminate kidney stones and Dr basically didn,t know what was happening and asked me to ring ms nurse asap. Is this an ms hug??
thanks.....x

[Guitar_grrrl]

Hi, there - this is an old thread you've posted upon, and others may ignore it.

To answer your question - it's possible.  Why don't you start a new thread and tell us about yourself.  Have you been diagnosed with MS?

Again, Welcome, and looking forward to learning more about you!
Cheers!
Guitar_grrrl

[arnieboy]

Thanks for your response, I appreciate it. I realised it was an old thread just after I'd posted...drrr I will endeavour to start new one up.However in the meantime I've contacted an ms nurse and she seems to think I'm in middle of an episode...bummer. I was diagnosed in 2006. Thanks again....x