MS hug

[kidd228]

I have the exact same symptoms of the MS hug to a T. Has anyone had this, but it was something else? My T-spine is negative, but a neurologist never saw the images...only the radiologist. The MRI was on a 1.5 T MRI unit. I do have 2 small lesions deep with in the right frontal lobe of the brain. I'm just really curious about the squeezing rubber band sensation around the abdomen and ribs and if anyone had this but it was something else?

[kidd228]

Thank you for the insight

[SarahL2491]

I have spine lesions but yes, spine lesions are very difficult to see due to the spinal fluid and breathing and such, even with the 3T machines.  You have to really know what you are looking for.  Many times they are not glaringly obvious like brain lesions.  Some people on here have posted theirs and with arrows.  There are some great radiology pictures online, you have to dig for them but they are enlightening!

No, I've only had 3-4 in the last 30 yrs.  My first was 8 days in the hospital due to showing up in the ER not knowing why I was there.  I was foggy and they called in a neuro and he said I didn't react to any pin pricks and admitted me.  In those days, no MRi, so they "guessed" at hemaplegic migraines (now considered a possible MS attack)  

my next symptom was falling and those were far enough apart that I didn't connect the dots.  The hugs did not start until about 2009.  

Hope this helps

[kidd228]

Hi, Sarah. Was the hug your most prominent symptom? I've also heard that just because you don't see lesions on the spine, doesn't mean you don't have lesions.

[grandmalaurie59]

I thought, and so did my neuro that I had an MS hug a few months back...but my T-spine MRI was clear.

I was just told I might have Stiff Person's Syndrome which could cause that kind of muscle spasms.....and it did hurt to touch.

fibromyalgia can cause lots of muscle spasms....but I don't know if they could be that severe.

I wish you all the best...hopefully you will get answers soon!

Laurie :)

[SarahL2491]

well that explains why my first hug, wrongly dx'd as chosto, did not hurt, but then I wasn't aware then of having MS.  

[kidd228]

I learned one thing about chostochondritis, if it doesn't hurt when you touch the rib area, it's not chostochondritis.

[kidd228]

I agree with you. The anxiety comes after the symptom...I just need a better MRI of the T-spine. I know that MRI t-spines are difficult to read because of motion on the images. An MS symptom may show no lesions, but that doesn't mean the lesion isn't there.

[SarahL2491]

Of course, Cardiac should always be considered l.  
However, as Poppy says, they tend to chalk it up to other things, anxiety, costocondritis (probably spelled it wrong, usually do) and when they do think its cardiac, there's the big bill!  I tend to think its the hug but its a judgement call.  

Can you get a copy of the MRI CD for yourself?  You probably know where I'm going with that question (grin)

[Poppy7402]

Two weeks ago I had the symptoms of an MS hug and ended up carted off to the local ER.  As I'm not officially dx, they put it down to anxiety so I guess the answer to your question about whether the exact symptoms of a hug are exclusive to MS could be a "no".  

In reality, I don't believe for one tiny second that my symptoms were anxiety related.  The thing that 'could' have been making me anxious came and went but the hug symptoms remained for several days afterwards and still come and go even now.  

[kidd228]

I'm a Radiology Technologist, Sarah. You asked me the same questions I asked my case worker at the Va. I told them to send the images to a neuro, but they tried to tell me the radiologist knew how to read them...I know, as well as you do, that a neuro MS specialist needs to look at them. I'm working on scheduling this meeting with an MS neuro MD. My T-spine was done on a 1.5 T. I want it done on a 3T. I was just curious if the MS hug can be something else? Or, If I'm having the exact symptoms of the hug, is that exclusive to MS? Thanks for your last comment.

[SarahL2491]

Know we are all just patients helping other MS patients, but that said,
I think that the MS hug comes from lesions in the same area.  

Remember that spinal lesions (C and T) are difficult to read and see due to the spinal fluid and breathing, etc.

Am curious as to why your neurologist did not see the MRI images?  His interpretation might have been different than the radiologist, who is not thoroughly trained in reading MRI results, just a summary.  

Do you have a neurologist or did your family doctor order the MRI?  A 3T or 3T MRI machine can pick up more lesions, but all of mine were found on a 1.5 machine and they were not huge.  Just a final good neuro who knew how to read them (3 previous ones either didn't or didn't read them and definitely my radiologist didnt know how)

You have described how my MS hug feels.  Sometimes I can hardly breathe because of it, but since I've been on medications my neuro gave me, they are not as bad, or at least I don't notice them as much.

Keep us posts, but make sure your neuro sees the actual images!  You need to keep a copy for yourself, get a CD and a copy of the radiologist report and start a file of your own.

Welcome to our little corner!  Have you been Dx yet?  or waiting?