MS Hug

[Deb61]

Can the MS hug cause death?  When I saw the Oprah show with Montel Williams, Dr. Oz mentioned that the leading causes of death in MS were suicide (which sounds very likely) and the MS hug were the leading causes of death.  Is this true?  If not can you die from MS?  I will certainly pay more attention to those chest pains if this is the case.  Not worried, just would like to know to make sure I get myself the proper care . . .

Don't throw rotten tomatoes if you all have discussed this topic earlier . . . I've looked around on the forum and didn't find anything.

Deb

[Eliza3]

Elizabeth gets this hug. She says it is like a big old bear is hugging her and sucking all the air out also like someone is jabbing her with a poker in her back through her chest. There are times she can't breath real good.

Now Lulu is right about women, we do ignore heart symptoms. Elizabeth's mom did in 2000. She was 80 then. When she finally went to the hospital. She had blown a quarter size hole between the left and right ventricular (she should have died from that), she also lost 40% of her heart and had a 5 way bypass. The day before she went to the hospital she went to the doctor for dizzy spells and heart burn. blood pressure was good EKG was great.  And as we all know test don't tell the whole story. Elizabeth's mom is now 89 and doing good.

Y'all have a great day
Elizabeth and I are going out tonight. Not sure what we are going to do. But it will be fun.
Bob

[doublevision1]

Montel said he wondered at the time if he was having a heart attack but then said he realized it was an MS symptom.  He called it "chest hug."  

Essie, what you describe sounds like it could be a variation of the MS hug, but I echo the others re: when in doubt, esp if it could even remotely be related to your heart, you should tell your doc about this.

For me MS hug is like being squeezed around my rib cage; as I recall, I felt like it wrapped around my whole torso, front and back.  At times it was really hard to get a deep breath, and if I was talking for too long, it seemed like I was losing my breath.  The other thing I remember was how difficult it was to roll over in bed when I had this, I felt seized up and heavy.

[jensequitur]

>  What "it" was is the feeling that someone was taking the heal of his hand and pressing very hard at the bottom center of my sternum. I first thought I was having a bad case of indigestion, though the painful pressure seemed outside of my internal organs and more on the bones of the rib cage, and the standard remedies didn't help. Now that I've started having trouble at both the top and the bottom of my esophagus, I'm wondering about that too, yet the pressure/pain has been too far down for that.

Ess, have you tried taking a drink of water when this is happening?

I've been having this problem for six or seven years now.  One time it was really bad, so I called the doctor's office, and they told me to call 911.  I said "Is there anything I can do in the meantime?"  Take an aspirin, they said.  Well, I got a glass of water and took an aspirin, and I found the pain wasn't in my heart, but in my throat.  As I swallowed the water, my throat began to relax.  So I didn't call 911 - I just drink a glass of water when it happens.  If my heart rate was elevated, I'd be more worried.

Acid reflux makes it worse, but I'm beginning to think that it's a problem with the diaphragm.  The diaphragm wraps around the esophagus at the point you describe, and where my pain comes from.  If it's spastic and cramping, then the throat would hurt.  I also have problems with slight shortness of breath, and frequent hiccups.

[jensequitur]

Oh, btw, I was diagnosed in 07, but the pains were happening way back in 02.  I was having other health problems, like frequent bronchitis and leg pain, so I have to wonder...

[Noelwolf]

A problem that I was having, I had squeezing like sensation between my rib, it was no kind of pain that I experienced before!  it lasted about an hour and then I had another attack a couple days after that.

[Quixotic1]

This is sooo interesting.  As to what would be a "typical Hug" we need to realize that it is a prolonged spasm of the muscles in the chest, mostly between the ribs.  MS can attack any nerves or sets of nerves, so it makes sense that the Hug could be high or low or even down around the abdomen.  It could encircle the chest or affect just a part of it.

The symptoms could certainly mimic those of a heart attack, of esophageal spasm, of reflux, or even appear to be a form of back pain.

I agree that anyone having this for the first time or having a new variation of it should see a doctor (as in GO TO THE ER!!!) immediately.  We can be quite cavelier about our symptoms and our families would not be proud to know that we brushed off a heart attact.

Quix