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

[mamad61]

Oh my gosh! I can't believe I am reading this. I have been having this huglike experience for years. The pain drops me  to  my knees. No doctors can ever explain it. I my gall bladder out years ago, still happening. I have been having leg pain and strange buzzing, tingling, electric sensations in my legs and feet for a while now. The pain in my feet and legs at night is sometimes unbearable. I have fibromyalgia, sarcoidosis, migraines, ibs, GERD, you name it. They have called it autoimmune disease unspecified. I am seeing a neurologist next week. What do I say, I want to be checked for MS? Not one doctor has ever mentioned any of this to me? Needless to say, this may help explain the horrible attacks I get under my breasts that doubles me over and takes my breath away. I haven't been able to wear a regular bra in years.  HELP!

[Deb61]

I too have gone to the doctor about them before my MS diagnosis and was told that they were esophageal spasms.  I've even gone to the emergency room because it felt like an elephant sitting on my chest.  All my vital signs were fine, so they sent me home with a referral to a psychiatrist!  

Since my MS diagnosis, I still don't have answers, but they are getting worse.  I can't breathe, they are so painful!  They last longer, too.  I can have an episode for a couple of hours.  I have no idea what they are, but the doctor assures me it isn't my heart.  I guess they are MS hugs.  Whatever it is takes the air right out of me.  

Are you seeing a neurologist?  

[MandyLynell]

Wow I just joined Medhelp specificly to ask everyone questions about my symptoms and if they coincided with MS. Wow I just posted a question explaining all of my symptoms I've been suffering from for years now(Im 27) and just came across this question. I honestly almost 100% believe I do have MS now. Since I was approx13-14 I started getting these episodes out of no where and I literally felt as if I was dying because I couldn't get a deep breath. I would take a breath and it just felt like my lungs wouldnt expand enough to get the right oxygen supply. Needless to say panic of course set in next and Im sure my gasping for air and freaking out didnt help matters much. And then within a hour or two I would be fine. My doctors gave me inhalers and even pills to help what they said was Asthma and it would be months to even years before the next episode. I never thought a thing about it. The last severe episode I got was when my daughter was a baby, I actually thought I had pneumonia or a colapsed lung something very severe. It came on as a normal cant take a deep breath and within a couple hours my chest started to tighten I was having pain around my heart(it felt like), it lasted through out the night. Every position I tried was worse than the last the pain took away my breath and the anxiety of feeling short of oxygen was a whole other nightmare in itself, but them combined was unbearable. It was scary!!! I went in at 8am to my Doctors because I really believed I was having a heart attack or low on oxygen(even though I didn't feel deprived). Something I knew was wrong. My ECG was fine, Perfect! So of course it was ruled out as GERD. NO WAY!! I have had GERD since I was 10 and it was nothing like GERD. They gave me a GI cocktail and a script for an inhaler and sent me home. i always wondered why the inhalers NEVER EVER worked. Thank you I think I know why now. I have always been the one diagnosing myself which at first was somewhat amusing but now its just tiring.

[Shayvin]

Wow, this is the first time I have heard someone describe exactly what I experience for a MS Hug and that I found out that a cold glass of water makes it go away faster. I think it "calms" the diaphram and chest or shocks it somehow. Before I would pop an ativan under my tongue as the theory is the muscles are so tight they need to be relieved. But it never really worked, had to wait it out for 15min to the second. Water, cold, within 30seconds.

[Lulu54]

Hi and welcome to the forum. You may not notice that you have posted on a very old thread and many people won't take the time to read your words. I hope you will start a new thread and introduce yourself to everyone.  

Now, for that darn  hug - we really wish there was a different name for it.  No way does it resemble those nice gentle hugs that we give to others.  We have talked about this and cursed and moaned about it, too..  I'm so sorry you are affected by it.  Hopefully someone here will be able to answer your question about Lyrica and the hug.

I hope we see you around,
lulu

[RonnieLove_317]

i agree death hold, boa constrictor hold, there has never been a hug that felt this badd to me . I wander if the fact that i have been off of my Lyrica for 6 months this could of caused this to be so bad? Im scared to do solumedrol again caused i had a difficult time on it , and it caused me to have nitemares, hot flashes, and deep dark depression... and i had chest pains behind it .