[msarkie]

Hello all, I need your expert opinions. For the past couple of weeks I've had pain in my right shoulder, collarbone, sternum, upper chest, shoulderblade, and high ribs. I actually had a couple of ribs that were dislocated, but even after I got them put back in, the pain persists. I can't breathe. I feel lightheaded almost to the point of passing out. The nerve that runs just about the bra-line and under the scapula is on fire, from my spine all the way around my side. The front of my shoulder joint got so tender it was painful to the touch. There has even been a painful spot under my armpit.

I've had two long massages, and been to the chiro twice. The chiro got the ribs back in place, but something in the area of lower cervical/upper thoracic vertebrae is locked up. He believes there's something going on with the brachial nerve plexus, causing intense muscle spasms. I can't get into my neuro until March 13th, and we are leaving for Florida (taking the kids to Disney) on the 16th. I don't know if I will be physically able to go at this point.

I've been debating going to the ER, but the last time I went in with something similar, which was my first episode of an MS hug, they ran a bunch of tests, patted me on the head and told me it was an anxiety attack, and sent me home with an rx for Valium.

Has anyone ever had this much problems from just an MS hug? My other theory is it could be a new c-spine lesion, or a pinched nerve or slipped disc. The only way to find out is to get some imaging scans done, MRI etc, and in the meantime I am completely nonfunctional, lying in bed wanting to die. I can't take NSAIDS or gabapentin, muscle relaxers do nothing, ice helps for a little while, valium helps some since it relaxes the muscles a bit. I'm not ashamed to say I've been hitting the whisky pretty hard, but that's not a long term solution. I really don't know what to do right now.

[tkrik]

Call your dr. to see if you can get in any earlier. Explain to them what is going on and what you have done to try to relieve the pain.

If the pain is severe enough, which it sounds like it is, go to the ER. They can give you something for the pain as well as to check for a gallbladder issue (which from your description doesn't quite fit but you never know). Explain to the ER what you have done to try to relieve the pain as well as what the chiro thinks may be going on. Do your best to let them know how much pain you are in and try to be calm and firm about it. Tell them that it is not anxiety and that you are in pain.

Unfortunately, it seems ER dr don't like to treat MS patients. They always tend to refer you back to your neurologists. I don't know why that is. There is only 1 ER in my town that I will go to with MS stuff and that is because I know them and worked with them for years. They know I hate going in as a patient. So, I can understand you being reluctant to go BUT finding out the root of the problem and getting treated is really important for you right now. The 13th is a long way off when you are dealing with the kind of pain and amount of pain you are dealing with right now.

And yes, I have had that kind of pain with the hug before and it is not fun at all. It is crazy-making pain where you are just out of your head in pain. I get the dizziness as well as naseous when the pain gets that bad. This is when I know I need to call the dr.

Please let us know how you are doing and what you decide to do. In the meantime, gentle 's for you.

[SallyC]

((((((MSArkie))))))

[msarkie]

Thanks, trik, I did call and spoke with the nurse at my neuro's. I was very disappointed when she checked with the dr and he said to just go to my regular family dr. I know it's not my gall bladder, I had that out ages ago, but it could be referred pain from my liver. I had surgery to remove adhesions a few years ago and they had to take out part of my liver. I may go on to my family dr tomorrow if I'm still having trouble breathing. I'm not in as much pain cause I've just been laying around for days.