Gentle 's for you Sally! My first thought was esophageal spams as well. Those are quite painful and can even hurt for a day or 2 afterward. Interestingly, they give you nitroglycerin for esophageal spasms. I have some on hand for just in case. The first time I ever had one I thought I had bronchitis. It was after hours so I went to the clinic who sent me to the ER to be evaluated to rule out cardiac problems. Other than some PVCs, which I've had for years, the heart checked out ok. But, when I got to the ER they did give me nitroglycerin. The nurse was telling me that if it was either a heart issue or esophageal spasms the nitro would work. And, it did. It increases blood flow to that area. I could see why many people would rush to the ER thinking they were having a heart attack.

I agree with the others that you need to get it checked out. The classical signs of a heart attack that they list really don't pertain to women so much. A lot of women do not experience the crushing severe chest pain etc. that you may hear about. So never assume it's not a heart attack. I recently read a thing by a nurse who had a heart attack. Her description was very different that the chest clutching pain you see on TV or hear about. It was a really good article and I wish I bookmarked it. She didn't think she was having a heart attack at first. I think hers started with GI upset and she was thinking it was GERD. So, please, check it out.

For me, the hug is always there every day. Some days are worse than others. I also get the horrible nerve pain too. Ice helps me as does the Epsom Salt baths and, of course, Neurotin. The hug is not a friendly companion and as I have posted many times before, I call it the MS Vise Grip. There is nothing warm and fuzzy about it as you would expect with a hug.

Take care of yourself and let us know how you are doing!