[jnewk]

good morning friends

I've been having some very painful symptoms on my upper chest/neck/back of neck/upper shoulders. Its a severe burning that goes across my upper chest and back (about armpit level or a little higher) when I move it is excrutiating when I don't move, its very intense pain. I get a very similar severe burning pain in my hands that can last for weeks and then just goes away. Then it comes back...maybe a couple of weeks or months. But this chest area has only happened to me twice and that's in the last year or so. Have had ms for 25 years or more, and never had this symptom. Is this the hug? So don't like this disease. ugh. Thanks!

[Erika]

Hmmm...could be but it sounds more like pain from spasticity and inflammation.
When I get the HUG it is more of squeezing pain around the abdominal area that extends to the chest that makes it hard to breathe; but every one is different.

With the ON you mention in another thread, if you think that you might be in a flair, a trip to the ER might be in order rather than waiting to see your PCP.
The pain of the HUG can get really nasty in a hurry. do you have some medication that you take for spasms like Baclofen? That helps tone down the HUG for me.

With love, Erika

[SallyC]

So sorry for your pain. Sounds strange for just The Hug. Maybe
you should go to the ER. Pains in the chest , arms and back, could
be something more serious.

Feel better soon, please.

[jnewk]

thank you Sally and Erika for your replies. Sally, no worry, as a long time heart patient I kindof get what you are saying about chest pains, I just had every heart test...nuclear stress test, echo, ekg, ultrasound...the works and I'm stable there (had aortic valve replaced 5 years ago). I stay on top of that one.

Erika...I am going to call dr in morning and see what she says. I think I may be having a flare as well, but having a little experience with my local ER..I'm just as well to call my neuro in a.m....

So, the chest thing is probably not the hug but some kind of painful neuropathy and the eyes....ugh but I will find out.

Thanks you all for reading and responding. So nice to know there are folks on this board who know and who share their experience and suggestions.

love
janet

[Mariel]

Erika, I have not thought I'd had "the hug" but what you describe I've had, the squeezing around the rib cage which makes it hard to breathe. I have just called it spasticity. I guess I call all muscle contractions spasticity. I have had this in the rib cage only from drug reactions. Flu shot, Lyrica given after Shingles, some antibiotics will give me this constriction around the rib cage and difficulty breathing because my muscles seem rigid.
Taking Lyrica was THE worst one...I only took one pill and gave it up as a lost cause, even though it was fantastic help for the pain of post-Shingles neuropathy. I had the Shingles in one leg from hip to foot. I had the same experience with Elavil many years ago...at that time I had much pain, and the doctor gave me the Elavil off label for pain, and it worked very well, but within about 40 minutes I was semi-paralyzed, unable to talk above a whisper, could move only enough to ask for help. I believe that could have been the hug too but, again, I call it severe spasticity.

Would it be better to call it bulbar paralysis? I don't know the difference between those two things. By paralysis I don't mean complete paralysis.

[Erika]

It sounds like your body manifests allergic reactions with chest tightness/spasms. The HUG seems to manifest in different ways for each individual, so maybe reactions to medications can be bringing it on. Nasty, isn't it? Especially when it goes on for days.

With love, Erika

[confusedchicca]

I've had the hug, or at least I think it's that. It's mostly right side for me, pain at about heart level but obviously opposite side. I've had it before, and have been exhausted last few days along with muscle spasms in hamstrings mostly, toe spasms too. Safe to say I'm in a relapse/flare, just not bad enough that I want meds. I'm going to tell my nurse tomorrow though.

[SallyC]

Dear CChicca. I hope your flare goes away in a hurry.

[jprinz99]

a form of similar pain (including movement vs still variation) that can come & go is also often in shoulder injury.

for me the hug feels like someone giving me an exagerated "bear hug" and just won't let go - sort of like a really wide bra strap that got tightened up and wouldn't release. Made it tought to get a good breath. I used to imagine "if I could ony lift up my ribcage and get a good inhale"

not "pain" but really uncomfortable with stabbing now & again. Not fun!