Symptom of the Week 6/19-6/26...The Hug!
 

"MS hug (also referred to as girdle or banding) is a tightening feeling around the chest or abdomen and can range from annoying pressure to extreme pain. The sensation itself is the result of the intercostal muscles between each rib going into spasm. The burning, aching, or girdling pain around the body are all neurologic in origin. The technical name for them is dysesthesias.

It can begin with a sudden and intense tightening around your chest, along with pain and a burning sensation. It will typically cause you to clutch your chest and bring in a sense of fear. The first time this is experienced, you wonder if it's a heart attack, a panic attack, or an asthma attack. If you feel it's a heart attack call 911, but if you feel that it may be an MS Hug then you will definitely want to contact your neurologist.

Although it's an extremely unpleasant neurological event, it's not life-threatening. As with most symptoms of MS, the MS Hug feels differently to every individual. It has been described as feeling like being squeezed by a boa constrictor, compressed with an ever-tightening rubber band, or wearing a chest high girdle. It's important to know that the MS Hug actually doesn't interfere with the ability to breathe.

These pains are often treated with the anticonvulsant medication gabapentin. Dysesthesias may also be treated with an antidepressant such as amitriptyline, which modifies how the central nervous system reacts to pain. Other treatments include wearing a pressure stocking or glove, which can convert the sensation of pain to one of pressure; warm compresses to the skin, which may convert the sensation of pain to one of warmth; and over-the-counter acetaminophen which may be taken daily, under a physician's supervision." http://www.my-ms.org/symptoms_sensory.htm

This is my worst and most painful symptom that I experience. For me, it is a daily thing with some days being better than others. Over the years, I have tried all sorts of things for the hug. I get lots of nerve pain with it as well. I have been on gabapentin for years and that helps with the nerve pain, but I still get breakthrough pain.

When it happens, I have to lay down or stand. Sitting seems to make it worse. I use ice, Epsom salt baths, and gabapentin and if it is really bad, I'll take an Ativan (baclofen and valium are too strong for me). Sometimes, nothing seems to decrease the pain and discomfort. For a while, I used to get weekly massages from a massage therapist. It hurt at first but over a years time, it helped keep those muscles relaxed.

You said it comes on suddenly, can it go away rather quickly too? It's only about the third time it's happened in a year or so, but I have experienced a sudden tightening of the chest, feels like I can't breathe though I can and although I know I'm moving air my chest doesn't seem to agree with me, but I also notice that I get really hot when it happens to the point of sweating profusely, and it pretty much lasts until I get myself cooled down, usually throwing an ice pack over my chest and dropping the A/C a few degrees. Once the body decides its cool again, chest loosens up and I can breathe normally again. It might sound bad but I honestly never thought anything about it till seeing this post, I guess I should tell my neuro about that :Ponder:

I have only ever had this once in my chest and neck - and I think it brought on a panic attack because I thought I was having a heart attack. Off to the doctor, extensive tests and they found nothing else that could have caused it. Getting it checked by a professional first is the way to go in this instance......because unfair as it is, we still get other health problems just like anyone else.

I get it in my left arm and my left leg too.

Yeah, I'm terrible at seeing doctors for things though, first off I don't have a good hospital in my area, the one in town we call the malpractice center, constant and often deadly misdiagnosis come from the er and about a fifty percent chance of catching an antibiotic resistant infection if you have surgery there. So it's at least an hour drive to a 'real' hospital and you can't get there by ambulance because they only transport to the malpractice center. So in emergency situations it pretty much self-treat at home, try to stabilize and if that truly can't be done (so far hasn't been the case) then consider risking the trip to hospital. If it can be stabilized and treated at home, eh move on with life. I've become a pro at dealing with shock generally brought on by intense pain, butterflying gashes, treating concussions, dislocationed joints, pulled muscles, sprains... But once the crisis is over and since I didn't 'need' to go to the hospital I almost always forget about it and appt with 'real' doctors are hard to get too almost every dr, GP included is at least a week or more out.

Starz - I would mention it to both your neuro and PCP. It may or may not be related to MS and could be something else going on.

Edit: Sometimes when I feel like it is squeezing so much I can't breathe, I put my hands over my head and try to take deep breaths. This does help both the feeling of not being able to breathe and the spasms in my rib cage.