I just wanted to check if anyone has experienced the MS hug around their back? It’s just beneath the back of my bra and feels to be roughly from the middle of my back around to my left side (beneath my armpit). It hurts to breath deeply and feels like I’ve pulled something, but I haven’t (to the best of my knowledge, anyway…) It’s just come on in the last hour or so at work and although I’ve tried stretching and walking around, I can’t seem to loosen it. I’m also starting to feel really sickly with it and a bit anxious if I’m honest - I was off work sick all last week with a horrible head cold that left me exhausted and in bed for the whole week, I saw my MS nurse and she thought the fatigue/exacerbated tingling was related to the cold and not the start of a relapse thankfully, but even so there’s no way I could go home sick today too after last week…
I had a period of back pain and sickness a few years before my msdx which was diagnosed as a problem with stomach acid at the time and I was really poorly for a good few months with that - this feels similar and I’m starting to wonder if it was related…
My “hug” varies, but typically it is from my spine, round my right side to the ribs at the right front.
Only once has it ever been right round.
Yet another case of all our MS being different.
Thanks for replying, DoctorGeoff. Managed to get through the day at work and the sensation started to ease a couple of hours ago. Fingers crossed it was a one off…
I’ve had the ms hug for the last 3 weeks I’m in a relapse though.It’s the first time I’ve had it and I describe it as a tight, constricting band around my ribs and back under my bra line.It’s my worse symptom yet.I saw my neuro on 6th and he said my description sounds like the ms hug.If your really worried see your doc, I went to A and E when this started which was a waste of time,but if you think it’s related to something else then get it checked out otherwise let your ms nurse know and I hope it goes quickly for you
Bless you, my MS hug usually comes around the left side of my front and back, under my bra strap. Think those of us who get it, experience it slightly differently. Awful trying to push through work and conscious of time off isnt it xx
Thanks Angua I hope so too! Hope your feeling better soon too.Helen’s right I think everyone experiences it differently and hopefully it won’t come back for any of us! xx
I’m (tentatively) feeling ok today so I’m hoping it was just a one-off - when it dragged on for months (whether it was the hug or not) I felt wretched and I wasn’t even struggling with fatigue/working full time at the time…
I do get worried about time off Helen, you’re right that it puts another pressure on when you’re already feeling quite crappy. I was really lucky in that other than two weeks in June 2012 for my first relapse, I’ve only needed to take a handful of days off, but taking the whole of last week off so early in the year does panic me a little…my employer is a big business with good disability support, and I’ve disclosed everything/had an initial meeting with OH so that should protect me a little, but I don’t want to get a reputation for being unreliable and even though I’m far from my ideal job, I do take pride in doing my work well so I don’t like it when I know I’m falling behind because I’m off sick.
I’ve had ms hug for about 3 months now around the time I was diagnosed it started off as a burning pain in my ribs and back and very sensitive to the touch it even hurt when water touched me when I showered now it’s just a tight restrictive feeling on my ribs I told the neuro about it and he said it was just symptoms I and I’ve got to learn to live with it, some days it’s worse than others and sometimes it itches like crazy so I just try to carry on as best as I can. Jonesbear.
I’m glad your feeling ok today hopefully a one off.I was going to say try and not stress about work but I do it too! I start anew job on 3rd March and hoping I’m well enough from this relapse I don’t want back mark against my name before I even start.I don’t like this ms malarky either!
if it comes back, I’ll let my nurse know for sure. Hope you’re feeling better soon xx