Hi All, Hope every1 is doing well. I’m just after a bit of advice. I’ve felt the MS Hug coming on since Sunday as well as pins, needles and numbness. I can feel it getting worse and stronger every day. I had this once in the past & took tablets to get rid of it. I’m just wondering if anyone has had the MS hug and not taken any medication. If so, how long did it take to disappear?? Thanks MAKS
hi maks
i had the hug when first diagnosed. its weird and made me clutch my chest and breath as if i was in labour.
hubby and sister where there and thought i was having a heart attack.
gabapentin got rid of it for me
carole x
Hi Maks, I get it quite often and usually lasts from a few minutes to a few hours. I have heard of people having it for longer (sorry to say) but I think a few hours is probably the norm.
If something worked before and got rid of it, then get the same again. Don’t suffer with it! MS hug is awful… either the tight sensation like wearing a corset, to the real agony when you think you’re having a heart attack.
I’m copy and pasting a list of tips below.
Not sure if you are man or woman, if man please excuse the bra advice!
Pat x
It’s a spasm of the small muscles between the ribs. Here are some tips that might help:
· Much worse in heat
· Much worse when fatigued or stressed
· Don’t wear a bra (it irritates the muscles)
· Don’t wear tight clothing… the looser the better
· Avoid large meals… little and often is better
· Lie down in/on bed if you can… and lying completely flat often helps
· Take 2 Paracetamol… if you are not on other pain med’s
· Try controlling your breathing… deep in through the nose and slowly blow out of mouth… and try and relax whole body while doing it
· Stay as cool as you can but don’t have cold shower… luke warm is better
· Rest, rest, rest and then get some more rest (if at all possible)
· Gently rub the affected area. It might feel like it’s bruised… don’t worry, that’s normal
Many thanks for your advice, I really appreciate it. I’m a female so the bra advice applies 
Thanks again MAKS
Hi th ere, I experienced the MS hug as part of my last relapse. It lasted about 2 weeks altogether and was only around my left side ribcage area (no right sided problems). I didn’t find it painful, just hugely destracting and annoying and was glad to see the back of it. It went away of its own accord but my other symptoms at the time lasted longer (two and a half months), mainly numbness, left sided again, front and back torso area. Hope this helps.
Thanks Topsy
Like you, my MS Hug isn’t painful just annoying and I’m really hoping it goes soon as I’d prefer not to take any meds for it. Each day I’m waking up and the tingling is spreading, very bizarre when it reached the knees. If the MS Hug disappears then I can pretty much deal with the rest of it…fingers crossed.
Think I’ll get some well earned rest tomorrow and hope that helps.
Thanks
MAKS
I started noticing my MS hug a little over 6 mos ago. Mine is mostly in my diapham and is continuous. Since I have PPMS it never goes away like the many other symtoms I have. I just try to ignore it. I don’t do drugs. I do exercises and stretching to relieve my symptoms. Since I have PPMS I don’t expect my symptoms to go into remission. If they did I’d have RRMS.
Oh no Junckman, can’t believe you’ve had it for 6 months…I’ve had it for nearly a week and it’s very annoying. Is it that your symptoms don’t go away because you don’t take any of the drugs or because that is what happens with PPMS ?? Does the MS Hug sensation change at all?? Sorry for the Q’s but I’m just a bit curious.
Hate to spoil things but I had the hug for near on 2 years, got it when I had my first major relapse and nobody for ages told me what it was. I couldnt sit upright, had to prop on the sofa and in bed, it felt like a vice around my middle and continued until my constant ON stopped destroying my left eye.
I was prescribed amytryptiline and it helped calm my system down, but the hug went when the relapse stopped. Apparently I suffered ON on and off for that amount of time since I only have 5% of my vision back, which is rare.
Strangely with all my symptoms, numb hands, weak right side and nearly blind in my left eye still wasnt offered DMD’s. Now Im too old to be offered them.
Hope your ms hug soon goes, think ms symptoms are like a piece of string, some short, some long and some like balls of wool.
take care,
bren
x
This advice your all giving is so helpful, I’ve had MS for 17yrs, I had (what I know now by reading the above comments a MS hug) 1yr into diagnoses, and did go to hospital as I thought it was my heart (I was 30) no-one told me anything, just said probably anxiety. I’ve suffered with this all this time on and off, and just put it down to panic or anxirty attacks, as I suffer with depression also, so thank you everyone. I’ve been in denial all these years, only joined the society about a month ago xxxx
Hey Bren,
You haven’t spoilt things, just telling it from your side but that’s unbelievable, well it’s not really, that you’ve had it for 2 years. I had the hug a few years ago and after 2 weeks I started Steroids which got rid of it. I didn’t realise a relapse could last for so long
It’s shocking that you weren’t offered any DMDs and now you say you’re too old to be offered them, that is ridiculous. Sometimes I wonder if things would be different if the doc’s experienced the symptoms…give them an extra snug corset for the hug, a customised eye patch for the sight and tell them to sit on their hands all day for the numbness…just a thought.
I hope you’re not too limited in what you can do and you’re doing well at the moment
Sending you a nice gentle hug
MAKS
x
Hi Shellie,
Welcome to the forum and it’s nice that you found it after all this time. It’s horrid when you experience something and haven’t got a clue what is going on…it took me 5 doctors a few years back to be told MS was giving me a hug but I was freaking out until someone could diagnose me…I can’t believe you have gone all this time without knowing…nice big hug to you. This is a great forum that is great for advice and reassurance.
MAKSx