Can anyone tell me what this feel like as not sure whether the feelings I get are this?
I get a band of tightness around my back (like under my bra strap) and it makes breathing feel a bit of an effort. It doesnt last very long but its not like the back spasms I have been getting… not making much sense am I. It kind of feels like my bra is FAR too tight for me and makes me want to breathe deeply and stretch my ribs? yep, still not making sense… I have been to the docs last year about the fact that my ribs hurt on one side (with no injury) and at the time I was told I had pulled a muscle. But with all the other weird things going on with me, I am now questioning everything I was told :s
If there is anyone who can describe the hug, please can you so I can also mention this troublesome feeling I have been getting for a while now,
From what the guys told about my symptoms a few months ago I’d had an episode of the hug. So here goes describing.
For me it was only on my left going in band from the centre of my chest to the middle of my back (It can go all the way for some people though). Taking a deep breath was difficult, I was in pain (like a burning tightness) like as I was being squeezed by a boa consticter on that side or I had a corset on and it was too tight on one half of my body.
What you’re saying does sound suspec t that it maybe the hug. Does any of what I’ve just said make you think ahh yes those were the words I was looking for to describe this.
Yes, I’ve had the feeling of the ‘Hug’ which has been noted by my Neuro.
For me it felt like a hard tight band right around the front of my upper chest (just under bra area). It was like a hard, thin, wire gripping me tight.
I was lying in bed at the time and found it hard to take a deep breath - it sure was excrutiating.
Fortunately for me, it only lasted about 3 mins, but that was enough. My Neuro didn’t describe it as the ‘Hug’, but nodded and recorded it.
I sometimes still get a real tightness around the bra area - so much so that I have to undo or take my bra off - but it’s not as bad as that first one.
yes it sounds very similar. thank you reemz. im trying really hard to go back on my medical history and think of things over the past years that i have been fobbed off with the usual stress, anxiety, virus, pulled muscle etc. i do think i have had many symptoms for many years but either not gone to my gp or just put it down to getting older (im 48). but now im wondering what if…
I think I may have experienced that the other morning, the pain woke me up! The pain was all the way round my ribs both sides and I couldn’t take a deep breath, it only lasted a couple of minutes then disappeared.
Possibly another symptom to add to the growing list
No problem Paula. Oh I forgot to mention. My symptoms lasted a week but it can vary from person to person. Normal pain killers didn’t really shift the pain for me though it took the edge off to make it more bareable (I almost did cart myself off to A&E when it was very bad though). I know a few of the others felt like they were having a heart attack the first time they experienced it because they couldn’t take a deep breath properly. Thankfully mine was one sided.
Sometimes stretching, relaxing, using analgesics can help alittle. If it’s on going and you’re running into severe problems they usually give something like baclofen me thinks as hug is caused by spasming of your intercostal muscles.
reemz and claudette… thank you. when i went to the docs with the rib pain i thought it was to do with my heart and was concerned enough to go to the docs… so it does sound similar.
Hello PaulaMah yes I do get the ‘Hug’…the way I described it was a VERY tight band around chest and back, it gets tighter and tighter,( a bit like contractions during labour) eases a bit then gets tighter again. Breathing is difficult, but not real shortness of breath, if you know what I mean? I also get it lower, around my lower back and waist, same sort of thing but less intense. When lower type makes my foot drop worse and leg weakness worse. Have been prescribed meds for it now…I will let you know if they work. Ppx
Hi, everyone has described the ‘hug’ so well I don’t really know what to add.
I had it with my first ‘attack’ a couple of months ago. It felt like wearing half a corset. It was only my left side that was affected. Pins and needles all down left side etc. The ‘hug’ felt like something really tight around my back, ribcage and chest (to sternum) but only on the left side. It was making it difficult to breath but was not related to lungs. My lungs felt fine. It was purely this tightness. I couldn’t wear an underwired bra for a couple of months because of it. I felt it made it worse to lay on that side when I was in bed or to lay on my back even. I felt slightly better laying on the opposite side to the ‘hug’ side. It did feel a lot like being gripped by a boa constrictor. As I started to recovered the ‘hug’ started to fade but it was one of the last things to go.
Really horrible experience and could be quite frightening at times. Sometimes I felt like I really wanted to take a deep breath in an far as I could and give my intercostal muscles a good stretch but it felt so tight that I couldn’t.
Yes, that sounds like the MS hug to me. I’ve had this happen twice. The first time, it was just annoying but easy to ignore if I was distracted/busy. It only lasted a few hours.
The 2nd time, however, was AWFUL!! I was at work, and was fine all morning. Then after lunch I started to get a tightness around my lower rib cage. As the day went on, it got worse and worse. I felt like my ribs were being crushed with a vice. By the time dinner came around, I was in so much pain that I couldn’t sit still. I took some ibuprofren (nurofen), which did absolutely nothing.
I remember that I kept thinking that if I layed down on the floor and had somebody pull my legs and another person pull my arms over my head, it might relieve the pressure. No matter what position I got into (laying down, standing, sitting, stretching, etc) the crushing sensation didn’t go away. I went to bed only after taking a diazapam. When I woke up the next morning, the pain was gone.
Luckily, it hasn’t happened since then – but I’ll definitely be mentioning it to my neurologist.
Thank you everyone! I think I can safely say I do get the ‘hug’. The description one of you gave about contractions is just how I described it to my partner. Like I need to bear down. I get back spasms quite alot that I was wondering about too, and it seems like the rib pain and back spasms could be the hug. Oh yay… my list is getting longer then… I will need to go through my list (app on 3rd July) and condense it quite alot for when I see the neuro.
On a plus note though, I slept most of the night last night, and have woke up feeling quite a lot better than I did yesterday xx
i think i had this last week ive never felt pain like it , i had been in hospital for 3 day course of steriods and thought may i was having a side effect from them … i felt like someone had beaten me up! i have large breasts and the pain when i put my bra on was horrible so i stayed at home so i didnt have to put a bra on for 5 days it felt like someone was wrapping the arms around me and across my chest and squeezing constantly , the worst part was trying to turn over at night , i ended up spending most days sitting in bed crying , ive only just turned 19 and was diagnosed 2 months ago but was told doctors think ive had ms since i was atleast 12 when i started falling all the time had no energy and kept wetting my self at school, doctors told my mum it was hormones but the wetting my self got so bad i stopped going to school , i HATE ms … everyone says to me your stronger than ms … well i dont feel it its ruining my life, being 19 and still p***ing your self and pooing your self is not having controll of ms i spend more time on the floor falling over than i do stood up!! … sorry to rant on everyone!! just want someone who understands how horrible it is to be like this while everyone els my age is out drinking having fun , … and doesnt everyone just loive optic neuritis -_- … i had no idea ms could effect your eyes so when that came on the fear that went through me was unreal! xx
Im sorry you are suffering like this at your age. It is not fair for this to be happening to you. I can only suggest that you go back to your neuro or MS nurse or GP, tell them about this and hopefully you will get the right painkillers.
ON is horrible. I have it in my right eye again (confirmed today by opthalmologist). It is very scary isnt it. I had it in both eyes for about 4 months this year… made me into a recluse really as I couldnt go out without someone with me, and of course I couldnt drive so lost my independence too. So I am happy that this time is not as bad, but it is still horrible looking at everything through a blur!
I’ve had the hug, it lasted two weeks and felt like a constriction at the top of my torso, it was painful to sleep on my front and felt so uncomfortable. For me it seemed to tie in with lazy bowel too and felt like my insides at the top of my abdomen around my ribs were going to explode. Thankfully I’ve not had it since. It was so strange and i wasn’t sure if it was related to the tentative diagnose I’ve sort of had of MS. Still waiting to see a specialist. I’ve also had 3 weeks of optic neuritis and steroids which is literally doing my head in. Jemmapb16 What an ordeal, I really hope the docs have been supportive and you are on treatment which helps minimise the symptoms. I wish I could give you a proper hug and make it all go away. Paula your ON sounds awful, mine hasn’t been as bad as its just in my right eye but it’s a really nasty thing not seeing how you know you are supposed to. Can I ask what the doctors/hospital did for you? Did the steroids help?
first time I had ON was in April - right eye went blank at the far right edge. Then the left eye went blank at the left edge about 5 weeks later. The opthalmologists gave me nothing, not even for the horrible pain behind my eyes. My GP (who I had changed just before the left eye went funny) immediately put me on oral steroids for about 3 weeks. They really helped me. My eyesight wasnt great still, but it certainly made the left eye improve very quickly.
Today I have been back to the opthalmologist and I havent been given anything again… however I have an appointment with my GP on Wed, so I will be asking for steroids.
When both my eyes were affected it was very debilitating. It is horrible not seeing properly and my balance was really affected too (although that may have been coincidence as my balance is still pretty bad, and hasnt really improved since April).
I think some people are given IV steroids, but to be honest there is no way I want to stay in hospital, so I think I would always choose oral steroids.
Thank you so much for your reply. I cannot believe they didnt prescribe you anything that’s mad! In early October i had a week long headache behind my right eye which culminated in the vision in my right eye starting to deterioriate and a darkness in the right eye. I went to see my GP who referred me to A&E to go on a drip, when i got there they said i could go home with the steroids or stay in for 3 days on a drip. I like you picked the steroids in tablet form. However, i’ve since seen a consultant who said next time i should go on the drip. I’ve found some articles online which say the oral steroids can actually make it worse in the long run, but i know exactly how you feel, the last place i want to be is in hospital lying in a bed when i feel okish to do things around the house. Maybe we should both take a weekend trip to hospital get on the drip and it might have better longer term effects? (I’m no doctor). This is just stuff ive found on the internet and my consultant and GP seemingly recommending the drip over the steroids. However I’m currently taking left over oral steroids to keep my headache and vision problems at bay as i would also prefer to be at home.
Hi Laura, I’m not yet diagnosed but have something similar. crushing pain in my back spreading from my ribs where my bra goes around to the front, it’s massively painful and makes it hard to breath and swallow, removing my bra helps a bit but not much.
I don’t really have anything to sugesst the may help apart from sitting up straight and maybe trying some gentle stretches.
Hi Laura, I’m not yet diagnosed but have something similar. crushing pain in my back spreading from my ribs where my bra goes around to the front, it’s massively painful and makes it hard to breath and swallow, removing my bra helps a bit but not much.
I don’t really have anything to sugesst the may help apart from sitting up straight and maybe trying some gentle stretches.
Hi ess I’ve not started any medication yet , I’ve had my rebif delivered but haven’t had the nurse show me how to do the injections yet , and as for the bowel and bladder I was told pelvic floor exercises … I wanted to scream in the woman’s face, like to see her having no control of her bowel or bladder and have a comode in her room … The only medication I’m on is oral morphine for hydrocephalus that was found due to the MRI scans (awaiting surgery) and once I start my rebif I’ve been told I can’t carry on with the morphine for the head aches… -_- everything els I can deal with … Apart from. The toilet bit ! I bloody hate it! X
xx