Ms hug

New diagnosis and before diagnosis
1

Hi again I’m so sorry to be posting! Currently still waiting on doctors coming back with bloods. But I was wondering experiences for the ms hug. So since I was a early 20s I have this thing I call my ‘rib hernia’ I call it that as it’s what it felt like. Sometimes for a few mins I get what feels like muscle caught between my ribs. And breathing is so painful, so I have to take shallow breaths and stretch and move to almost ease it untill it goes. Now i just read about an MS Hug and it really just hits the nail on the head. I’m shocked, is this what that could be it’s so weirdly specific. I genuinely had no idea! Does anyone else suffer this? Elle

2

I came on here to post a question about a potential MS hug, so thought I’d add to yours. I’m not diagnosed so don’t actually know what the big feels like but your description of the feeling is similar to what I’m experiencing. I’ve had this annoying ache under my ribs on the right side most of this year. It’s fairly constant but sometimes worse than others. It also feels like something is trapped and as if stretching out should release it, but it doesn’t really help.

Added to this, I’ve had a couple of occasions where it suddenly feels like I’ve pulled a muscle under my ribs at the back, then the pin and tightness spreads round to my front, and up my back, over my shoulder and down the back of my right arm. I’ve had to lie down because breathing is so painful, but then it eases over 5-10 minutes is completely gone. Normally a pulled muscle would feel tight for a while after if you tried to stretch it, but this is completely fine once it’s eased. I’m wondering if that could be anything like a hug, even though it doesn’t wrap all the way around my body.

3

I think my wife has probably got this Ms Hug as a new symptom recently for probably a few weeks. She describes it like someone has put a wide belt very tightly round her chest causing her a great deal of pain and she can struggle to breath.She has a video appointment with ms nurse on friday so will mention it then. Its coming up 4 years since she had the big relapse that left her disabled and led to diagnosis and although some symptoms come and go this is the first time there has been a new thing since so wondering if this means its potentially classed as a relapse?

4

Hi Elle

I do get a similar issue in my ribs which before reading your post i did not think it was related to my condition ( recently diagnosed). It’s really weird feeling, can be quite painful but once I do a stretch the pain eases. I actually put it down to maybe carrying a bit of extra weight (my spare tyre lol). It comes on suddenly ie getting into my car and I had to get out of car to stretch out the muscle, it’s happened getting into bath as well. I’ve never mentioned this to either my neurologist or MS nurse but now having read your post I am going to start to record this in my diary so thank you for bringing this to my attention.

Lesley

5

Hello all

Here is a link to the MS Trust page on the ms hug: https://mstrust.org.uk/a-z/ms-hug

Hopefully this will help you to understand what you are each feeling and possible means of dealing with it.

Sue

1 Like
6

Thank you Sue

7

I have had the MS hug, once soon after my diagnosis (1988) it cleared after one hour.

I have had it for the last 3 days and it is really getting me down.

I know what I need - a muscle relaxant such as diazepam.

However I’ve waited all day for a telephone consultation and it still hasn’t happened.

I’m going to take my sad arse to bed now.

I have some codeine phosphate which I try not to take often but I’ll take 2 before bed.

I wouldn’t wish this grip of death on anyone.

8

I’d offer a virtual hug Carole, but that is probably the last thing you want I really hope that things are better soon

M

9

Oh the joys of the ms hug (Grrrrrr !!!). I can’t believe it’s called MS Hug , there’s nothing soft & cuddly about this symptom. I first experienced this when I had a huge relapse that led to my diagnosis many years ago . For me it was like someone had tied my waist with a rope really really really tight, breathing was a bit tricky & wearing a bra was really uncomfortable.
I still get the ms hug now as well but it’s tightness in patchy areas of my back .
I hope you find some relief with this !

10

I have had this for years and assumed it was common in everybody, didn’t even question it! Now that I have been diagnosed it makes sense, although I tend to lumber every thing wrong with me to MS now!

11

diazepam is the wonder drug for the hug/grip of death,

see if your GP is compassionate enough to prescribe it.