The MS Hug

Can anybody tell me what this is?

I have been through a bad couple of months. A stressful move, followed by the very sad death of my partner. The day after his death I was immobilised by sever chest pain, felt like I had been in a 10 rounder with Cassius Clay. I have often experienced strong muscle spasms in both my feet and calf muscles, with my toes standing up at 90 degrees, but this chest pain didn’t feel like that. My wonderful MS nurse came around, and got me my strong pain killers, thinking it was just my nerve endings attacking my chest muscles. But since then I have heard of ‘The Hug’ can anybody tell me more. Thanks - Mary

hi mary

your ms nurse is correct and so are you.

the hug is cause by the little muscles between the ribs (intercostal) going into spasm.

i had a really bad session last month, it felt like my ribs were being cracked.

even after it had gone i was left feeling like my ribs were bruised.

very strange to think that my body is doing that to itself!

chin up mary!

hope your painkillers re working

carole x

Hiya

Sorry to hear about your partner.

Like Carole says the hug is very painful. The feeling can go from a tight squeezing feeling in the ribs to agonising pain at its worse. Gabapentin helps my pain.

Stress always makes mine worse and it sounds like you have had a terribly stressful time recently.

Hope yours settles soon for you.

Shazzie xx

Thanks guys for your comments. Down to only 2 pain killers a day instead of 8, hatw taking any drugs. Still aware of it, but at least I can move about now, wobbly and slowly. I am of to the Canaries next week to stay with a girlfriend, so hopefully three weeks of sunshine, chilling and copious amounts of Sangria, and I will be home more relaxed.

A great advantage - there is no need to wear nappies in the house, all the floors are tiled, so a dribble on the way to the loo just needs a quick mop, so no sudacreme for three weeks, goodbye nappy rash for a while. Got to keep positive - good luck to you all.

Mary