The MS Hug

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Hi

Been putting up with this for about 4 years now and recently I've been getting a lot of tightness around my rib cage and neck (so much so it can be hard to breathe at times)
Most worrying though, about a month ago I got out of bed and all of my intercostal muscles seemed to be pulled at the same time and I was rolling around on the bed trying to breathe! never felt anything so excruciating in my life. After a while it subsided enough to breathe properly again (albeit shallow breaths) and for almost two weeks I was left with an intense bruised like sensation in my ribs and back that gradually got better.

That was about a month ago, Since then I am very careful to not bend over or anything too quickly so I don't pull or strain my muscles before they have a chance to "warm up" however, a similar thing happened in one of my back muscles this morning when I attempted to pick something off the ground (slowly and carefully)

This is so depressing.....I'm 4 years in and getting way worse symptoms. I'm 27 for christs sake, and I'm walking around being careful not to bend the wrong way like an old man!

I typed my symptoms into this very site and it came back with a term I've never heard of.......the "MS HUG" needless to say I'm now terrified, more than I've ever been about you know what.....

Please, I just need some reassurance.

[Yuliasir]

Hi dear
on my own experience I can say that most of tension and pianful feelings in neck and rib cage are due to vertebral issues. I had tension and severe pains in lower ribs intercostal muscles (on and off) for years, and it came out that this is due to continous tension and vertebral issues which is very common.

MS hug is part of serious disease clinical picture, but if you are not a doctor, it is better not to diagnose yourself. Several years on this site allowsme to say that there is such a lot of symptoms erroneously taken for another ones... just name it. People here diagnose themselves with bulbar ALS having reflux-related dysphagia, with MS having ocular migraines, with ALS palsies having autoimmune cold palsy (transient condition caused by cold, unpleasant but harmless) etc. etc.

If your condition causes you pain and discomfort, it is always good to see a doctor but not diagnose yourself (unless you are not a specialist of course).

Wish you good luck

Yulia

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Thank you for responding Yulia. I have made an appointment with a neurologist and hopefully he will agree to some tests, if only to put my mind at rest.

It's one thing to put up with annoying fascics, but when you begin getting things that are painful or actually debilitating (admittedly temporarily), it's really hard not to panic.

Thanks again for the reply.