The MS hug is also known as banding or girdling, it can feel like having a tight band wrapped around your torso (depending on who you ask you'll find different info about where the MS Hug can be felt on the body. I have banding around one of my feet as well.) The MS Hug is caused by spasms in the small muscles between the ribs. How long an MS Hug lasts is anybody's guess, they can come and go lasting only a couple of seconds at a time, they can also last for several days!!
My very first MS Hug was terrifying, it happened about 4-5 months before landing in the hospital. One night after taekwondo class when getting in to bed I all of the sudden felt like I was being crushed! I couldn't catch my breathe, my chest hurt so bad, I was scared. Trevor and I tried everything to make me feel better.....I'm not sure what we eventually ended up doing to help the pain but I eventually fell asleep.
I woke up the next morning feeling better but still in some pain, my cousin insisted that I go get checked out by a Dr. She even threatened that if I didn't go she'd tell my Grandma on me if I didn't go!! If you know me at all, you know that I always do what Grandma says!!
I went to the Dr. and it was suggested that maybe I took a kick to hard in taekwondo class and dislocated my xiphoid bone, that's a funny little bone at the base of your ribs. This is actually quite a common injury for people who participate in martial arts. After the Dr. looked at my x-rays it was decided that my bone was in place but that there was some major inflammation around the area. I was prescribed anti-inflammatories and told to take some time off from taekwondo.
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| The xiphoid bone is the little bone at the bottom of the picture. |
I did as I was told and never thought too much more of it. The pain would come and go throughout the months but I just brushed it off as an old injury.
It wasn't until I was in the hospital in March/April of 2017 that everything got pieced together by a nurse that noticed I was holding my ribs. She asked me what the pain felt like, and then began to tell me that the tightness and pressure I was feeling was very common for people with MS. At the time I was glad to hear that it was a common symptom because that meant I was "normal" and wasn't just a clumsy mess in taekwondo class. I now wish I was just a clumsy mess and never had to deal with this pain again!!
I've never really been much of a hugger, so to be diagnosed with with a condition that has a symptom called the MS Hug seems a little ironic to me!!
So, now that I've told you about my least favourite symptom, what can I do about it? None of the meds I currently take really help with this type of pain unfortunately. What I have found to help is rest and pressure. My MS Hugs tend to happen when I'm tired or have over exerted myself. Sometimes they're intense but not long lived, and other times they're less intense but can go on for hours....even days.
When they're intense but short lived I try and do my best to just rest until it passes. For the more persistent long lasting MS Hugs I actually wear a corset. I'm not sure why the pressure helps but for me, it does.
The last time I was dealing with an MS Hug I turned to Dr.Google to see what was suggested to feel better....
- Apply a warm compress. (Be careful: Heat might make your pain worse.)
- Drink plenty of water.
- Eat healthy food.
- Get a massage.
- Stay rested. Get at least 8 hours of sleep each night.
- Use deep breathing techniques, yoga, and meditation.
- Wear loose, comfortable clothing.
- Wear tight clothes.
Basically, in my opinion, this list is saying no two people experience MS or it's symptoms the same way, so do whatever works for you!
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| As much as I hate the MS Hug, I'll still take hugs from my Trevor any day!! |
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