Really, really dislike going to the ER ... and ms hug question

[aspen2]

I don't think I've had an ms hug.  Earlier in the year had a tight band feeling for a while, but it wasn't bad.  Yesterday it felt like I wasn't drawing in enough oxygen for a while in the morning.  Today, I had some pain in my back that was stabbing when I breathed.  I went to the ER, and of course, after chest xray and bloodwork, there are no problems.  ER doc gave me 600 mg ibuprofen (which isn't touching it) and sent me home.

Pain is still there -- it's mildly constant from my spine around to the front.  I haven't done any major exercising or anything.  Would ibuprofen work on ms hug?  Doesn't ms hug come and stay constantly painful all the time, rather than being worse when you breathe?

And, my initial concern was that I'm developing an allergy to the sulfa drug I'm on.  The pain escalated, and some mild difficulty breathing, started after this morning's pill.  Doc said it didn't look an allergy, and I was fine to continue tonight's dose.

Not sure why I bothered going ... :-P.  But my family doctor suggested it since it sounded like a PE and I had just had some surgery.

AND the ER doc was incredibly patronizing -- "You don't need to worry.  If it was something big and scary, like cancer or ms, the doctors would already have found it."  Seriously?  (Bang head on nearby equipment tray).

Thanks :-).

[aspen2]

Update.  I'm allergic to sulfatrim DS.  Not sure if this is the only thing going on or not, but my family doctor took me off of it today.

Not everything is ms ... nor an ms mimic :-P.  Just had a pulmonary function test too, and reacted very badly to the ventelin inhaler as well.  WWHHYYY?

[aspen2]

Aww, thanks Laura ,,, no to family doctor today (but the pain is better, although still having "air hunger" --weird).  Saw my ENT today (my sinus is fine, the communication was big but things are healing properly, and he's fairly sure that all the things I've had diagnosed as "sinus" trouble, haven't been sinus related at all but possibly trigeminal neuropathy.  obviously he can't say for sure.  I do wish someone could say something for sure LOL.

Also had VEPs done.  AND threw caution to the wind and dropped in and talked to my neuro's receptionist (since I was four doors from my neuro's office); she wrote down the breathing/rib symptoms and was going to run it by him (although didn't promise he would get back to me).  I don't officially see him until the 31st (now that I guess all the tests are done).  She said make sure I write down all my questions.

Really?  Because i have no idea what he's going to say.  I have a separate and very different list depending  on his decision -- ms vs. not ms and we don't know vs. some other random thing.

And just to add a wrinkle, along with the breathing, rib thing I think I'm having a bit of the swallowing trouble again.  It seemed to start at the same time  ...  feeling tired :-P.

[aspen2]

No kidding.  AND it seems worse for the 8 hours after I take the sulfa drugs, for what it's worth.  Last night was bad ... difficult to get enough air (this woke me up at 12:30), the puffer doesn't help, plus trouble swallowing.  Plus, for whatever reasons, the fasiculations (sp?) that started in mid August and haven't left have been g oing crazy all night ... and still going ...

I'm guessing no to pleurisy -- I've had the chest x-ray, blood work which was fine, plus I've had three doctors listen to my lungs -- they are clear.  Would it not have shown up by now?

[Lulu54]

don't hit the panic button quite yet.  Could you have pleurisy?  I had that before and it was very painful when I took a deep breath. So glad there is no PE involved and perhaps this isn't associated with MS. Try not to over think this and good luck with the doc.

[aspen2]

Ended up at the doctor's office ... who sent me back to the ER today for more bloodwork to rule out a PE (it's ruled out, thank goodness).  BUT the xray was NOT clear, contrary to ER doc's opinion --- somehow I have some signs of COPD (with absolutely no history of anything that would cause this).  Little nervous though -- it can be caused by vasculitis, and CNS vasculitis (PACNS) is an ms mimic ... hmmm.

[aspen2]

Would ms hug make it feel hard to breathe though?  Still have the jabbing pain this morning if I breathe moderately/deeply.  But it feels tight from spine at back, around the left to the front.  Less extreme breathing problems today --I think I made it worse by unconsciously breathing too slowly because of the pain, then would have to take a deep breaths, which really hurt.  Yesterday EVERY breath hurt -- I've learned to not breathe deeply.

[Lulu54]

Its good you had this checked if there was a chance for a PE - I had one last year and its not fun and needs to be treated immediately.  Remember that the Hug is a more a combination of neuropathic and  muscular pain, so things like ibuprofen won't always cut all of the discomfort.  I hope it doesn't linger for you and you feel better soon.  ~Laura

[Maracamama]

Just a thought to help with your pain is that you can take Tylenol as well as ibuprofen.  I had completely forgotten this until I was at the hospital from a rib injury and they offered me Tylenol on top of the ibuprofen that I had taken at home.  

That helped me significantly with the pain,  The ibuprofen alone was not putting a dent in it.

This may not answer your question but hopefully it will help with your pain.

Laura

[HVAC]

ERs are really only good for emergencies. They are not good for diagnosing. I have diaphragm spasms. It is like having the wind knocked out of me and can last hours or days. They thought it was the MS hug at first. Turned out it is not MS in my case, but Cancer in the diaphragm, which is really rare. Xanaflex works really well for my spasms. Every once in awhile they get really bad and they give me liquid valium. I can't breathe when they happen. I do not go to the ER because they would not know what to do about them or they would have stopped by the time I saw a Doctor. I call my doctor so she can at least hear over the phone that I am not normal. Whatever is causing yours if they are muscle spasms or nerve damage they can give you something to help. It is just finding what works.


Alex