"MS hug" symptoms or anxiety? Anyone else?

[stk149]

*Also posted this in symptoms but haven't had a response*

Hi all,

Have been doing well since going on sertraline 50mg about 7 weeks ago to treat my ocd/health anxiety. My obsessing over my health has subsided quite a bit and I’d now consider my anxiety to be about a 2/10 as opposed to the usual 10/10!

Since August last year I’ve had weird symptoms on and off with the right side of my body, as if I’m super aware of that side. Now, I reckon it’s all coming from a muscle in my back that I hurt last year while camping, but it’s like a weird pressure. It used to be in my arm, like a perceived weakness but not clinical weakness, then in my arm in leg, then sometimes just in my hip, then in my side below my arm pit, sometimes in my lower abdomen. It feels like muscle tension, i rarely get pain with it but it’s just like a tightness. Now I do notice when I’m having a particular good anxiety free day it seems to disappear completely. Thankfully I’m having more of those days since starting medication.

I’m PMSing at present which always seems to make my anxiety much worse. Last month it wasn’t too bad and had only been on my tablets a few weeks then, some weakness in my hip but virtually none in my arm. This time however, I’ve felt the tension creeping around my back in the usual problematic spot (I tingle sometimes too there but have recently put it down to my anxiety), and now it’s spreading along my side/ribs. I also have really shaky hands, and it feels like tension is causing this too some how.

Of course I started googling and found out about the “ms hug”, needless to say I now feel really anxious again because this describes the feeling I’ve been having for month to a T! It said it can be one-sided, can come and go, can be painful or can just feel like tightness. I really don’t want my anxiety creeping back up on me because I’ve been doing so well, so I’m praying this passes when I stop PMSing! I’ve recently joined the gym again and started doing yoga which has been excellent for my recovery, but this tension still hasn’t fully subsided yet. I don’t know if it’s all coming from this muscle in my back, my posture at work or if it’s something sinister like MS :(

Has anyone else had the MS hug symptoms on here? Particularly on one side? Reassurance needed :(

[stk149]

Anyone? Please? I’m also having issues with the left foot and calf going numb when I’m driving or working out :(

[Andrash]

*Also posted this in symptoms but haven't had a response*

Hi all,

Have been doing well since going on sertraline 50mg about 7 weeks ago to treat my ocd/health anxiety. My obsessing over my health has subsided quite a bit and I’d now consider my anxiety to be about a 2/10 as opposed to the usual 10/10!

Since August last year I’ve had weird symptoms on and off with the right side of my body, as if I’m super aware of that side. Now, I reckon it’s all coming from a muscle in my back that I hurt last year while camping, but it’s like a weird pressure. It used to be in my arm, like a perceived weakness but not clinical weakness, then in my arm in leg, then sometimes just in my hip, then in my side below my arm pit, sometimes in my lower abdomen. It feels like muscle tension, i rarely get pain with it but it’s just like a tightness. Now I do notice when I’m having a particular good anxiety free day it seems to disappear completely. Thankfully I’m having more of those days since starting medication.

I’m PMSing at present which always seems to make my anxiety much worse. Last month it wasn’t too bad and had only been on my tablets a few weeks then, some weakness in my hip but virtually none in my arm. This time however, I’ve felt the tension creeping around my back in the usual problematic spot (I tingle sometimes too there but have recently put it down to my anxiety), and now it’s spreading along my side/ribs. I also have really shaky hands, and it feels like tension is causing this too some how.

Of course I started googling and found out about the “ms hug”, needless to say I now feel really anxious again because this describes the feeling I’ve been having for month to a T! It said it can be one-sided, can come and go, can be painful or can just feel like tightness. I really don’t want my anxiety creeping back up on me because I’ve been doing so well, so I’m praying this passes when I stop PMSing! I’ve recently joined the gym again and started doing yoga which has been excellent for my recovery, but this tension still hasn’t fully subsided yet. I don’t know if it’s all coming from this muscle in my back, my posture at work or if it’s something sinister like MS :(

Has anyone else had the MS hug symptoms on here? Particularly on one side? Reassurance needed :(

I put the absolutely best reassurance you can get in bold. You wrote it yourself, which means you are on a right track to sort out your one and only health problem - anxiety.

However, resist the temptation to use Google.

[Halle0587]

I have those same symptoms AND as you said, on good days they aren’t noticed and don’t bother me. Anxiety affects everyone differently, this may just be the way anxiety is affecting us.

[stk149]

Thank you both for the reply, it means more to me than you’ll know! Thankfully my symptoms have improved over the past few days so I’m putting this blip down to my PMS. Having 4 or 5 days of anxiety a month is better than having it every day of the month. I’ve been out walking every night this week to loosen up, wonderful what nature can do for the soul!

[bulan]

I've had the MS Hug about two or three times a year for the last 10 years, and the only related diagnoses I have are fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. It's been very manageable for me, and I realized it might just be muscle tension or misalignment of something or other. I usually take extra strength Tylenol and get a soothing massage or just go to bed, in which case it's always gone by morning.