Chest pains

I had some chest pain and tingling down my left arm on Tuesday and it worried me. Since my hospitalization in 2005,every time I have some weird symptom I think this is the end. I was considering calling my pcp and canceling my hair appt to go see her but then the pain went away and I figured I'd be ok.

The pain had been happening all that day in work off and on and of course I don't want to die yet but denial is a fun place to be at times. So as I sat in the chair with color on my head,the pain and tingling returned. I called my pcp's office and was told she was on vacation. This was at 4:30pm and I wanted to get in before they closed although the color was still on my head! The secretary told me to call 911 and go to the hospital. I didn't want to do that.

When my hair was finished,my hairdresser Karen massaged some cream on my arm and back because I could feel a knot in my arm. Then she told me that my left shoulder was swollen. (I had my scrubs on so my shoulders were kind of poking out in the back and she could see the swelling.) I went home with Lillianna,had dinner and tried to ignore the symptoms that I figured were a pinched nerve or stress related.

Yesterday morning,Rich stayed home and took me to the doctor. I saw Allison who is a nurse that I have seen many times. I really like her. She said my back had knots and was really tight on the left side. She saw the swelling too. Before she came in the tingling had gone up the left side of my neck,face and head. I thought I was having a stroke.

Luckily it's all related to the muscles which is causing these problems. I'm on a muscle relaxer and I have to heat my back during the day. She told me to take yesterday and today off and I can go back tomorrow. I do feel much better today. The tingling is gone but the back pain is still there.

I have parent/teacher conferences at 2pm today and lunch with Lil and friends at 11:30am (early dismissal)so I didn't take the Flexoril. I need to drive and talk coherently and the Flexoril causes me to be tired and to sound drunk. I'll take a pill tonight!

As I was leaving I said to Allison,"Well....I'm glad I'm not dying!"
She smiled at me and said,"Not today."
For me....that was the best news I could've heard!