mel78
24-10-11, 06:20
For the past two months or so, I've been terrified that I have ALS. But I seem to have FINALLY beaten that fear into submission somewhat (mostly through doing exercise). I've been able to increase the weights I lift and even my twitching has mostly gone away.
However, I do have one remaining symptom.... shoulder pain. Its been going on for weeks now and its come and gone (gone for up to a week at a time in fact). Its very vague pain - does not seem to be related to the nerves, and moves around a bit. Sometimes it feels like the pain you might have if you have a bad chest (I have asthma - though its very mild - I dont take medication any more). I should say though that my chest does not feel any worse lately - no cough, no wheezing, no shortness of breath - nothing - not even when I exercise.
So I went to the doc about this last week (a follow up appointment from a few weeks back). When I told her the "pain" was still there she seemed a bit concerned. She actually told me that sometimes shoulder pain can manifest from lung or heart problems :-( So of course that made me feel wonderful. She performed and ECG there in the office but it was perfectly fine. She also listened to my chest and felt my abdomen. So at the end of the appointment she decided that because I am young (33) and otherwise healthy, I was best to try some physical therapy first before she refers me for more tests (specifically MRI of shoulder and chest x-ray). Now I don't smoke, but of course am terrified now that I have lung cancer. The pain seems far more obvious now since I've been to the doc. I am imagining that it gets worse as I breathe in (or out). I don't know what to do. Should I go back and ask the doc for the tests now rather than later? Can this kind of vague pain just be anxiety related? Is it possible?
I am desperately trying not to Google "lung cancer" OR to revert to freaking out over ALS, but its really, really hard. I don't want to go back mentally to where I was one month ago.
However, I do have one remaining symptom.... shoulder pain. Its been going on for weeks now and its come and gone (gone for up to a week at a time in fact). Its very vague pain - does not seem to be related to the nerves, and moves around a bit. Sometimes it feels like the pain you might have if you have a bad chest (I have asthma - though its very mild - I dont take medication any more). I should say though that my chest does not feel any worse lately - no cough, no wheezing, no shortness of breath - nothing - not even when I exercise.
So I went to the doc about this last week (a follow up appointment from a few weeks back). When I told her the "pain" was still there she seemed a bit concerned. She actually told me that sometimes shoulder pain can manifest from lung or heart problems :-( So of course that made me feel wonderful. She performed and ECG there in the office but it was perfectly fine. She also listened to my chest and felt my abdomen. So at the end of the appointment she decided that because I am young (33) and otherwise healthy, I was best to try some physical therapy first before she refers me for more tests (specifically MRI of shoulder and chest x-ray). Now I don't smoke, but of course am terrified now that I have lung cancer. The pain seems far more obvious now since I've been to the doc. I am imagining that it gets worse as I breathe in (or out). I don't know what to do. Should I go back and ask the doc for the tests now rather than later? Can this kind of vague pain just be anxiety related? Is it possible?
I am desperately trying not to Google "lung cancer" OR to revert to freaking out over ALS, but its really, really hard. I don't want to go back mentally to where I was one month ago.