even the normal pains become huge concerns

and i have been here before a few times, but this time I was sure my pinchy piercy pain in the top of my shoulder I have been experiencing off and on was a blood clot when it felt like it was traveling up my juglar vein. I was sitting in church and it got worse, and then the panic set in. I asked Mark to please pray for me, I was beginning to panic. He did, and it did nothing. He said, "Ok let's go into the hospital." At the time I didn't know if I was going to the emergency or ward. I called the nurse on the ward, and she said to come up to the ward first. Meanwhile, there was a lot of traffic and I was in tears by now, just knowing I was dying of a blood clot. (a side note here is that I rarely if ever PANIC) Mark kept saying the reassuring things and i was wishing I had called an ambulance.

I have to say that I picked the best night to go in. My fav nurse, and doc were on staff and know me well, and even have seen me disoriented and upset a few times in these 3 plus years. They gave me some kind of tranq in my arm, and sent me to x-ray and took a blood test to test the d-dimer (is that how you spell it?) Everthing checked out fine and they sent me home with meds, tranqs and told me to see the bone guy in the am. I was relieved it wasn't a blood clot, but wasn't even thinking about bone mets.

I had a bunch more tests the next day, and the pain turns out to be, not mets, but some kind of inflamation of the sheath of the tendon. I think it would be like carpotunnel in your wrist or something. I did have that when my son was a baby and got a few cortisone shots to ease the pain. So, the doc gave me a small dose of cortisone in the spot on my shoulder, and I am a new woman. Now, just have to figrue out what to do/not do to heal this thing up. For now it is hot springs bath, here I come!

Sorry for the long ramble. I know there are many of you that can relate to all the additional STUFF you have to deal with and go to the doctor for, besides cancer, and usually some how related to having cancer. Well this time it turned out good, even though it really was a pain and very scay. Ok, I will stop my ramble now.

Hugs,
kathleen