a visit to the doctor (lyn)

Last night I feel pressure on my chest.  I don’t really think it’s a heart attack, although the thought does cross my mind.  But then, I think every unfamiliar mole or bump is a malignant tumor.

I wake up this morning and the pain is still there.  I take a TUMS thinking maybe it’s heartburn or indigestion but it doesn’t go away.  I call my doctor and she tells me to come in.

I haven’t seen my doctor since my visit last December.  She immediately comments on how thin I’ve become.  I accept the compliment, but before coming to see her, I notice wrinkles in places I never had them before---like on my calves and on my butt.  Is this age or sagging skin or a combination of both?  Whatever it is, it’s awful and another good reason to start to exercise.  What’s the benefit of being thin if I have to wear long sleeved shirts and long pants to look good?

Anyway, I explain my chest pains and after a few tests my doctor concludes that the pain is muscular.  It actually feels like a broken rib, though I haven’t fallen recently, and I certainly haven’t over-exercised.

She thinks maybe it could be stress-related, which I think is sort of a catch-all for anything that cannot be diagnosed.  But then, my stress level is very high.  Today I withdrew money from my small retirement fund as I have nothing left in savings.  Yup; maybe it is stress.  What’s the treatment for that?