Gotta Get Over This

Lately, I've been more in tune with the aches and pains in my body--where it hurts, where the pain radiates to, the burning, tingling, and numbness. On one side, this is a good thing because when I see the doctor, nurse, and acupuncturist, I can tell them where it hurts. I can even reproduce the motions and movements that make these places hurt.

On the other side, the radiating pain and new aches have turned me into a hypochondriac, or a cyberchondriac, if you will. I really have to stop looking at my symptoms online. I did go to my primary care physician to get checked. Because I have an H.MO, the doctors in my medical group are prohibited from talking about work.man's compensation issues. So we didn't talk about my injury, even when I mentioned that my concerns might be injury-related. In the end, he cleared me of my fears. In the visit's summary, he indicated "increased heart rate (because I was nervous), lab work and complete physical to follow, reassurance". REASSURANCE! I laughed when he read that to me. Twice! I walked away with a huge sigh of relief.

In the weeks to follow, I had to follow up with my WC doctor and my health services nurse, and they both had the same conclusion: the muscles are interconnected, blah, blah, blah...Still, I wasn't satisfied, and now I'm a wreck. I'm a wreck from worrying too much, but I keep telling myself throughout the day that I'll be okay, and that it's all in my head. Maybe the reason why I've been feeling like crap is because I'm feeling so negative about my symptoms. Coupled with my usual stress at work and the lousy pain I'm having, it really wears me out at the end of the day. It's definitely not healthy. They say that people who have a positive outlook heal faster. I have to remember that.

The M.RI for the C-spine is a go, and it's scheduled for next week Friday. I get claustrophobic, so my doctor is prescribing a mild sedative to help me relax. I expressed to my nurse that I wasn't sure about taking the sedative, but she said, "Even if you think you can go through the procedure, just take the sedative. There's nothing worse than freaking out, and then getting a call-back to do it again because the images didn't come out clearly." Good point. Maybe I'll just take a shot or two of Jameson before a go into the tunnel. Seriously, though...I'm glad that it will be performed at the hospital I work at. I know the M.RI techs, I know the process, and that puts me at ease.