Monday, June 25, 2012

To seek medical advice or not, this is the question...

So, I've been having some bizarre pain since May. I will preface this to say that I go to the doctor maybe once or twice a year, so I am not one to run out and see one every time I have an ache, pain, or sniffles.

On Mother's Day, I went to the gym with my sister while I was in Mississippi. I got on a treadmill to run, and within the first quarter mile, I felt a sharp pain on the far left side of my chest. Not like a heart palpitation - but more in my chest wall (pretty close to my armpit, in the area where the strap of a bra would meet the cup). I kept running, and I think I ran about 7 miles that day on the treadmill.

It hurts right here. 


For weeks after, it still hurt. Not in an excruciating way, but in way where I definitely notice it. I notice it while running, I really noticed it when I tried to strength train my upper body. It also bothered me if I was trying to sleep in certain positions.

Then I took my accidental run sabbatical for the first 3 weeks of June. And I can't say I noticed it then. I finally got back to running and going to the gym last week. I did a good strength session on Thursday - bench press, rows, flyes, overhead tricep press, nosebreakers, bicep curls. And the next day, bam, the pain came right back. , just as bad as it was on day one.

As I type this right now I can feel it. It's really annoying and I can't understand what it might be. Strained chest muscle? Some sort of tendon/connective tissue issue? (ha, that rhymed) Or something worse? I will also add I can feel it on inhale and exhale (more so on exhale).

I just don't even really know how to describe it to a doctor, and I feel like they are just going to tell me take ibuprofen and not workout, which isn't really an answer to me.

Any ideas?

Update: I schedule an appointment to see my primary care physician next week. I still feel silly about it, but I guess I wanted to be smart. I am not optimistic she will be of much help - she is very nice, but has doled out some rather antiquated advice to me before (like telling me I need to drink 3 glasses of milk a day).

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