True fact about my life #1: Over the past eight years I've taken my dog to the vet about three times the amount that I've seen my own GP. Sometimes I wonder if I'm too fond of her. One time while I was petting her I accidentally cooed, 'Emmy...you're the prettiest girl I know', and subsequently offended some friends who were there in the room.
Thankfully I'm not a chronic pain sufferer and I have pretty forgiving friends who chalk up my behavior to being 'just a dog person' (not a compliment per se I'm sensing...but I guess fair is fair) and most of the minor conditions I've come down with in the past have resolved on their own without a doctor's visit.
For those of us who take a tough stance on visiting the doc (maybe too tough?) The Cheerful Oncologist, Dr. Craig Hildreth endorses a list of 7 pains that you shouldn't ignore:
From the Cheerful Oncologist Blog:
1. Worst Headache of Your Life
2. Pain or Discomfort in the Chest, Throat, Jaw, Shoulder, Arm, or
Abdomen (along with chest pressure, nausea, and for women, bloating, GI
distess, discomfort in the abdomen, feeling tired)
3. Pain in Lower Back or Between Shoulder Blades
4. Severe Abdominal Pain
5. Calf Pain (or swelling without pain)
6. Burning Feet or Legs
7. Vague, Combined, or Medically Unexplained Pains (headaches,
abdominal pain, limb pain, along with loss of interest, difficulty
concentrating)
I think I'm in the clear. Although now I'm worried that Em doesn't have the facial capacity to express calf pain. Ah...to be a dog person.
