Have been nursing some chest heaviness, palpitations and shooting pains for 10 days now. These symptoms on their own aren’t particularly uncommon, but a week ago some incredible neck and shoulder pain started to flare up on top of it — and get worse, and worse, and worse; like, all day soreness, pretty much trying to knead my left shoulder (in particular) into not-wanting-to-have-it-surgically-removed.

I have been to the ER for a self-suspected blood clot/heart attack/whatever before, and didn’t particularly want to repeat the exercise. Maybe it was just a chest infection with extra steps? After umming and ahhhing about it for a couple days, worsening, I finally book a GP respiratory appointment. Yesterday afternoon the appointment time arrives.

I have to “I know what it sounds like” to the GP a few times, explain my elevated heart-rate on arrival is probably just POTS (since I was sitting in the car waiting for the all clear to come in, not in the waiting room), explain the pain in my legs is probably just the chronic pain I always have in my legs, and after listening to my lungs (all clear) he directs me straight to the ER. I am thankful to my and Annie’s MSA 900s, and it who told me about them.

Chest XR, RAT, ECG, bloods to check for clot or heart damage — nothing. Everything looks fantastic. Maybe it’s pleurisy. Go home, rest, eat lots of vegetables.

So this is where we’re at!