What the.............?

Go Obama! Get this health care thing passed. It's pretty much the healthies against the sickies. And I'm a sickie! On election day I merrily made this mosaic and I think it is part of the reason he won. My art changed the world. Just kidding. Maybe someday.

I went to my appointment at the new doctor, Dr. Smart here locally. He was very smart and thorough. He did the same test on me as Dr. Hot, but he spent more time pinpointing the pain. Both tested to see if my pain was in the muscles and nerves, or inside the body cavity.

Dr. Smart had me lay down then pushed on the sore spot just under my ribs. It hurt so much that it feels like my insides in that area have turned to mashed potatoes. Rotten mashed potatoes. Then he had me crunch up into a sit up (the working out kind of sit up) so my muscles are flexing, doing their job to protect my insides. As I'm flexing, he pushed on my stomach on the same spot. It didn't hurt much, not even when he put heavy pressure. He checked over and over. He came to the conclusion that my pain is coming from the inside. This wasn't good. He said he was very concerned at my age-too young to be having big pain problems- we need to find out why this is happening, he said. He mentioned when he was at the Cleveland Clinic, at the Cleveland Clinic they would..... He gave me some cream and some pills and off I went. Couldn't wait to hit the bed. 43 years old and heading for the bed, exhausted, at 3:00pm. Someone better figure out what is wrong. Type A redhead, workaholic types don't hit the bed at 3:00pm, 3:00am, yes.

Last week, Dr. Hot did the same test, but quickly and he focused on the belly button area instead of the feels-like-a -hot-poker-here spot. I know I have scar tissue issues because I feel a pull from the right side of my felly button. I think if Dr. Hot spent more time in this test, he would be at the next step now. I think he didn't get how much pain I'm in. And Dr. Smart did.

Before I made my appointment at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville Florida I promised myself that if things didn't get resolved there that I would try the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio before I gave up. I've been sick a long time and giving up would be easy on some days. The Cleveland Clinic is the #1 place in the U.S. according to many top ten surveys online and in magazines.

Now the decision. Do I call Dr. Hot and tell him the problem is in the inside? I'm kinda thinking three strikes and your out. But, maybe that's not fair. Maybe I will call Dr. Hot and tell him I want one more test. I heard that the PET scan is the only test that detects cancer for sure. A friend lost her husband to pancreatic cancer. He wasn't diagnosed and was in tons of pain, the kind that sent him to the ER. Then they found it with the PET scan. It was too late. When I feel really sick I think of these things, because I haven't been diagnosed correctly yet. It's scary when most of the people in tons of pain stories seem to end in death. Hhmmm. Mayo Clinic......Cleveland Clinic..........savings dwindling...........think I'll think about it over the weekend.