I was going to write in and say that a lot of my family thought I was being a hypochondriac when I would complain randomly about what I thought was repetitive stress disorder or thoracic outlet syndrome from computer work, but as it turned out actually WAS stage three Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Someone else beat me to the mention of NHL, though, go figure. First time I tried to have my complaints checked out, the doctor treated me rather badly and then told me I had injured my shoulder but that I should work through the pain and take some ibuprofen and I'd be fine to do any type of work I wanted, even manual labor. The second time I was seen I thought I had bronchitis. This was six months after the first visit and after I had developed a seal-like barking cough to go along with the random numbness, pain, and swelling that came and went in my arms and shoulders and neck. After they finally ordered some scans, I found out the cough was from the now very large tumors pressing on my heart and lungs, as well as my vena cava.

Sometimes it IS a good idea to have things checked out, even if the first doctor you see thinks you're making it up and treats you like crap. Maybe they did this because I was only 27 and most 27 year olds don't have serious problems and are then suspect if they come in complaining of vague symptoms, but I believe that everyone deserves to be treated with respect (including the doctors, nurses, and staff that help you out, obviously) and have their issues given the proper attention. You know the saying, "just because you're paranoid...?" Every once in a while it's with good reason.