It has been 5 weeks since Rosa, my 12 y/o daschund has died. I have cried nonstop (gut wrenching) most of the time ever since.
I have a question for anyone who can relate. On Thursday I went to the evergency room with horrible abdominal pains radiating to my back. The pain is so intense that my pcp perscribed vicodin prior to going to the hospital. Once in the hospital they gave me morphine as I was vomiting from the pain. They did a ct scan and ultrasound and found nothing. Yesterday the discharged me saying that they could find nothing wrong with me and there was nothing more that they could do. Now I am so scared to death. I am in intense pain and have no recourse. I will go back to my pcp on Monday but I doubt that there is anything that he can do now.
I know that this is not a medical fourm, but wondered if maybe all the gut wrenching crying that I have been doing could have caused a severe muscle pull in my stomach. I mentioned this to the E.R. doctor and he just brushed it off.
Has any of this happened to any of you??????? I now just pray and try not to cry. I feel that I cannot live with this intense pain every day. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know. Thanks Rusty

I am sorry about your health. It sounds to me like there is a problem and you need to go get more tests. Sometimes doctors don't do their job as well as they should. I had alot of pain when I was in my early 20's in my lower right side. They told me it was nothing. I was persistant but I guess not as I should have been, because they didn't persue the problem till I was 28 and found out I had a precancerous tumor on my ovary. Thank god it wasn't cancer or I would have been in deep trouble. I lived with that gnawing pain for almost 8 years, and it was something I learned to live with but that did not make it right. This is your body and health, and you should be persistant with the doctors. I am truly sorry you are hurting so much...

Kim

Dear Rusty,

The term "heart ache" or "broken heart" are really based on medical conditions caused by great sadness. It could be that your pain is from all your crying, but like Kimberly said, you should probably get another medical opinion.

I'm sorry you're hurting so much. I know you miss little Rosa terribly.
Kathleen

Hi Rusty,

I, too am sorry you're feeling so badly. My feeling is that your pain is due to non-stop crying for so long. I agree with Kathleen and Kimberly however about seeking a 2nd opinion, just to be sure.

Hang in there and take care. Let us know how you're doing. If the 2nd opinion shows nothing, maybe meditation or yoga would help? Just a thought.

Lynn

I thank all of you for your concern and kind words. I will follow up with my doctor this coming week and attempt to get answers. My biggest fear is living in intense pain the rest of my life. Maybe I have to make some life changes to get some results.
My first hospital visit was on April 25th, the one month anniverary of Rosa's death. Maybe everyting is associated with her. On the good side, when I came home yesterday, Heidi my 10 y/o daschund was waiting for me at the door (my ex wife took care of her when I was gone) and squeeled like a pig. I picked her up and we licked each other and looked at a picture of Rosa on the wall and just loved each other and I cried so hard again. If the crying is the root of my medical problems, I am just going to try to stop, just plain and simple. If Rosa could communicate with me she would not want me to be sick over the grief. She would want me to be well and take care of Heidi. Of course I am crying like a baby as I type this. Thanks again to everyone. Russ

Russ, when you are crying is the pain worse? Or does it get worse immediately after you stop? Have you tried stretching exercises to see if they help? Do you feel nauseated? Does the pain happen after you eat? You need to ask yourself these questions and let the doctor know the answers.

I was in physical pain after my cat died. It was a generalized pain, just all over. It has gotten better now that I am not grieving so much. So I know grief can cause physical pain. But you do need more tests to rule out anything serious.

Russ, I don't know if I have replied to one of your posts before as I have been at LS a little less frequently lately (my dog Lucy died in February). I am sorry for your pain and ill feelings. I had to write to you because something interesting happened to me. As I was reading LS posts, I had my song playlist on in the background (on the computer). As I read your post about Rosa, a song called "Dixie the Tiny Dog" by an artist named Peter Himmelman came on. It is a song all about a daschund...from the daschund's perspective. I got a tear in my eye as I heard the song...thinking about the human-animal bond, and your bond with Rosa. I am thinking of you and hoping that you are feeling better...I am sure that your baby Rosa is watching over and protecting you...

Caroline

Dear Rusty, I am so sorry that you are sick and in pain and they can't find anything wrong. I take it with all the testing that they also did blood work on you to see if anything was wrong there.

I know when I lost my Snookie I got so sick I lost over 30 pounds in a short time. I waited a long time before I went to a doctor and then my entire body was filled with infection. It took a long time for me to recover.

If after you go back to the doctor and they still cannot find anything wrong, I would ask for nerve pills and see if that calms the pain. Don't give up hope of finding out what is wrong.
Love, Ann

Dear Rusty
I remember so well the day you first posted about your beautiful little Rosa. She was so brave, so tiny, so fragile, so wonderful. No wonder you grieve so deeply for her.

I had physical symptoms that came on after Ellie's death and they lasted for 3 months. My neck and shoulders seized up and the pain was excrutiating. I couldn't turn my head and the pain radiated down my arm. I had never had anything like this before.

My doctor's tests showed that there was nothing physically wrong. I thought I must have slipped a disc in my neck to be in such pain. He said to me that he thought it was being caused by the tension that I was carrying in my body since Ellie died without realising it and that my muscles were in a constant tense position and I was never allowing them to relax, this was causing them to spasm and pull my spine out of alignment at the neck. He told me to lie on the bed 3 times a day and listen to relaxation tapes specially designed to help the body relaxed. This cured my problem.

Do you think you could have pulled something in your abdomen, Rusty. Maybe a major muscle. Maybe the muscles that heave when we cry are protesting and cannot relax.

A CT scan is pretty thorough and together with an ultrasound should have picked up anything physical that wasn't right. But of course it wouldn't pick up strained or pulled muscles. A 2nd opinion is always a good idea if you are not happy with the original tests.

I wonder if you could do try doing what I did, and see if it helps at all. Maybe lie on the bed and consciously try to let your abdomen relax and listen to some gentle music maybe.

Do let us know how you go on with this Rusty, it must be so frightening for you.

Thinking of you
With love
jilly
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