The basic gist of things is I tore a muscle in my chest on last Friday evening, I lifted and removed a large couch thru my old house's narrow door. And yes, it was a slightly hypo surge of energy without much thought. I should NOT have been able to do it honestly.

I went to urgent care Tuesday (because my PCP was out of office and nurse told me to) for treatment, my left pec was swollen and pain had become very bad to where I barely slept the night before (not good in Spring when I already have been slightly hypo).

This was 4 days after injury. Swelling was moderate on a mild/mod/severe scale (per me. not even mentioned on the urgent care paperwork. Possibily high-end moderate. It's noticeable enough that standing in front of a mirror with shirt on you can clearly see the difference.

He gave me ultram (which helped pain A LOT), but the discharge paperwork said it was an emotional problem. Said it was costochrondritis, and that emotional problems are often the cause (keep reading, but my PCP on follow-up appointment said "I've never heard that before".

The first home-care tip was 'to find the source of my emotional stress. It may not be obvious. Learn ways to do with that stress".

Bizarre. 2.5 days later, I'm still swollen and no change with that, still having a lot of pain with certain movements and basically trying to not move my left side (PCP said "I can see how you are guarding your Left arm). Laying down and getting in/out of car were the worse pains. On range of motion when i raise arm, parts of the rise are OK, but there's a couple points on the rise where it's intense pain.

I went to my PCP on Friday, she said 'you tore a muscle/tendon' in your pec. Let's hope swelling goes down next few days, if not it could be more severe and would need an ortho consult/surgery. Ice, advil, ultram, etc.

I showed her the discharge paperwork and she was bewildered. She said "I've never heard of contochrondiritis being caused by emotional problems" And that the diagnosis has no swelling. That is actually how you rule it out...if there's swelling it's something else

. Again, the emotional thing WAS IN THE DESCRIPTION of the diagnosis. I showed her the home-care tip, the first time, was to find my emotional stress cause. Really really weird look on her face.

So I asked 3 times...are you 100% sure I'm not being axis 2, malingering, etc. Which I have NO history of. Zero.

She said again, you tore a muscle/tendon. This is not a 'mental' thing, at all. I'm swollen back towards my armpit. The diagnosis he gave me is sternum related.

Have now been taking valium also which makes that side less tense. So, I'm sleeping a little better each night. Try to stay upright and not on my sides.

Hope swelling goes down gradually. If not I completely tore something vs. a smaller tear that'll heal itself eventually. At best it's a moderate tear.

I don't have the energy now but when I'm better, I'm getting my records and will make an attempt to sit down with this dude and his staff to understand this.

I sat at home for 2 days feeling like a loser and that it was all in my head, when I tore a muscle/tendon. Totally wrong diagnosis. My left pec had been swollen for 4 days when I saw him (and it's 3 more days later now and still swollen). It still hasn't changed.

PCP said to check-in next week regardless.

Last thing I will say is the PCP discharge paperwork home-care instructions...the first item is

"Rest. Avoid lifting. Don't do any activity that causes pain".

None of those things, in any fashion, were on the urgent care list. The directions were 'to find out my emotional stress' and deal with it.

Crazy.