Recently, a friend of mine was experiencing symptoms of back pain and strain. The symptoms continued to get worse during the next few days as she endured the pain and hoped the problem would go away and fix itself. After much encouragement from her family and friends, she took a trip to the emergency room, and it’s a blessing that she did! She was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism. If she had continued to live through the pain, she may have suffered severe consequences or even death.

By no means am I encouraging you to become a hypochondriac, or spend hours researching your symptoms on the Internet, but if something does not seem or feel quite right, seek help! Your body is wise, and it needs you to pay attention to what it’s trying to say. It is always better to be safe than sorry!