Rachel here is what I have learned. Sometimes that pain is from the way you sit when you nurse- if you tend to be in a similar position alot, or if you hold the baby to nurse when you are also at the computer- then when you are kinked like that and then take it to the street with pounding in running, it causes the nerves that are being stressed and inflamed to get more stressed and inflamed. A series of visits to the chiropractor will help with that, but when you are still nursing you can also be sure your ligaments and tendons are still looser from the hormones in your system. So graduated strength training in conjunction with the chiropractor might be alot of help. Also if they give you any muscle relaxers- a hefty dose of Naproxen, then take it and try to get all that really total sleep of the dead relaxation you can get- it helps keep out the kinks. I find that if I stretch and try to work out the back and neck pain after I run, when I am warmed up through stretching I feel better, everything seems to go back into place. One of the first places to start with these kinds of pain is getting some quality sleep- and getting unkinked. That is just what I have experienced, anyway. For what its worth you are so not alone!

I only use medical websites when numerous doctors including specialists have misdiagnosed or come up empty.  I have correctly diagnosed more than one ailment in my family from sinus infections to acid reflux to allergies and have also given doctors suggestions for prescriptions that helped.  If symptoms don’t present in the most common way, many times doctors miss the correct diagnosis.  Case in point:  one of my kids almost died because more than one doctor didn’t diagnose his appendicitis and kept sending him home saying it was the flu.  He didn’t have the classic pain in the side but had generalized stomach pain and fever and vomiting.  I researched and figured out what it was and the next time we went to the emergency room I demanded a white blood cell count which they then did.  It was way high and he was taken to by ambulance to another hospital where they had a pediatric GI specialist who had him in surgery within an hour.  His appendix had burst by that time.

Due to malpractice costs, the medical community is more and more urging people to be their own health care manager and not just cede the role to their doctor.  For this to happen we have to be free to research.  However, the trick is know how to and how not to research on the Internet.  I have learned on my own but there should be classes on it.

I think I know what you are referring to Rachel in regards to looking up information and it causing a fear that is not from God. Based on articles I have read of yours, I think you are a pro-active type who likes to research a subject or situation to bring wisdom and clarity. I am all for that! knowledge really can be impowering, and research is a great way to find answers and understanding. It does become a problem however, when we convince ourselves of the worst before even getting to a doctor. Your situation is a perfect example. You were perhaps ready to schedule a cochlear implant and the Dr had you cut back on your running due to muscle strain. It always come back to that simple word…Balance. we must work like it depends on us…and pray like it depends on God. I enjoyed this post. Gets one to think about important issues. Good Job, Rachel.

I joke that I have my MD from Google. I do do a lot of research on medical issues/situations on the net but usually off sites like Webmd and into the more doctor directed ones. I really like emedicine. I am one of those people where the unknown is always worse than any reality but I am also cognizant of the fact that the chance of me or my kids having that 1 in a million diagnosis is…1 in a million.
Old medical saying, “When you hear hoofbeats you think horses, not zebras.”

Ha ha!  I just put on jeans today for the first time postpartum—the ones 2 sizes bigger than pre-pregnancy were none too loose.  I lost all but 8 lbs the first week postpartum, but those 8 probably aren’t going to go away until I stop eating ice cream constantly and begin exercising, huh?

Googling symtptoms can put your anxiety thru the roof it’s true.  However, knowing how to research medical literature and studies is essential.  More people need to be their own advocates in the medical world—doctors do not know everything and there are different opinions on everything.  Make sure you are a well educated patient!!