I had a similar experience. I was ready for my mammo and the secretary told me that BCBS would not pay for it anymore. I was horrified and asked if I could call them from her phone which I did and got a customer service rep, told them I have two sisters who have had mastectomy's and she still refused so I asked for a supervisor and she refused so I requested that they put it in writing that I am not allowed to have the test. She asked me to hold and then another person came on and said it's okayed now. I asked him to send a fax to the unit where I was and I would wait on the line until it was received. It came and I've had them every year since, no questions. You have to be proactive.

I have had 2 Bone Density tests, about 3 years apart. Each time I just sat on a stool beside a bed while only one arm was scanned. Then I laid on my back on the bed with a pillow under my knees for another scan. The last one was about 6 weeks ago and showed that I have lost some density. Doctor has me on Calcium 500+D, and a Multi Vitamin. 3-4 years ago I had a Cat Scan on my spine. That report listed each section of my spine and what the problems were . Bone density test is quick and easy. With the Cat Scan I had the dye. etc and about 20 minutes in the machine. Neither of these tests are traumatic. Sue

EllenP123 , I have been mulling over what to post since I read the above last week. I am sure you did not intend it to be humerus but I laughed reading that you" went to bed 49 and woke up 100". I have been struggling with horrific leg pain for over two years. I daily think holy moly how in the world do people with chronic pain function.Although I have been dealing with my leg pain for months I am not going to categorized it as chronic. My first reaction to my leg pain was to see an ortho specialist who dx the leg pain as stress fractures since I had carried over 900 pieces of granite over a two week period. Yup I counted them. The M.D. gave me a few packets of celebrex that was given to him by the pharmaceutical sales rep. I told the Doctor I am allergic to Aleeve. Alleeve makes me swell and I gained five pounds after three doses. I was smart and had removed my wedding band . It took a good week to reduce the swelling since Alleve has a long half life. Those who are allergic to aleeve are recommended not to take celebrex. I questioned the Medical Doctor who assured me I was misinformed. I took one dose on the way home since the leg pain was horrific. Within two hours I was a mess. It felt as someone was squeezing my heart. I did not need to be hospitalized but monitored . I no longer take Motrin since this is a sister NSAID of celebrex and Aleeve. My point is there are some majorly hubris doctors out there who screw up at your expense. I have had a few nights where I cry cause the leg pain is horrible. No position soothes the ache . I have tried rest, aspirin, warm soaks, ice packs, massage therapy,accupuncture and a dose of darvocet . I came across a book a few years ago about how the body is aligned in two parts. While attempting to find a position to relieve the pain I massaged my toes, foot pad, achilles tendon, tibia ,fibula, knee,thigh, hip ,butt and lower back with a tennis ball. What I figured out is that the pain is in my knee area but when I massage the upper thigh and achilles the pain goes away. A few years a go I had tennis elbow from shoveling the driveway for five hours. When I massaged the shoulder blade and my pectoral muscle the elbow pain disappeared. Pain is not simple . One must identify the source. For me the pain is due to overused muscles and menopause. I am tiny but can llft 60 pounds with ease. If you gave me 62 lbs I balk. I think for some the pain we are experiencing is the lose of estrogen so our tendons get brittle. I too went to bed feeling great and awoke with the crippling pain. What i found that works is to take care of yourself. Take breaks when doing your chores. Swim. Stay active. Place down pillows under your hip and knees at night. Take calcium with magnesium DAILY eat bananas three times a week. The potassium helps with any cramps MAssage your legs from toes to butt with a rolling pin or tennis ball. Make sure you stretch the ham strings( the rear thigh leg muscles). So after two years of several medical visits, accupuncture treatments and masseuse visits for me I figured out what works for me. Some who go into menopause never experience leg pain whereas others are crippled. I was 45 when the periods stopped. My male ob gyn said this was impossible. Sorry but not everyone is a text book case. I have had some wonderful male physicians but at this point in my life I need someone who is informed on a women's life cycle. THe key is to enjoy life. Drink the coffee if it makes you feel good. You will need to experiment with your diet , and supplements. I found that black cohosh did squat. Eating the bananas and religiously taking my calcium with Mg helps. You are not alone. Pilates helped too!!!!!! My mind is racing since I need to get my chores done. A sip of wine at night helps some. For me a little rhum took the pain down a notch. My best solution is the stretcthing and staying active. I am still in pain at times but I can manage it.

Gallstones are usually "pebbles" within a gall bladder. A gall bladder is really a pocket placed below your liver which actually keeps bile produced through the liver. During a meal (in particular these that contain fats or proteins), the gall bladder can develop contraction, offering bile by means of bile ducts to the intestinal tract to help digestive break down. Defective arrangement of bile brings about enhancement of gallstones. Gallstone problems is often a frequent root cause of abdominal pain, irritation, and also infection of the gall bladder as well as the pancreas. Here is a link that might be useful: Gall Bladder Symptoms