What word or words from the passage help the reader know what extremities means? Mom woke up with chest pains on Sunday morning, so she drove to the emergency room and
took me with her. We arrived at the hospital, and then a doctor examined her right away. He
wanted to know if she may have had a heart attack, so he ran an EKG exam which checks for
heart problems. Then the doctor left the room, and we both waited for the test results.
I scooted closer to Mom on the hospital bed and leaned my head against her shoulder. "When
do you think the doctor will come back?" I asked. My stomach gurgled.
Mom chuckled. "Jennifer, are you asking because you're concerned about me or because
you're famished? I think your stomach is growling loud enough to page the doctor over the
loudspeaker."
I laughed. "I'm concerned about you." Then, in a more serious tone, I added, "You're the only
family I have. Does your chest still hurt?"
"A little bit, but I'm not so scared anymore."
I sighed with relief.
The doctor, carrying a clipboard, walked into the room. "Mrs. Harper, I have the results from
your EKG," he declared with a smile. "You did not have a heart attack."
"That's good news," Mom said. "What do I have, then?"
"Well, I'd like to ask you a few questions so that we can determine what's going on," the doctor
said gently. "Do you have a headache? Do you have pain in your extremities?"
Mom shrugged her shoulders . "My head hurts a little bit, but I think that's because I haven't
had my morning coffee yet. My hands and feet are fine."
"Do you have any pain anywhere else?" the doctor asked.
"No, sir," Mom replied.
"Do you have heart disease or diabetes in your family history?" the doctor continued.
"No," Mom said.