So, I'm lying on my sofa...relaxing and watching CSI:Miami; just appreciating the phenomenal talent of Eric Deltoid, er, Delko...when my chest begins to hurt. It was like an aching in the center of my chest, y'know? And kind of a burning too.
Of course my first response was that I was having a bit of gastric distress, right? So I take a couple of Tums...and they do absolutely nothing at all.
So, I'm thinking...well, it's anxiety, of course...because it's 11 o'clock at night and the last thing I want to do is bother anybody! Alright, anxiety..I can fix that. I lay down flat; do some deep breathing and will my muscles to relax and unwind.
My chest hurts more.
Hmmm...well, this is not good, I think to myself...not good at all. What the hell, am I having a heart attack? Like yeah, that's really going to happen...I'm obviously just having a major anxiety attack and the more I'm thinking about it, the worse it's getting.
But the worse it's getting and I'm having trouble breathing, and maybe this isn't anxiety....
This inner argument went on for about 45 minutes to an hour...until the pain in my chest was about an "8" on the 1 to 10 scale as they always ask you in the ER. I finally decided I needed to be checked out and since I don't drive and it was too late to call anyone; I had to call the local rescue squad. A friend of mine was on that night, which made me a feel a little more at ease. I said, "Well Cindy, what do you think..am I just having a big anxiety attack?" And she said, "Well girl, maybe it is, but your blood pressure is 232 over 156, so we're taking you to the hospital!" Yup...okay.
In the ambulance they immediately hooked me up to an EKG, which spit out a totally normal reading. They gave me two baby aspirin and then a nitro glycerin. The fact that the chest pain began to subside as soon as the nitro started to dissolve should have been a good indication, but I was still convinced I was just panicking. As a matter of fact, the immediate thought in my mind when the cardiac specialist waltzed into the ER room and introduced himself was, What the heck do I need a cardiologist for? Imagine my surprise when he said, "our tests indicate you have had a myocardial infarction so we will be keeping you overnight and running more tests to find out where the blockage is in your heart".
Myocardial what? blockage in the where? That's impossible, I've been eating whole grains and vegetables my entire life! I hardly eat any red meat...I don't eat junk food...W T F??

So, there are several morals to this story...number one...BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY. If you aren't sure what the pain is...get checked out. Number two...you can be in the middle of a heart attack and have a completely normal EKG. The only way to know for certain if you have had or are having a heart attack is to have a blood test that tests for a certain protein that is released into your blood during a heart attack. Number three - you might have taken excellent care of yourself your whole life...eaten the right foods, done all the right things, and still have heart disease. The only way to know is to get your cholesterol checked. If your doctor tells you it isn't necessary, INSIST.
The reason I'm sitting here writing today, is because I called for help. Don't be afraid or embarrassed to do so. My family is very happy that I did!