Max: Pain In The Chest

Wednesday night, I was working on my computer when I started to feel what I thought was cramping in my back. I got up to stretch and was suddenly light-headed. I went to lie down. As I was lying there, I realized that my pain was not in my back but in my side and dead center in my chest. My first thought was, "This has just got to be a pinched nerve or something." My second thought was, "I'm gonna fucking die tonight."

Without another thought, I had my pants on and was telling Laura to take me to the hospital. After years of watching medical dramas on TV, I figured I would walk in the door and be thrown straight on a stretcher as they warmed up the defibrillator. Instead, the girl at the front desk calmly took my information, told me to call the billing office as soon as I got my bill so I could work out some sort of arrangement and then finally handed me off to a nurse who took my vitals.

I was then led to a room and hooked up to a bunch of wires hooked up to the machine that goes, "PINNNNG!". A few blood tests and a few hours later, the pain had subsided. The only thing they found wrong with me was that my potassium level was 2.3 when the minimum is supposed to be 2.5. They gave me a couple of potassium pills, lectured me on losing weight and sent me on my way.

Right now my recumbent exercycle is just to my right, taunting me with the fact that I should be exercising. I know from experience that a month of riding it every other day will leave me feeling a lot better than I do right now. I know I need to as well as eat better.

I would rather do the bike and do that liquid diet. I am a sucker for instant gratification. But my wallet can only afford old fashioned dieting.

Either way, I just got reminded just how mortal I am. And I don't like it.