Lifeline
Signs
I experienced a massive cardiac arrest a little over two days ago. If there were signs, they were hiding in plain sight. During the lunch hour, I had just made a trip from the storage unit back home for a quick offload of boxes of stuff. I felt exerted but never short of breath. I took a towel and cold seltzer and dashed out to pick up my son from school. As I approached the car-line, I felt relieved that I was toward the front. Then several things happened as I parked. I took a few sips of the seltzer and felt a burning sensation in my chest.
It was odd. My first thought was heartburn — although I don’t have a history, there’s a first time for everything. I figured it would subside after a few deep breaths and a burp. I was getting light-headed, and my jaw started hurting. The chest pain radiated sideways along the diaphragm, not toward my arms. My son was texting as he got out of class and stepped in. I had every intention that we could go home and deal with it. Except the car-line moved slower than anticipated. A minute later, I parked, switched the hazard lights on, and asked my son not to panic. I waved the cars behind me to go around. Then I took my towel and lay down on the shady green lawn. At this point, my chest was simultaneously on fire and felt like bearing a ton of bricks. Shortness of breath and heavy perspiration…
