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He was watching TV. It was about 10:45 p.m. All of a sudden, he felt
something in his chest. It was a fullness that he had never felt before. The
feeling was dull and painless. But it quickly became a very strong “chest ache.”
His chest felt full, sort of like his belly did after Thanksgiving dinners. He
could feel a little bit of sharpness in the area of his heart. Then he felt a
tiny electric current go down his left arm and into his left hand. His hand felt
numb.
He couldn’t believe it. I’m having a heart attack, he thought. No, it
couldn’t be. He was perfectly healthy, or at least he was the last time he saw
his doctor. When was that—one year, or two years, ago? Well, it didn’t matter.
Your doctor could give you a clean bill of health on Monday and you could drop
dead on Wednesday. But he had great genes—no one in his family had ever died of
a heart attack. In fact, no one in his family had ever died of anything at his
age.
He kept hoping the sensation would just disappear. But the feeling of
fullness remained—yet without the slightest bit of pain.
He checked his front door. It was locked. That would be a problem if he
called 911; would they break the door down, or do they have master keys to most
buildings? His windows were open; they could just remove a screen. Should he
call 911—no, the ambulance alone would be at least $500. The emergency room bill
would be in the thousands. And what about the embarrassment if this was a false
alarm? Should he call his brother, who would come over and—and what? He was
getting confused. He turned down the TV. He didn’t want it blasting away at his
dead body in the middle of the night. |
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发表于 2016-7-10 09:20:49