Cardiovascular Health
When I woke up on December 6, 2023, I felt a burning sensation in my chest. I thought it was heartburn and wanted to take some antacid. However, the pain soon turned into a less familiar intensity, steadily worsening into a spreading, excruciating agony.
I then took Tylenol but it didn't help. I tried to find a remedy for heartburn but it was ineffective. The pain worsened.
Desperately, as the pain intensified, I woke my wife from bed and took her to the hospital. It was etched into me that this was not just heartburn.
She understood my situation and immediately called an ambulance.
Ambulance Ride
The firefighter and ambulance driver arrived on time and assured me they would transport me to the nearest larger hospital.
As we boarded the first ambulance, I couldn't help but ask, "Shouldn't you use the siren?"
However, in the early hours at 5 am and along a sparse traffic highway, there was no need for sirens as we sped at 80 miles per hour.
Diagnosis
Upon entering the emergency room, I was quickly attended to by various medical professionals who tested, prodded, measured, and evaluated me without any wait.
The diagnosis came out quickly enough. "You are experiencing cardiac arrest," the attending physician declared. He was the only one who could make that statement at that moment.
My wife and I looked at each other in mutually shocking expressions as the news hit us unexpectedly. I, who took care of myself, exercised, and followed a proper diet, never thought cardiac arrest was a possibility from our perspective.
I only complained of pain and that they weren't doing enough. So, they gave me morphine. When that wasn't enough, they gave me more morphine. Since it still wasn't enough, they gave me fentanyl, which finally helped dull the edge.