How I survived my first heart attack

The Lord works in mysterious ways ... sometimes through hypochondria.

Last night, Mr. Dub had a friend over for one last hangout - he's moving, not dying - and they decided to watch "Live Free or Die Hard." I say "they" because I generally don't like to watch movies with action sequences that last more than 30 seconds at a time and/or involve planes, tunnels or abandoned warehouses. (Check, check and check.) But I decided to watch it, and even though some of the scenes gave me an ulcer, it was pretty enjoyable. (I should note that my love for fictional terrorism outweighs my aversion to intense action.)

When the movie was over, I felt a sharp, shooting pain in my chest. This is not abnormal. I don't think it's my heart, but my proclivity to sit in uncomfortable, compact positions while watching TV. Then, the pain was followed by tingling in my left arm. I let this go for a minute, but it continued to persist. I jokingly asked them about the signs of a heart attack. Then, Mr. Dub's friend left, and I didn't have to pretend to joke because Mr. Dub knows how paranoid I can be. We researched it a bit on line and found out that "numbness in the left arm" is actually not as common of a symptom as you think. Sorry to shake up your world, but do be alert for pain in your jaw.

Wow, this is getting long. Short story not as short as it could be, I decided it would be best to call a doctor. She was basically asleep and said something like, "Who knows?" so I decided to it was OK to go to bed. Still, I wanted to be prepared and keep my phone by my bed just in case. Unfortunately, I realized my phone was still in our swimming bag, which was in Miss Dub's room.

I tiptoed into her room and was hit by a smell wave. Clearly, someone had soiled her diaper, and it wasn't me this time. While I got out my phone, I debated whether or not to wake her. Just then, she woke up. I asked her if she wanted me to change her and she said yes. Then she said, "Mommy, I'm scared." I held her for a bit, and put her back in her crib.

This morning, I asked her if she remembered me coming in. After some prying and translation, I found out she had a bad dream about drowning and that she had been praying for me to come in her room. And I did ... because I was possibly having a heart attack.

So there you have it. Next time you have numbness in your left arm - and I admittedly still do - you should first check on your child, then turn off the intense action film you are watching and, finally, go straight to bed.