I'm so envious, Sara. Iceland is my dream trip. Please don't fall into a volcano though.

So I'm not having a heart attack. But I thought I might be. The paramedics just left.

I have jaw pain and menopausal sweats a lot...but I never have pain in my sternum, and I had it pretty severely this morning. I'd had 1/2 a cup of coffee and was just reading in bed. I took a Tums because I thought it might be acid reflux, which I only get when I've overeaten, which I haven't done. It was the combo of symptoms that was confusing -- it felt like a panic attack except I wasn't having a panic attack.

But apparently I'm freaking healthy as far as they could tell. I feel foolish, but at the same time, not foolish, because I was really freaking out there for a hour before I did call, because I thought I'd feel much stupider if I went toes up because I was all "It's only a flesh wound!"

So that's been my morning so far.

I went into the ER last year for the very same worries, Strix. I was already out and about and I drove very carefully. They were very respectful about my worries. As time passed in there and no one was bustling around prepping me for things, I figured it was some sort of panic and calmed down. I decided to actually get some anti-anxiety drugs, and life is much better. It's hard to feel both brave and foolish, for biting the bullet and confronting it head on and for feeling like you've wasted a lot of effort and resources.

Oh jeez, Strix! Glad you called and are OK.

I generally tough things out, but women's heart attacks are so weird and sneaky, and worrying about it just made the symptoms that correlate to women's heart attacks worse. I'm glad I called, even though I hate the "nervous woman overreacting" appearance.

I figure it balances out all the times I underreacted to gall bladder attacks and broken bones.

I feel much better...but I switched from finishing my single cup of joe per day to water, and ate some cereal.

Strix, I'm glad everything is okay! And it's not foolish to check when symptoms like that happen. I went to the ER 8 or 9 years ago when something similar happened. The attending physician happened to be a friend of mine from high school, so I didn't even need to explain my dad's history of heart attacks. He just said "Oh, yeah. You don't look like someone having an MI, but I want to run the tests to be sure." And he reassured me that I did the right thing by coming in.

You definitely did the right thing, too.

It is good that you called, Strix. Grateful that they found you in good health, as I am sure the EMS folks were.

Glad it turned out okay, Strix!

Personally, I think I'd pretty much have to be dead before going to the ER. It's just too damn expensive with my current insurance.

I think I'm reaching that awkward spot in my job when there are times I want to ask a higher up how to handle a particular problem and there aren't any higher ups.