If You Don't Hear From Me, This is Why

I'm having a heart attack. Seriously. Kate says I'm the ultimate worse-case-scenario girl, but I've felt this pain before. I must only be in the early stages since my arm isn't numb and I don't have an elephant on my chest, just a sharp pain.

This has happened before - round one was about four years ago when I was working 14 hour days due to increased regulation in the securities industry (thanks Elliot Spitzer) and my life was crazy. I went to the doctor because I was getting frequent bloody noses, shortness of breath and a tingly arm. Low and behold, my blood pressure was something like 150/90. What's the big deal? It runs in the family. My doctor freaked. "Oh my [heck], you are going to have a stroke!" was basically what he told me. I thought a heart attack, but a stroke...ok, or that. Luckily I got it under control (read: major lifestyle adjustment). I didn't die.

Now I'm in round two. I'm not working 14 hours days yet, but my life at work has turned upside down. Half my department is now searching for greener pastures so I get to pick up the slack. I'm the one freaking out now. Maybe the economy will turn around and we can hire Heidi back. I haven't taken my blood pressure - I don't even want to know.

UPDATE: I stopped by the Wal-Mart blood pressure machine the other day. I took the test four times. I was anywhere between 140/85 (my highest measurment) and 118/73 (my lowest measurement). So, I'm a little hypertense, but probably not going to die.