He was watching TV around 10:45 p.m. when he suddenly felt an unfamiliar fullness in his chest. The dull, painless sensation quickly intensified into a strong ache, reminiscent of an overfull belly after Thanksgiving. A sharp twinge near his heart was followed by a tiny electric current shooting down his left arm, leaving his hand numb.
"I'm having a heart attack," he thought in disbelief. He considered himself perfectly healthy and came from a family with no history of heart disease. He hoped the sensation would vanish, but the persistent fullness remained.
His mind raced with practical concerns. His locked front door might hinder paramedics. The cost of an ambulance and emergency room care deterred him, as did the potential embarrassment of a false alarm. He considered calling his brother but felt confused about what help that would bring. He turned down the TV, not wanting it blaring at his potential demise.
He thought about sending an email but dismissed the idea as absurd given the urgency. He debated whether to sit or lie down, finally deciding to sit in a chair and wait. As a former CPR instructor, he recognized the classic symptom of "fullness" he had never been able to fully describe to his students—now he knew it firsthand.
Resigned to his fate at 60, he sat waiting, wondering if death would come quietly or painfully. Then, as abruptly as it began, the chest fullness and hand numbness disappeared. The entire episode lasted about three minutes. Grateful, he resolved to see a doctor and a lawyer the next day, vowing never to prioritize cost over his life again.