Worry soon evolved into mild anxiety, which in turn became a full blown anxiety attack, complete with racing heart and short breaths, creating a kind of feedback loop between my chest and head. By mid-afternoon I was in extreme pain and a state of panic. My dear friend Anne rushed me to the doctor, who very patiently and professionally explained that I was crazy. Sure enough, twenty minutes after swallowing the first I was in bliss-land, and the racing heart returned to its usual unfeeling and callous state. Well, the ticker's okay, so I'm going for a long bike ride today to celebrate.
Chest still hurts, though.
I should take better care of myself. Besides Saturday's bout, I'm not particularly inclined towards hypochondria. Everything else can be ignored, just like those creditors banging on the door. Oh yes, anxiety attacks. Once, in the distant past, I had one of those crazed-out emotional collapses, and found myself wandering aimlessly around the country, looking for who knows what.