29 and your having a Heart Attack

OK... This sounds odd for an IT discussion. I know.

But if your like me, sitting at home at 1 am answering your work e-mail. This is for you.

If you don't think that this can happen to you, just listen.

I am known as the Ice Man (you knowthe commercial) Nothing phases me. I work best under pressure and stress. I love the battle. I work 12 -14 hour days. I work 6-7 days a week. Don't exercise. Never take vactions. Barely see my wife.

Spent 6 years in the army and have beento hell and back. Thought I was invincible.

Then it happened. After a week of little sleep and lots of stress. The left side of my body started to hurt. Particually above my heart. My left arm starts to feel numb. It's late at night, so I take 2 asparin and go back to sleep.

Go to work the next morning, bright and early. Still have same pain... But I'm a man, I can take it.

Then the stress starts to build. I find it hard to breath and my chest gets tight. So I do what any man would do. I go into my operations room and sit down away from everyone. It's just stress I say.

Well you can't hide for ever. To make a long story short, the paramedics come, check me out and of course it's not a heart attack.

But my wife makes me go to the hospital anyways. Its some love thing she has for me.

So it's not a heart attack the doc tells me. It's an anxiety attack caused by stress and long hours. But this sort of thing leads to the heart attack.

The moral.. All because your mind can handle the stress, does'nt mean your body can. It's one of the worst feelings I have ever had. And not one I care to repeat.

Heed my worning, take care of yourself. Make some you time (corny I know). Relax, go Home. the workwill still be there tommorow. Exercise. Do something physical, Other than quake or UT.

Oh yeah, this happened to me on friday, I'm not allowed back to work until tuesday.