Yesterday began calmly enough. I worked a half day, picked up a bottle of Champagne for the evenings festivities and headed home.

I spent about 20 minutes online, checking for anything new here at WC and also over at SB. Checked my email, (all 4) and then settled in to enjoy the evening with my wife.

There had been a lot of stress lately, at work mostly, but also in other areas of my life, not the least of which was right here at WC. (mostly of my own making, I'll admit)

Around about 10:30 E.S.T. I started getting pains across my chest. I was familiar with the sensation due to a similar pain I had experienced 2 years ago, which turned out to be a mild heart attack.

My wife insisted I go to the hospital. I, being male, resisted. Eventually I saw the need to go and so around 10:45 the two of us headed to the hospital.

As in any emergency room, the mere mention of pains in the chest got me immediate service. I was ushered into a cubicle by a nurse who then started hooking up all those wires, tubes, etc., (you know, heart monitor stuff, blood pressure stuff. )

After about 15 minutes of watching me closely, they determined that it was not a heart attack this time, but an extreme anxiety attack. Coupled with a hiatus hernia I've had for about 5 years, it created the illusion of another attack. Thankfully, it wasn't.

But then, the doctor and nurses just left me. They allowed my wife to come in and sit with me, but otherwise I was left there, with all the wires and tubes still hooked up. They left me like that for 2 hours. It was nearly 1:30 am when I was finally released.

When we arrived home my wife and I opened the bottle of Champagne and toasted in the New Year. Then the exhaustion of the evenings events set in and we both crashed in bed.

I woke up this morning feeling great. Euphoric almost.

Hope it lasts!

Happy New Year all.