My chest has been tight and bothering me for the last few days too. At first I was freaking out, sort of in a can’t breathe why is my chest tight panic attack feeling way, that was Wednesday? (And after hearing about my friend’s husband having a heart attack AND a fellow college classmate having a heart attack, perhaps I was being a bit paranoid. Stressed.) But then yesterday? It didn’t go away, I felt it when I sneezed and coughed. Perhaps it’s an aftereffect from my chest cold last week? And today? When I woke up it felt like I had pulled my muscles or something (and I am feeling it in my back.) Trust me, no acrobatics have been attempted this week, no idea why I would have torn any muscles. But it feels exactly like it did when I ripped apart my chest as a kid (without the initial acute phase of shooting pain.) Oh is this a story to share…

I was playing on the swingset in the backyard. We had one of those little slides. I was probably too old to be playing on it at all, but I was the oldest in our ‘hood and as my lil brother will tell you, I did ridiculously age inappropriate things as a teenager with the younger neighbors. For some reason, I remember all the kids doing these somersaults off the top of the slides and I thought I would try one too. So I held the handles, went to do the flip and… And, um, I didn’t let go of the handlebars. Hence unnaturally stretching out my chest to unbearably painful proportions. I remember letting go and pretty much screaming. And then being in the hospital with chest X-Ray’s and stuffed animals. Ouch. Because of said injury, I did get out of doing the tuck/somersault moves in gym class because of my stupidity. I became very good at the balance beam instead! Every rare once in a while, I still can feel that same dull tearing feeling… Stress? Can I blame it on stress? I dunno. I just know I am not myself these last few days and on a very short fuse.