My Heart Attack Was Just Caffeine
The science behind America’s obsession with coffee.
A bad day
I called the Nurse Line from work with symptoms: chest pain, trouble breathing, dizziness. My vision was starting to blur. My speech was also unclear. Whatever that was, it happened fast. One minute, I am trying my co-worker’s espresso. The next, everything around me is spinning, and I feel like I will be sick.
After an assessment, she calmly told me to call an ambulance. I called my husband, instead. I remember my exact words: “This is not a joke, and I am not exaggerating. I think I am going to die. I love you. Can you come immediately and take me to the E.R.?” He did.
The events after that phonecall are hard to recall. I know I was at the hospital. I heard a nurse getting annoyed that I seemed to be gagging. My husband tried to answer questions directed at me. I was in and out of consciousness. I thought of my babies — a six-year-old girl and a two-year-old boy. And suddenly, the bitter taste in my mouth gave me a clue. I muttered, “I had too much coffee.”
Coffee brews productivity (no pun intended). Productivity brews success. Therefore, coffee is a symbol of success.
