Hello!

I had a bit of a problem with my heart recently, and I'm planning on seeing a doctor as soon as I have the money, but it would really give me some peace of mind if someone knows what this might have been. I posted this story on another board, but all I got was cautionary legalese, warning me to see a doctor. No kidding. Kinda eliminates the purpose of a board like this if all you get is "could be trouble, see a doctor," because the resident "experts" are more afraid of being sued than wanting to help. So maybe someone knows what's going on with me and isn't afraid to say something. :)

I had just completed some light exercise on a stationary bicycle, and was feeling fine, but slightly sweaty, so I walked outside into my yard. My heart-rate was almost back to normal when I leaned over the fence surrounding my yard to rest for a few seconds.

Immediately upon standing up and turning back around toward the house, I lost all vision, fell down, and hit the pavement pretty hard. Some of my vision returned a second or two after I hit the ground and I tried to get on my feet, but I was too weak and couldn't breathe well. I turned over onto my back to try and catch my breath, but I started getting numb from my toes toward my head very rapidly.

I was completely numb from head to toe, including my face and tounge, in about fifteen seconds. I tried to yell but I had no lung power, and my breathing became painful and shallower every second. It basically felt like a very heavy person was standing on my chest, squeezing the breath out of me. This went on for several minutes until I was certain I was going to suffocate and could hardly breathe or see at all. I may have lost consciousness at some point, but I can't confirm this. Although I was still almost completely numb, I managed to lean over on one knee and force myself onto my knees and later up and back inside the house, where I was still numb and couldn't see well or speak for about half an hour. I drank some orange juice and sat on the couch until I could feel my limbs again.

I'm hoping someone might recognize these symptoms and might know what happened. I'm not a doctor of course, and only really know the symptoms of heart attack and stroke, but I don't think they match what happened to me exactly. I have had no similar problems since, except some rather severe muscle spasms in my arms and legs that I had never had previously. The spasms were terrible at first and kept me up at night but I think they're improving as I've been taking muscle relaxants and tranquilizers to sleep.

Thanks everyone for your help who have taken the time to read this.