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Personal Reflection/Anecdote

Ignoring the Signs: One Woman’s

Health Crisis

By Jeanette Rhyan

“This can’t be happening to me” were six words I kept repeating to myself for 25 days during the summer
of 2023. “Why me?”
As a physical education teacher, I’ve had my share of aches and pains. My weight has always fluctuated,
and this has caused my body systems to work harder. But nothing I’d previously been through prepared
me for what was in my future.

Several Years Ago

I love Mexican food. Chips and salsa are my downfall, and the hotter the salsa the better. One evening,
my husband and I had dinner at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. The food was hot and spicy, and
as always, I ate too much. Later that evening lying in bed, I told Bill, “I think I have heartburn. My chest
has this dull pain that radiates down my esophagus.” He suggested some TUMS™. I took two tablets, and
the heartburn eventually went away. I didn’t give this episode any more thought.
A few months later, Bill and I went to the movies. Sitting in the comfy cinema loungers eating popcorn
and Reese’s Pieces™, we were engrossed in the action flick. Halfway through the movie, I felt a tingling in
my left arm. I thought maybe my arm had fallen asleep, so I shook it for a few seconds. Of course, I didn’t
want to interrupt the movie and tell Bill, so I waited for the tingling to go away. After a few minutes, it did,
and I felt fine. I thought to myself, “Nothing is wrong with me.” I continued to enjoy the movie.
Episodes

“Episodes” is what I nicknamed my heartburn and left arm cramps. I took TUMS™ and massaged
my arm, and all the discomfort usually went away
quickly. These “episodes” came and went over
the next few months. Never telling Bill about the
off-and-on pain was probably a mistake, but I
thought there wasn’t anything wrong with me and
there wasn’t anything he could do to help me. I
continued doing my everyday activities.
Walking into church on Easter morning, I
stopped in the hallway and grabbed the railing.
My heartburn and arm cramp had come back.
Bill, with a concerned look on his face, asked
if I was okay. My answer was, “Of course I’m
okay. I just ate breakfast too fast.” We continued
walking to the choir room, where I sat down to
catch my breath. Noticing I wasn’t feeling well,
choir members gathered around me and asked
what they could do to help. After a short time, I
felt better and continued to get ready to sing.
A few weeks later when I was pulling out
of the garage, my heartburn and left arm cramp Claudia © Painting by Rita Fish, Indiana;
came back with a vengeance. As I drove to school Fall 2024 Art Gallery

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