I felt it happen last Tuesday during the double-shift, just a sharp poke in the left side of my chest.

I was out on the floor on Tuesday, just carrying a routine tray of waters—maybe four or five glasses—when I felt this very distinct, sharp localized spasm right behind my sternum.

but I remember once, decades ago, a sharp stab in my chest while I was trying to sketch, for a commission I think, and I immediately convinced myself it was... …

I am currently experiencing a physiological manifestation of extreme discomfort in my chest cavity—a literal tightening of the intercostal muscles.