Years ago, I got bad bursitis in my left arm. I was so uncomfortable that I couldn't sleep that night and I must've looked like death in the morning. I was able to get a doctor's appointment that afternoon. I went over to my boss' desk and explained to her that I'd have to leave early. She got a panicked look on her face and was like, "Yes, of course! Go, go!" Dumbass that I was, I only figured out later that she probably thought I'd had a heart attack.,
ClarkKent_DC > Richard WillisJune 4, 2026 at 12:25am
Richard Willis said:
Happily, I haven’t experienced this, but I think the arm pain caused by a heart attack is in the left arm. Did the story say it was a heart attack?
It's often the left arm, but not always. And in women, a heart attack may not present as pain down the arm at all. Grey's Anatomy did an episode in which Doctor Miranda Bailey, who is fiftysomething, Black and somewhat overweight, felt the signs of a heart attack and went to the nearest hospital -- which, unfortunately, wasn't the one where she works.
I've often said that I wouldn't want to be a patient at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, the place where she does work (there's so much bed-hopping there, everyone in the HR department is at risk of heart attacks every day). But Doctor Bailey had a terrible experience at the second-rate facility down the road. They dismissed her concerns entirely -- unsurprisingly (to me) because she's a) a woman who is b) fiftysomething, c) Black, and d) somewhat overweight. And because her heart attack didn't present itself as pain radiating down the left arm, which is more typical of men and not typical of women, something a competent doctor should know -- but she wasn't dealing with competent doctors -- when she insisted on getting a second opinion, they sent a psychiatrist! (Now that surprised me.)
It took calling to the hospital where she does work for Doctor Bailey to get professional care; Doctor Maggie Pierce, then Grey Sloan's chief of cardiology and Doctor Richard Weber, chief of chiefs, came over and took charge. Unfortunately, the average patient who is a) a woman who is b) fiftysomething, c) Black, and d) somewhat overweight doesn't have that option and can't get that kind of result.
I only figured out later that she probably thought I'd had a heart attack.
When I was in high school, I was the "maintenance man" at an old-folks home. Boy, do I have some stories. But staying on topic, I had this hard@$$ boss with a thick Italian accent who was very bottom-line. I kept telling her that the floor buffer had a bad wall plug, with exposed wiring, and it needed to be fixed. I told her I could fix it myself, if she gave me expenses -- maybe $5.00, for some wire, a few tools, a new plug. But no, that was an unnecessary expense. Make do, she said. Or I think she said. I don't speak Italian. Her brusque impatience told me all I needed to know.
Well, one day I was buffing, and the plug started throwing off sparks. I wasn't going to go over there and grab it out of the wall -- I wasn't going to die for minimum wage. I just gave it a gentle tug.
WHOOF! The damn thing gave off some kind of discharge that literally lifted me off my feet and threw me against the wall. I was probably a foot or two away from the plug at the time. Jeepers!
Well, I went to tell the boss that the buffer now needed a major fix. I was fully expecting a lot of angry Italian gibberish. Instead, though, I got the reponse you did, Bob. She took one look at me and said "GO HOME! GO REST! DON'T SUE!"
I was puzzled (and maybe a little non compos mentis) but I packed up to go home. I stopped in the bathroom to wash my hands, because I noticed some soot on them. And then I looked in the mirror ...
Yep, I was in black face. With white around my eyes when I took off my glasses. My hair blown back in a comical electrical-frazzle look. Like something in a movie.
Next time I came to work we had a brand new buffer.
Robot in Clown Wig Roundhouse Kicks Small Boy This happened in Xinjiang, China, apparently. I don't know what it's like over there, but in this country, the parents would be suing the promoter back to the Stone Age.
Replies
Years ago, I got bad bursitis in my left arm. I was so uncomfortable that I couldn't sleep that night and I must've looked like death in the morning. I was able to get a doctor's appointment that afternoon. I went over to my boss' desk and explained to her that I'd have to leave early. She got a panicked look on her face and was like, "Yes, of course! Go, go!" Dumbass that I was, I only figured out later that she probably thought I'd had a heart attack.,
It's often the left arm, but not always. And in women, a heart attack may not present as pain down the arm at all. Grey's Anatomy did an episode in which Doctor Miranda Bailey, who is fiftysomething, Black and somewhat overweight, felt the signs of a heart attack and went to the nearest hospital -- which, unfortunately, wasn't the one where she works.
I've often said that I wouldn't want to be a patient at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, the place where she does work (there's so much bed-hopping there, everyone in the HR department is at risk of heart attacks every day). But Doctor Bailey had a terrible experience at the second-rate facility down the road. They dismissed her concerns entirely -- unsurprisingly (to me) because she's a) a woman who is b) fiftysomething, c) Black, and d) somewhat overweight. And because her heart attack didn't present itself as pain radiating down the left arm, which is more typical of men and not typical of women, something a competent doctor should know -- but she wasn't dealing with competent doctors -- when she insisted on getting a second opinion, they sent a psychiatrist! (Now that surprised me.)
It took calling to the hospital where she does work for Doctor Bailey to get professional care; Doctor Maggie Pierce, then Grey Sloan's chief of cardiology and Doctor Richard Weber, chief of chiefs, came over and took charge. Unfortunately, the average patient who is a) a woman who is b) fiftysomething, c) Black, and d) somewhat overweight doesn't have that option and can't get that kind of result.
I only figured out later that she probably thought I'd had a heart attack.
When I was in high school, I was the "maintenance man" at an old-folks home. Boy, do I have some stories. But staying on topic, I had this hard@$$ boss with a thick Italian accent who was very bottom-line. I kept telling her that the floor buffer had a bad wall plug, with exposed wiring, and it needed to be fixed. I told her I could fix it myself, if she gave me expenses -- maybe $5.00, for some wire, a few tools, a new plug. But no, that was an unnecessary expense. Make do, she said. Or I think she said. I don't speak Italian. Her brusque impatience told me all I needed to know.
Well, one day I was buffing, and the plug started throwing off sparks. I wasn't going to go over there and grab it out of the wall -- I wasn't going to die for minimum wage. I just gave it a gentle tug.
WHOOF! The damn thing gave off some kind of discharge that literally lifted me off my feet and threw me against the wall. I was probably a foot or two away from the plug at the time. Jeepers!
Well, I went to tell the boss that the buffer now needed a major fix. I was fully expecting a lot of angry Italian gibberish. Instead, though, I got the reponse you did, Bob. She took one look at me and said "GO HOME! GO REST! DON'T SUE!"
I was puzzled (and maybe a little non compos mentis) but I packed up to go home. I stopped in the bathroom to wash my hands, because I noticed some soot on them. And then I looked in the mirror ...
Yep, I was in black face. With white around my eyes when I took off my glasses. My hair blown back in a comical electrical-frazzle look. Like something in a movie.
Next time I came to work we had a brand new buffer.
"HI" Slop
Robot in Clown Wig Roundhouse Kicks Small Boy This happened in Xinjiang, China, apparently. I don't know what it's like over there, but in this country, the parents would be suing the promoter back to the Stone Age.
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