When An Arm Is Not An Arm

"Sorry to call you so late -- my arm is numb."

"Are your fingers blue?"

"No, they're normal."

"Is there any pain?"

"No."

"What do you mean by numb?"

"Well, I don't know.  It just feels funny.  It's my left arm.  Is it my heart?"

"Can you move your arm?"

"Yes."

"Where does the numb feeling start?"

"My fingers."

"From your fingers up?"

"No, from my fingers down."

"So it's not your arm, it's just your fingers?"

"Yes, but my fingers are attached to my arm."

"Yes, I know that.  But there's a difference between your arm and your fingers.  Did you do anything funny with your fingers recently?"

"No."

"Did you sleep funny?"

"No."

"Were you playing with a phone or a tablet?"

"Yes."

"With those fingers?"

"Yes, just before they got numb."

"How's the numbness now?"

"It's a little better.  It feels like it's going away.  Am I having a heart attack?"

"I don't think you are."

"Should I go to the ER?"

"If the numbness is going away, and it's just in your fingers, and you were just playing with your phone before they went numb, then, no, I don't think you need to go to the ER."

"What if I just want to make sure?"

"I'm not stopping you from going to the ER.  You know your own body."

"Okay, I'm going to go to the ER."

"Okay.  Thanks for calling."