A Reluctant Doctor Shopper

A healthy septuagenarian, I found myself on a Monday night dreaming that I was fainting. I woke up and was fainting.

On Tuesday, I forgot a lunch date for the first time in my life. That night, I again dreamed that I was fainting-and was.

On Wednesday, I wondered whether to engage in my regular tennis game. “Oh well,” I thought. “When in doubt, exercise.” Afterward, to my surprise, I felt much peppier and less forgetful.

On Thursday, however, while walking the dog, I had to sit down on a rock and put my head between my knees. Even so, I nearly passed out.

When I got home, I phoned my internist and described the symptoms. In addition to the black scrim descending in front of my eyes, I had the sensation that a cape of ice was being laid across my shoulders, with the chill descending to both elbows. The internist said that the problem sounded neurologic and gave me the name of a specialist to call. I called, but the …