Experiencing a life-changing event such as a SCAD, has a huge impact on those who had the SCAD as well as their families and friends. Finding a lack of information about an uncommon and poorly understood condition can be difficult and may add to the strains of recovery. Reading others stories can be an enormous help.
July 20, 2014
I had my first child at age 19. As if life wasn’t complicated enough, I had my first heart attack at age 22. When they told me it was Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection, I was shocked and amazed. I had no family history of heart problems. My mom had three successful pregnancies with no complications, […]
One week after delivering my second child, at age 35, I head a heart attack. My left coronary artery severely dissected. There were no symptoms leading up to my event. I was just sitting on the sofa and all of a sudden my arms started to hurt and I felt this wave of panic sweep […]
SCAD journey event in my own words/view/feelings: Date Wednesday July 31st 2013 The day began the same as every other day. I was not stressed at all, but I did feel tired and sad. I got up at 6:30 am had my coffee, breakfast and then showered and went off to work. I work for […]
April 16, 2014
After being treated unsuccessfully with medication for tachycardia I had a echo cardiogram and nuclear stress test. The stress test showed a 34% ejection fraction which led to an angiogram at the Edwards Heart Hospital in Naperville, IL on March 27, 2014. The angiogram revealed a rupture in the left main coronary artery which they […]
March 5, 2014
At age 51 I was prescribed bio identical hormone replacement therapy by my doctor who was also at the time my employer. I had been on the prescribed medication for approximately 4 to 5 months. I had recently undergone an EKG and an Echo Cardiogram which showed a healthy heart with no plaque build up. […]
February 28, 2014
On August 17, 2011, 3 months after my cardiac event, Mayo Clinic posted information online about Genetic Investigations in Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD), a study led by Sharonne Hayes, MD, Professor of Medicine in Cardiovascular Diseases at Mayo Clinic. I signed on immediately. At the same time, comments and questions began to pour into […]
In May 2011, at age 40, I had a heart attack and cardiac arrest. I was fit, healthy (I thought) and too young for something like that to happen (I thought). As soon as I got home from the hospital, I started researching the “fluke,” as my cardiologist called it, that had led this to […]
February 4, 2014
I’m a wife and a mommy to 3 children. I just turned 35 in December and relatively healthy however I do have a rare mutation blood clotting disorder in which for at this moment all I needed to tale for this was a baby aspirin. And I suffer from bad headaches so I take. Beta […]
This is my very first attempt in getting this story out of my head and someplace where I can finally share it with those who have asked. Please bear with me… this is pretty scary stuff. I am 45 years old, and have two beautiful children whom I love more than life itself. After 20 […]
February 3, 2014
On Friday, January 10 I was at my cabin in Ladysmith, WI. I was having some chest discomfort and thought it was heart burn. My husband has had a couple of heart attacks and knowing that heart burn is not always heart burn I took both an over the counter medication for heartburn and aspirin. […]