October 20, 2016
I attended our Accident and Emergency Department last week after experiencing chest pain whilst on the treadmill at the gym earlier that morning. I decided to drive myself there and get this checked out as it followed a few episodes of chest pain over the preceding two weeks.
I worried I was over reacting as I had also attended the A&E Dept about six months earlier with same symptoms and all tests were normal and I was sent home, concluding that it must ‘just be stress’. This time, just as before, I had prompt investigations – blood tests, ECG, and chest X-ray, and all results were normal. During a final discussion with the doctor (whilst my pain had subsided), he decided to do one more blood test – troponin level – which was raised.
He then admitted me for further monitoring and two hours later my troponin level had tripled. I subsequently spent nearly 48 hours awaiting an angiogram which was only hurried up when my chest pain came along with shoulder pain, tingling in my upper arms, neck pain, terrible anxiety and uncontrollable shaking. The angiogram revealed spontaneous coronary artery dissection and I was told that a stent was not appropriate as it could cause more damage.
I’m now coming to terms with the lifelong meds I now have to take and hoping that it won’t be too long before I can get back to some degree of normal life.