I had no risk factors, yet in January 2024 I had a heart attack. Not just any heart attack, mine was caused by a spontaneous coronary artery dissection, known as SCAD.
SCAD can happen in men and people of nearly any age. But it does happen most in women in their 40s and 50s. Pregnancy-related SCAD is a small percentage of all SCAD cases. It's also the most common cause of heart attacks during pregnancy.
SCAD can cause a life-threatening heart attack. Still, SCAD patients don't typically have other heart disease risk factors. Recognizing the symptoms of a heart attack is crucial for SCAD patients. Warning signs may include:
- Chest pain or pressure
- Shortness of breath
- Profuse sweating
- Dizziness
However, in women symptoms may show up as "indigestion", pain radiating through our shoulder blade as well as tingling in our left arm.
I didn't check many of the traditional boxes on the heart attack symptom checklist but I did have a feeling of indigestion, and my left arm started tingling and going numb- at which point I told my husband, "I think I need to go the the emergency room!"
Fortunately the doctors took my symptoms seriously (I have read how many women, especially young women were not taken seriously and had severe consequences including death.) I was transferred from our small local hospital to a larger more urban hospital who took excellent care of me.
It's my mission to get women to pay attention to their heart health and know the signs when something is not right.
In the general population, 9 out of 10 people who suffer cardiac arrest outside the hospital die. In most of those cases, bystander CPR was not performed. But we can change this. \u200b
Cardiac arrests happen at work, in homes, on athletic fields and in neighborhoods everywhere, and the readiness of our community can be the difference between life and death. \u200b
It's time to unite, take action, and save lives. Every dollar donated, means more people trained in lifesaving CPR, more research and more lifesaving moments for everyone. Together, we can turn bystanders into lifesavers.\u200b
I Walk to Save Lives. I am so very grateful to all the donors who are helping help me reach my goal!