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I had a heart attack and Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection on May 13, 2209. Does anybody know if this can happen again in another artery. The doctor says it isn't likely....but I don't know if there is any statistics out there. I hate feeling like it might happen again at any moment. Thanks, Karen
Exercise Back pain Bruises Pregnancy Plavix Anxiety Angina Menopause Stent Zocor Stress Hysterectomy Aspirin Coumadin Synthroid Artery dissection Pain Heart attack Metoprolol
Hi Karen,
Welcome!! There are other women your age here (and older women like me who had heart attacks/surgeries at your current age) who can share helpful info on their SCAD experiences with you.
I am not a doctor and your doctor had good intentions...Pretty much anything can recur so we focus on diving into learning as much and as fast as we can what we can do to prevent...and possibly reverse....any aspect of life with heart issues. In a way, you will be way ahead of peers who get hit with this later in life and are clueless when it does.
If you haven't already, try 'SCAD' in the Find IT search bar.......lots will come up.
I hear how scary this all must be for you now.....Keep posting and sharing here. There is a lot to learn here that will never be told to you in a doctor's office.
take good care today,
Jaynie
We all think about this very question every day Karen. I have yet to find any research about SCAD happening twice to someone...thank goodness. For many of us here, it either occured after pregnancy or during the hormonal changes/stages of menopause. Since my SCAD occured right after the birth of my son, my fear is that it may happen again during menopause when hormonal changes are erratic and high. I also have a connective tissue disorder which makes matters worse. I am not sure of your story, but there are also many women here who do not fit in any category when they experienced SCAD. It is so puzzling and your fear is real like ours.
Thank you for bringing this up. I was planning on writing the same question to those with my similar experience. I think I will!
Stay well.
keep in mind that by the time you young moms hit perimenopause stages, there is a high possibility that science will have advanced enough to intervene and repair. You are the first generation in human history who will live to experience this phenomenon!!
take good care,
Jaynie
Your anxiety about it happening again is quite typical for us SCAD survivors. I had it in Feb.2009 (29yrs old, my baby 12 days old) and I had high anxiety about it happening again until May. When I experienced the anxiety, I took a mind over matter approach to keep sane. When the anxiety feelings appeared, I would say to myself you are recovering and your heart is healing over and over again. I still feel the anxiety, but not daily anymore. Stay positive and take care.
This SCAD. I have NEVER heard of it. I am thinking this is what COULD have happened, but if so, how come I was not diagnosed.
I have had 2 "MI's" due to "spontaneous dissection. Exactly one year apart. After my first episode I was scared about it happening again, terrified of another angiogram (or angioplasty). Then the worst thing I could imagine happened to me again...let me tell you. It really wan't as bad as I thought. After my first heart attack, I knew I couldn't be worried about it but if I ever REALLY thought about it, I was scared and upset. NOW, I don't want to waste time thinking about what "could" be. I am back to normal (well, as normal as I can be lol) , working and doing my thing. Nothing will stop me or get in the way of my goals. Setting some goals to focus on, instead of waiting for the other shoe to drop (which is NOT going to happen) is what I am working on. I have small moments, but it hasn't been 4 months since the last "event".
I look forward to hearing from someone about this "SCAD"...I am intrigued.
Okay, I googled...I get it now... Does this condition go away after your pregnancy, are you able to get pregnant after this occurs (I haven't had kids, and may want to)? Have the doctors mentioned anything about how to strengthen the arteries?
Karen,
My SCAD was not due to pregnancy (49, hysterectomy...) and after bypass, while still in the hospital, it continued to dissect below the graph. I don't know if you would consider it a separate event or continuation of the first?
- Wendy
Hi Wendy,
I am so sorry that happened to you! Do you know how far below the dissection the graph was? What did they do to fix it and to make sure that it doesn't continue to dissect? My SCAD wasn't associated with pregnancy either. How are you feeling now?
Karen
Hi Karen,
They used a mammory artery and attached it right below the disection. That kind of surprised me but the disection continued so they put two stents at the bottom and re-opened it. It's still open. The only problem it left me with was Prinzmetal angina. Overall I'm doing very well.
Karen,
I had a SCAD exactly one month after the birth of my baby in 2005. This resulted in nine stents in my LAD. I also asked my doctor if this could happen again and he told me the same thing; it is very unlikely. So, now it has been 4 and half years and I am doing well. Still on medication with not so great side effects, but I don't worry about it now. It takes time, I guess. My family and co-workers are supportive and we all have a plan if it happens again, so we are prepared.
Sandra
I had a mild MI Oct '08. i was not Da\iagnosed with SCAD tlll I went ot Stanford Women's Heart Clinic. After pushing for Echo stress test which turned out to be fine, I am currently on Provochol, baby ASA, Fish oil, I am finally getting my energy back but sometimes get feelings in my heart like slight angina, or esophogeal type spasms, which by the way doctors do not feel is of any consequence. My disection was very small at the end of my RCA therefore too small to stent. I have fallen off the exercise wagon, stress is definatley a factor for me. . . how about others? I was strict low fat and vegan, but I am more laxed these past 3-4 months. Anybody note any difference with diet, exercise, etc.?
Glad I am not alone,
Sylvia
Karen
sadly dissections can happen again. I suffered a dissection of my circumflex artery in 2004 and in February of this year I suffered a dissection in the LAD. I have recovered very well physically both times, with my cardiologist opting to leave the dissections to heal themselves. I have not been 'stented'. I am a 45 year old very fit woman with 3 children. My dissections have not been related to pregnancy or my genetic background.
M
I am 41 years old and in January (2009) I had SCAD, 2 mths. after my daughter (my 4th child) was born. What a scary time! I was in the hospital for a week and then home with restrictions (no lifting anything, no vacuuming, basically not a lot of anything involving strain on my arms) and not to be left alone for the first month. My 2 year old had a HARD time adjusting to a new baby AND being told I couldn't lift her. :( My newborn had to be weaned to a bottle while I was in the hospital because of all the meds. I was on. She was a little trooper though, and probably handled it better than me! My husband and I traveled to see a doctor in Boston. He was the same doctor that was called during my cath and advised my cardiologist to NOT stent my artery. He felt it would do more harm. We sat with him in Boston a month after the SCAD, just looking for answers. The short answer: very little info exists, he felt it happen to me because I was 41 yrs. old, it was after my 4th pregnancy and I had my last two kids somewhat close together. He didn't feel it would ever happen again since my hormone level would return to normal. My heart function went from 30% when I arrived at the hospital to 65%. My doctor believes this may be where it stays. My LAD was 100% dissected and the part that got damaged during the heart attack moves very sluggishly. I feel really good these days, 9 mths. later. Maybe a bit more tired than I'd like. I'm on a slew of pills, some which seem to be making my hair fall out! And good ole coumadin, so I have lovely bruises most of the time. BUT, I'm here and I feel thankful everyday. The statistics on this are pretty grim so, I'll take it. :)
I am 38yo and was diagnosed with SCAD in March 2009. Thank goodness my GP was on the ball and sent me to hospital for further testing. The hospital I was sent to is one of the major heart hospitals here in Queensland Australia. The cardiologists knew through the blood tests that I had endured a heart attack. I was kept in coronary care for 2 days and on the 3rd sent up to the cardiac ward where I was to wait for my angio 2 days later. My first evening in the cardiac ward I decided to have another attack. It wasn't until I had an angiogram performed 2 days later that they could tell me what was wrong. Although I was in a major heart hospital they had never seen this. I had a 3 inch dissection in my LAD which had caused a 95% blockage and a further 2 other dissections which caused 60% blockage. I had 2 senior cardiologists debating at the end of my bed as to whether to stent the artery or not. In the end they decided not to and placed me on Aspirin, Metoprolol and Plavix. After 12 days I was finally discharged. Although it has been 6mths now I still am very anxious and feel I am just waiting for it to happen again. I was not pregnant and not menopausal. My baby is 10yrs old. Since being discharged from hospital I have no end of problems with my shoulder and back. Was wondering if anyone else my have had this issue as well. Drs tell me there is only small chance of it reoccuring but any little weird sensation makes me panic.
Im glad im not the only one with these concerns
Take care
Hi Sylvia
Since my SCAD events in March 2009 I have found it extremely hard to get back into exercise. My diet is also being neglected. I think I am comfort eating and just plain scared to exercise. Tiredness is also a major factor. You mentioned that you get esophogeal type spasms sometimes. Can you possibly explain that to me in a little more detail. I actually went to my GP today and explained that I was getting a weird sensation in the middle of my chest right up into my throat region. Feels like my sternum area or possibly my esophagus. She seems to believe it could be anxiety but I truly believe it may be more. When I read your posting something kind of jumped out.
Many thanks
Shazz
Hi Shazz,
I am sorry you have had to join our 'SCAD' club, but a very big welcome to you. You have come to a great place full of information perhaps and most importantly, understanding.
There are alot of threads on here relating to SCAD, and if you type in 'SCAD' or the full 'Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection' in the 'Find It' box on the top right of the screen you will find pages and pages of stories from women who have been through this and feel exactly the way that you do.
I can only say that almost three years after my own SCAD event (absolutely no heart risk factors, my youngest child was six years old) I feel really well and optimistic. Over time life really does go back to some semblance of normal - yes, it is forever changed because of the enormity of what you have been through and the need to adjust some lifestyle factors due to medication etc, but that feeling of worry really does lessen over time. Gradually you will realise that you haven't thought about if in the last ten minutes, then the last hour, then the last two hours, and so on until you actually do have whole days when you don't think about it. it is always a part of you and in the back of your mind, but it no longer dominates your everyday thoughts.
The one thing I would say though is that I don't think your shoulder and back pain is a normal residual effect of your SCAD or MI, and maybe you should insist that your primary doctor check you out thoroughly. It may well not be heart related (for example back pain can be Gastric/reflux related, a side effect of aspirin), but a thorough investigation of it is needed, because there should not be ongoing pain that I am aware of. (Although maybe others may want to chip in here and set me straight if that's not correct).
I wish you all the very best in your ongoing recovery, and by the way you have a great name! Sending you Hugs from New Zealand, from Sharon S.
Hi Karen,
As Sharon said to Shazz, welcome to the "SCAD" club...
I had a heart attack and SCAD of my right coronary artery at the end of March of this year, treated with six stents. Mine was not pregnancy-related at all, as I have no kids, and I don't have any connective tissue disorders. I'm 41, was 40 at the time of the heart attack and SCAD.
Frankly, I think doctors really just don't know what they're talking about when it comes to SCADs, because so few people used to survive them. My cardiologist told me that my chance of having another one was so low that I was more likely to have a car accident on my way to and from my doctor's appointment.
Like so many others here, I'm on a handful of new pills: Plavix, Zocor (which is making my waist-length hair fall out, grrr), aspirin 325 mg once/day, beta blocker which we stopped at the end of July. I also take an anti-depressant and did for several years before the heart attack. And a few months before the heart attack and SCAD I'd been diagnosed as hypothyroid, so I'm also on synthroid. I think that's everything...
I did cardiac rehab and would recommend it to everyone. It was the best thing I did to help regain confidence in my body. Every day that I went to rehab and exercised and nothing bad happened was another little bit of self-assurance that came back, and slowly, the anxiety, stress, and panic started to recede.
best wishes,
Laura
Hi Sylvia,
I read your post and our cases sound similar. I just had my MI about 4 weeks ago - it was also pretty mild in the RCA - and stress has been a big issue for me over the last few months.
I am curious about the Stanford clinic. I am in San Rafael CA - my doctors are really nice, but nobody seems very familiar with SCAD. Did you find a good doctor there?
My Dr just took me off the Metoprolol because my BP was so low... but now I am getting some angina again. I think I may want to go back on.
I want to understand the conditions that created this situation. I have been reading, and hear bits and pieces that are similar to what happend to me.
Hormones - I had just gotten my period when I had my MI.
Arm Strain - I was doing something very strenuous for my arms (racing a go cart - no power steering)
Stress - I had been under a lot of work stress for several months prior (to the point of waking up shaking).
I feel lucky not to have been one of these poor people with a triple bypass and 4 stents... but I am still pretty worried about it happening again.
Let me know if you have figured out any pattern to your angina.
Tori
Laura,
I am also one of the non-pregnacy and apparantly non-connective tissue SCAD sufferers. You mentioned that you are hypothyroid - that is another thing we have in common.
I start Cardiac Rehab this week. Glad to hear it was helpful.
I am starving for more information... I have been reading medical articles, a lot of the SCAD references seem to be from Italy. Still, it seems like they all say the same things, which is very little.
Was stress a factor in your SCAD? Were you doing something strenuous when it happened? Did you have your period? Any other notable factors?
Thanks for your posts, Laura.
Tori
Hi Lora,
Sorry I am answering late. Stanford Heart Clinic is run by Jennifer Tremmel. She is great. I only saw her once. After I had an stress echo in May which came back normal with seen damage to my heart, I talked to her by phone and she felt my meds were probably appropriate. I still off and on get angina type of pain, some recently with exercise and other times not at all. It is random. Anyway, I wonder if I should be on more meds and would recommend that it is definately worth it to go to Stanford. How are you feeling lately?
Sylvia
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