A week ago was Father’s Day. Although my father passed away a little over a year ago, my family has made sure to stick with our Father’s Day tradition of going out to dinner at Red Lobster—a tradition we have had as long as I can remember. These dinners are always the same. We start by asking for the biscuits that we think about for days before, and then we go down the line ordering drinks before scanning the menu for what to eat. We order our food and have our usual silly family conversations, laughing and catching up with everyone’s lives. However, there was one thing different about this visit. This was when my mom had her third, and most intense, episode of chest pain, trouble breathing, and a strange sensation in her arms. Concerned about what was happening, she decided it was time to get it checked out.
We left dinner early to take her to the hospital. The drive was a little scary not knowing what was going on, but my family being the way we are, slipped in a few laughs. We got to the emergency room, and a nurse met with my mom as she explained the symptoms she had been having. She explained the symptoms again to multiple doctors, and they examined her throughout the night. They couldn't quite figure out what the problem was, so they admitted her to stay the night so they could do a stress test in the morning. They hoped the test would give us an answer as to what was happening to her.
They were ready for her to do the stress test, and we started to get some possible theories. The test helped narrow down a few ideas, and they then pinpointed where the problem was. They decided that my mom would need an Angiogram. This would give them a look into her artery to hopefully see what was causing the symptoms. The doctors took a look at her artery and quickly figured out that my mom had SCAD, or Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection. I was relieved that we could now put a name to what was happening. My mom had begun to wonder why she was in the hospital because she had spend days there with no further symptoms and felt perfectly fine, but the doctors kept expressing how lucky my mom was for catching it so early and saying how glad they were that she came in when she did. Apparently most people don't catch it until it leads to a full on heart attack.
SCAD is when the artery wall starts to separate and unravels, or dissects. The doctor described it like the design of the cardboard roll in paper towels, and a flap of the artery wall had separated and caused blood to get trapped underneath. This then blocks blood flow to the heart similar to a blood clot. The doctors said this most commonly happens with women in their 50s or women who have recently given birth, because it seems to be caused by hormones along with a few other potential causes. It can also happen to otherwise healthy individuals. My mom's arteries, cholesterol and blood pressure were all described as “pristine" by her doctors. Thankfully, they prescribed medicine for my mom to take to help heal the artery wall.
I hope that sharing this experience will help those with similar symptoms to know how to handle it properly. I would stress that if you notice any pain in your chest, have any trouble breathing, or notice anything strange happening that you would seek medical attention right away. It is always better to be safe than sorry.
For more information on SCAD, please check out “mayoclinic.org.”
