90% Blocked at 36
December 6, 2017, 3 minutes into a warm up walk before a run, I experienced a sharp pain in the center of my chest. The pain felt like it was going through into my shoulder and up my neck into my jaw. It was so intense it took my breath away. My husband was leaving for work and saw me. We got home and got our 9 year old son up and to the ER we went at 5:30 am.
The pain had decreased by the time we got to the hospital. The initial EKG didn’t show a whole lot and my troponin levels were high normal. 2-3 hours later the next EKG was a little iffy and troponin had increased. My Cardiologist was called, he wanted a 3rd EKG and troponin draw. 3 hours later the troponin had tripled.
I got an ambulance ride to the hospital were my Cardiologist works and was taken to the cath lab. The heart cath showed a 90% blockage in the LAD, it was stented. I have 4 more blockages of 40%. One of which is behind the stent and the others are in other main arteries.
I am a 36 year old wife and mother. I work in a small hospital as a surgical instrument sterilizing technician and also as a traditional guardsman for the IL Air National Guard.
I have an extensive family history of heart disease on both sides of my family. I was still shocked and still am a bit to know I am a heart attack survivor.