Healthy: Then SCAD, Massive Heart Attack, subsequent Cardiac Arrest, and diag. of FMD
Prior to my "very bad day" on June 26, 2018, I was busily toiling away on my home and garden, excited to have a week's visit with 1 of my son's and his 4 yr. old. The very next morning after their arrival, I awoke and soon thereafter exp. strong pain in the centre of my chest. I laid back down, and told my granddaughter it was okay, and cont'd with our conv. Sec. later, I bolted upright again, this time with tremendous pain and pressure in my chest, radiating to my shoulder and down my arm, to my fingers. I then experienced an overwhelming "sense of doom". The pain continued to intensify, with nausea, profuse sweating, horrible gasping for air, vomiting, and slight dizziness following immed. 911 was called, even though I initially (for 20 sec.) thought I should monitor things. Crazy, I know. The vol. fire dept. arrived soon after, followed by the EMT, whom gave me aspirin to swallow, which I immed. threw up, and a few sprays of nitroglycerin. I was taken to a rural hospital and treated with clot busting drugs, had my troponin levels checked, and more. I was then transferred more than 2 hours away to a large hospital. The helicopter was otherwise busy, so I went by ambulance. The pain level in my chest abated somewhat, partially due to the morphine etc., but my left shoulder was in more pain than I can describe. At some pt, I asked if I could close my eyes for 5 mins....as I was so tired. Since the Paramedic was so calm and cool, I thought I was out of danger, so I shut my eyes for a quick nap. I opened my eyes some time later, to my arms flayling, wondering and asking, " Why, am I so cold? Why is it so cold in here?" What I came to discover was that I had been in Cardiac Arrest, given CPR and had my heart Defibrillated a few times, until I was back. Lucky girl! During my hospital stay, I was diagnosed with Fibromuscular Dysplasia in the Renal. Iliac, and Internal Carotid Arteries. They may stenose, narrow and bulge, (ie. as in a pearl necklace), dissect, be corkscrewed or tortuous. My weak arteries are a combination. The Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection may also have been due to a FMD connection. So, not only do I now have heart disease, I also need to protect as best I can against aneurisms, future dissections, and strokes. Both SCAD and FMD are rare.
