Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection

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Voices of SCAD Written Stories

Experiencing a life-changing event such as a SCAD, has a huge impact on those who had the SCAD as well as their families and friends. Finding a lack of information about an uncommon and poorly understood condition can be difficult and may add to the strains of recovery. Reading others stories can be an enormous help.

DISCLAIMER: The stories posted are personal stories from people whose lives have been touched by SCAD and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of SCAD Research, Inc., as it is information provided by third parties. The information presented here and on the SCAD Research, Inc., website as whole is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be medical advice. If you have any complaints about any content, please email scadinfo@scadresearch.org so that we can address any concerns.

Lupus with a side of SCAD

February 11, 2023

Hello all! Im Amanda, on 10/19/21 at age 38 i was dx with Systemic Lupus, just over a year later 10/27/22 at age 39 i woke up not feeling the best but having lupus im used to this, as the day progressed i started to have a squeezing achy pain in my right shoulder that […]

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It couldn’t happen to me until it did

February 9, 2023

I was a seemingly healthy 58 year old whose annual biometric screening assured me that I was in great shape. One morning I woke from a sound sleep with a strange pain between my shoulder blades that seemed to be moving. This followed about five days of vague congestion and dizziness. My husband insisted I […]

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Scad Survivor – The Day that Changed My Life

February 5, 2023

November 27, 2022, the day that changed my life. I’m a healthy 44 y/o women with no health problems prior to SCAD. I’ve been a nurse for 22 years, 13 of those years I worked in the Emergency Room. I’ve had a number of patients suffering from heart attacks and even bypass surgery (CABG), but […]

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Rude Awakening

February 1, 2023

I was awoken one Saturday morning to an odd feeling in my chest, neck and arm. Thinking I had slept in an odd position, I tried to stretch this odd feeling out. It didn’t change. I woke my boyfriend and told him something was wrong. We were dressed and in the car within minutes, heading […]

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Damage and Healing

January 31, 2023

My heart rate was approaching 190 in my last interval of my HIIT class. My goal for the summer and fall was to continue to get in the best shape of my life, and I was doing it. About 10 seconds before the interval ended I felt a sharp pain in my chest like claws […]

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SCAD, mother, 41, in Germany

December 15, 2022

After I survived a sinus vein thrombosis (a blood clot in the sinus vein of the brain) when I was 25 without any after effects, I thought nothing quite so serious could ever happen to me again. But it did on 6 Dec 2022, when I had a heart attack because of SCAD. — Sorry, […]

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I thought my heart attack was heart burn

July 25, 2022

So as with many other survivors it’s all a bit surreal and at 44 years old and fiit and healty would have never expected to have a heart attack . I have suffered with anxiety for many years and have had chest pain a little more in the last year but my gp as always […]

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Working

July 18, 2022

Well this re-sently happened on july15. I was working on a cleaning crew for a janitorial service company. Around 6:00pm I had a short chest pain, then it went to my arm and after that I had back pain, but my arm felt numb. I thought it was indigestion. I was right by the hospital […]

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The day I learned to live more gently

June 13, 2022

Tuesday May 17th was just Like any other day, I was feeling a bit tired and sore but that would be expected after just competing in a “Dragon Boat” race the Saturday prior. I am a healthy 55 year old with no co morbidities. I was walking up a hill after work to get to […]

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My SCAD story

April 25, 2022

I woke up with chest pain the night of 11/30/21. I was 37 and in good health. I thought I was dreaming, and it went away briefly, so I fell back asleep. The following day, I got up and went to work, but the pain in my chest was back. I thought it was heartburn. […]

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