Talk about hitting the nail on the head. “Women aren’t taken seriously enough” 🙌🏼

My pain was not excruciating…it was mild and extended to my left arm. I attributed it to increased tension on the machines that I was using in PT to rehab my left arm due to an elbow fracture. The paramedics ran two ECGs, the ambulance personnel ran two ECGs and all four turned out “beautifully perfect”. They, however talked me into going to the ER and having it checked out. The ER doctor ran an ECG and they drew blood for all kinds of tests and when the results came back. The ER doctor said “Your ECG is perfect and all your blood work is good; however, I’m going to repeat the Troponin Test in 2 hours and if everything looks good them we’re going to let you go home.” In two hours the Troponin level had increased and he held me and admitted me for further test. That was in the wee hours of a Saturday morning. I was kept in the ER until I could be transported to the Main Hospital which didn’t happen until noon on Saturday. They started a Heparin drip that ran all weekend and we’re on standby for an Angiogram if I had any chest pain at all. The Angiogram was done on Monday around 11:00 and I had three blockages. The Cardiologist that did the Angiogram said he never expected to find what he found. I had triple bypass CABG surgery on Tuesday. Al, my A1Cs had been good, my cholesterol scores were always good and had been checked at least every six months. I was on meds for high blood pressure and it had been under control. Now I have a Cardio-Thoracic Surgeon and Cardiologist that I didn’t have before. I’m three months out and rehab started slow, but I’m doing fine right now and am going through the Cardiac Rehab program and working on endurance and stress…I’m a little over 1/3 do the way through that and see improvements weekly.

Omg!!!! I had the same symptoms back in June 2021 In Grapevine, TX ...I was dismissed... I also went blind ... Had elevated troponin I asked them for a cardiac MRI they refused. The EMTs saved my life and tried to advocate for me when I was UNRESPONSIVE they knew something was wrong it still shocks me to this day that I was not taken seriously by the hospital. They dismissed me soon after. Went home and suffered a heart attack later at home when I was alone.. Im lucky to be alive. I do not wish my experience on anyone. Knowing women get dismissed so easilly especially if you are younger. It Makes me so sad and scares me. My experience affected me so bad that I stopped going to the DR to get checked because I was told it was all in my head. I went into a deep depression and anxiety. Which im.currently still healing from. I wish Drs would stop dismissing women. We are the backbone of our families and we deserve proper treatment. Thank you for sharing your experience.

@ethangardner2470

Жыл бұрын

Did you try to take any sort or action against the hospital?

@Sammy_08648

5 ай бұрын

How old were you? What symptoms did you have?

If they treat a doctor like that imagine how everyone else is treated.

A life long friend of mine, same age, same class from k-12th grade suffered a SCAD 10 days after giving birth to her 3rd child, at the age of 31. She had severe chest tightening as well as numbness and tingling in her arms. She was certain it was due to having just given birth, and breastfeeding, but her husband was insistent on taking her to the ER; she’s not one to complain much at all, and he knew something had to be wrong for her to complain. Our local ER is what you call a “bandaid” station, thankfully the physicians and staff in the ER are amazing! She was transported to a facility with a higher level of care, and was immediately taken into the ER where a quadruple bypass was performed! She’s doing great now, and is very active in SCAD awareness and fund raiser events, and continues to teach Jr High math and sciences.

I have watched several of these Voices of SCAD. They are very good. I'm sure I'm not the only one to note a common theme (with only one exception that I've run across): medical personnel and even cardiologists are not familiar with or even aware of SCAD. I sought second and third opinions when I had my SCAD. Each of the three cardiologists, two of whom were doctors at major Seattle cardiology centers, insisted I stay on blood thinners, statins and other medications that are used to treat conventional heart attacks. That was all I needed to know about their level of knowledge and expertise related to SCAD (for crying out loud, Google it!). Finally, I found the Mayo Clinic and Dr. Hayes. I couldn't be more grateful and relieved.

Thank you for sharing your story. I too had a SCAD attack in March 2018 and was grateful that cardiologist did a heart cath and picked up on SCAD/ tortuous arteries esp LAD artery. I still have chest pain and elevated heart rate which is mostly controlled by Metoprolol. Women need to take any kind of chest pain setiously. The EMTs in my town certainly did and i am forever grateful.

WOW. I’m exhausted and I am in tears with GRATITUDE after watching your video.

So true, I was sent home from er with a women doctor telling me she had sick people to take care of. I don’t think I had scad but I felt I was going to drop dead. This went on for weeks, with my doctor on vacation, I saw three other doctors and they just dismissed it until my doctor returned, did a ekg and diagnosed a heart attack. I had a triple bypass.

@ngonz89

Жыл бұрын

I kind of hope you went back and told her

@ethangardner2470

Жыл бұрын

@@ngonz89 went back and told her? I would have told her in court!

@sleepingvolcano7524

Ай бұрын

I had a triple bypass the widow maker in 2011

Why do things like this get so DISMISSED by doctors?!?

@echase416

2 жыл бұрын

Why? Myths about women and heart disease. People misbelieve that women die from breast cancer when actually our leading cause of death (COD), 1 in 2 cases is heart and stroke. 💔

had my scad July 7 of this year, Im a nurse and never heard about this, to be told that I had an MI was difficult to process, very healthy with active lifestyle, the incident was traumatic as the chest pain was real, couldnt understand why I felt so sleepy and couldnt open my eyes, I was glad I was given two ASA 81 mg by the paramedics while enroute to ER

@valeryboukarim5603

5 ай бұрын

Hello, how are you feeling now i am from ukraine and i am doctor i had scad 31.01.2024 now i am on medication treatment

WOW! What an incredible story.

This kind of gross incompetence is what keeps me from even going in to get checked

Thanks for your story

So thankful your son knew and persisted, and that the EMS revived you. Scary stuff considering they didn't take a doctor seriously.

i had a SCAD heart attack end of October last year. I told them straight away I was having a heart attack I just knew. I am 48 and my brother had just been found dead and I was very very upset and distressed about it. I am on meds but I have a stressful anxious existence so I wouldnt be surprised if I had another one. Knowing you can have another one and no one can prevent it is stress enough. Sorry you werent diagnosed sooner. I was lucky as they listened to me and did tests and saw straight away. I was in Papworth for a week and they were very kind and saw the SCAD on the angiogram. I had the most terrible head pain like a lightening bolt and couldnt stand the lights in the hospital room. I take every day at a time but feel like it could happen again. I had terrible depression before it and now i feel even worse. Now I am scared to get upset or even think about my brother in case I end up back in hospital or just have another heart attack and die. I feel like only other SCAD survivers can understand. I wish you well, thanks for the video.

I had a SCAD in January, I'm in the UK, I had normal ECG, my obs were perfect, I was admitted because of my symptoms, the paramedics thought I had a PE, it took a while to diagnose, there is very little known about it here. It is quite scary listening to someone else who's had a SCAD and MI, I really thought it was chronic indigestion. I try not to worry but sometimes I don't sleep well because I'm afraid I won't wake up.

Thank you so much for helping me during that first month. I really appreciate you.

Wow it’s horrible if she would’ve went home she would’ve died because of mal practice thank god there are good doctors that they prioritize humans ❤

A friend of mine went to the ER with chest pain and elevated troponin was found. The ER Docs just dismissed the elevated troponin and sent her home with the 'advice' that as they 'didn't know what it was' she was NOT to return to the ER if it recurred. She had a SCAD and a full blown heart attach a week later - fortunately in a public place where they called 911. The paramedics took it seriously - and she was lucky to be diagnosed. Of course, this being Canada, she was kicked lose without even a cardiology referral and has been basically abandoned.

I had one also. The hospital didn't do my bloodwork at 6 hours after admission after riding in an ambulance. My three daughters called 911. I had chest pain and was feeling really out of it. It was hard to answer them. The pain abated, but the ambulance came. Nurse looked at my records, looking for followup bloodwork. She asked the doctor who already told me he was releasing me later as soon as the nurse took out my iv. When the nurse went to ask the doctor where the 6 hour bloodwork was, she found out it wasn't done. He ordered it and my triponin levels were very high! The doctor came back shocked, trying to hide his shock. He said, "Well, your levels came back and you apparently had a cardiac event, which means we are keeping you here after all. Tomorrow first thing you will be having a catheterization. I'm ordering ...drip for you and you will be staying with us over night.... I had a SCAD. Nothing was done to the artery as they said it would heal on its own. Part of the heart is now damaged because the doctor in the er did not think I was having a heart attack, though I had been faint, vomited, had diarrhea, cold sweat, pain in chest, extending pain into shoulders, down both arms to elbows, into neck and into lower jaw, faintness, palpitations, a sense of foreboding and a general sense that something wasn't right, felt 'acid reflux', inability to focus my thinking.... Advocate for yourself. I was 57 when I had my SCAD last year and was eating almost exclusively whole food plant based. The doctor who did the catheterization (no stent) said I hardly had any cholesterol in my arteries, that they were almost completely clear. SCAD is just beginning to be researched.

I’ve had several of these incidents and the doctors say we don’t know what’s wrong and send me home. Now I’m asking my doctor for testing to figure it out. I’m 100 percent sure I’m having minor heart attacks.

I was rushed to the emergency room three times having shortness of breath, back spasms, dizziness each time test were given blood tests, EKG, chest x ray every time they said every thing was normal I was given pain medication and told to follow up with my primary care physician. I was beginning to think maybe its all in my head since physically they could find nothing wrong with me except I did end up going to therapy for my back. It was at therapy that the therapist noticed I was having a hard time breathing checked my oxygen level it was very low told me to go straight to the hospital which was thankfully across the street and my husband had brought me that day. I went to the emergency room they ran the same test gave me breathing treatments but this time something finally showed up that I was having a heart attack. I ended up having a cabbage and some months later needing a diffibulator. I felt like I was totally being dismissed being a woman oh I forgot during one of those emergency room visits I was asked if I had just had too much spicy food me not knowing this maybe wasn't a normal question a doctor would ask had no ideal he was being condescending.

I wonder if she has EDS or a genetic collagen disorder? People who have genetic collagen disorders are more likely to have dissecting aorta or AAA predisposition. The Cipro antibiotic can also up the risk of AAA and dissecting aorta.

Thank you so much for your story however if you’re a physician and couldn’t get the correct care, I know it’s gonna be a challenge for me to get to correct care I need.

Deny the happening , is very common, the more they know the more they refuse to acknowledge their own ailment.

What are the long term effects of her cardiac injury? Does she run the risk of heart failure now?

It would help if you told everybody what scad yes I’m a little disappointed because not everybody is going to know what these terms mean

oh my God …. I keep having chest aches and they never find anything. My cholesterol is normal my ct is normal but why does my heart still ache so much

@phyleciaradford7316

2 жыл бұрын

Anxiety can cause chest pains as well, I’m going through the same thing and I’m still having chest pains after I had already had a ultrasound on my heart they found NOTHING and told me it was my anxiety.

@danskdna8550

2 жыл бұрын

At that point I would expect an echocardiogram and xray...at least. They told me it was nothing but the echo found a problem.

@echase416

2 жыл бұрын

Asked to be screen for small vessel disease (SVD). It’s the type of heart/artery disease women get, instead of the standard coronary artery heart disease that males develop.

@02Huntet

2 жыл бұрын

@@danskdna8550 they have done all that, they even did a salt test to check for clogged arteries as my father had a pacemaker. I have 0% clogs - dr thinks my aching which comes/ goes is a muscle …. It’s been gone for 2 mos now ….. I’ll keep an eye out