Sarah’s Story - taking the long view… 7 June 2014 to March 2018

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European position statement on SCAD

I was a healthy 50 year old when I had my SCAD in 2016. I didn't initially realise I was having a heart attack but eventually went to hospital. Initially doctors were not worried, but blood tests done "just in case" showed abnormalities and I had an angiogram which diagnosed SCAD. The doctors admitted they did not know a great deal about this condition and initially I felt rather abandoned. I was advised to make contact with the research team in Leicester. I also made contact with BeatSCAD.

The research day was so very helpful and reassuring.

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UK SCAD survivors go to PISA to take part in the FUCHSIA study of extra high frequency ultrasound

It was a normal workday on 7 September 2017. I was sitting at my desk working when I felt a sudden pain in my chest. Thinking it to be a muscle pull, I tried to ease it out by going out for a walk.

I only managed to get out of the door before the pain starting growing towards my arms, jaws and back. Not wanting to create a fuss at work called a colleague quietly out of the room as the pain was getting unbearable now and I was tears.

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I am a runner, first and foremost; my life is based around my running (or was). I started running aged 30 when I realised I could no longer depend on my metabolism to keep middle-aged spread at bay. I was hitting the scales at just over 13 stone and was not happy, so I started running, firstly on the treadmill, then on the roads, and on to cross country (XC). I joined my local club after a year and started competing, at a high level. Pretty soon it was consuming me; I just had to run.

All was going well, my weight was 11.5 stone – perfect. And I was always the first on the start line. I met a coaching team and started winning provincial and national medals.

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Tracey’s testimonial

I had a SCAD heart attack on 10th March 2015 at the age of 38. I remember explaining to NHS Direct that I had indigestion, sickness, hot and cold sweats and a pain which started in my right arm and quickly spread to my left arm, but quickly got to a point where I was unable to speak because I was unable to breathe properly.

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We arrived at the hospital all together at 9am and met the lovely professor Bruno

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On 21 December 2016, I was at home as usual. I’m a self-employed book editor and my commute is the 10 seconds or so it takes to get to the spare bedroom.

My wife and two young daughters were staying with my wife’s parents, travelling home that afternoon. I’d just had a sandwich for lunch and was heading back to my desk to read the brief for a new project.

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