Has anyone had a SCAD heart attack?

One of my doctors told me there is a new specialty of medical doctor who are Long COVID specialists. He doesn't think Medicare covers it. Does anyone know of this practice? Are there any success stories?

I had a heart attack on August 8 of this year. I went to emergency after experiencing pain in my chest, just to the right of my sternum. Emergency room found elevated cardiac enzymes and markers on my EKG indicative of a cardiac event. I was transferred to Sutter Roseville, where they performed an angiogram, and discovered a SCAD in a branch of the left circumflex artery. Dr. told me a repair there would be dangerous, so they put me on blood thinners (aspirin and clopidogrel) and sent me home. I was in hospital from Friday midnight until Sunday afternoon.

I went back to emergency on Thursday (8/14) as I was experiencing back pain, and the Drs. office recommended I get checked out. My cardiac enzymes were still elevated, but way lower than they had been just 4 days before, and continued to go down while I was there. They had me do a stress test with CT scan, everything was normal.

So I went home, and have slowly been returning to my normal activities. I am 68 years old, female, eat a balanced healthy diet with no flour or sugar or snacks. I've been eating this way for the past 12 years. My exercise is walking and yoga, and I have returned to these with no problem. I had a followup with the cardiologist after a week, and the next one is scheduled for December. I make sure to meditate for 30 minutes in the morning, which I've been practicing for many years.

I am grateful to have a diagnosis. I had this pain about 10 years ago, but an ER visit gave no explanation, and the pain had subsided by the time they actually looked at me. The doctors this time told me they saw evidence that my body has built branches to facilitate blood supply, presumably from this earlier event.

Would love to read about others experiences with SCAD.

I’m glad you’re fine. What does SCAD stand for?

SCAD heart disease, Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection, is a tear in the wall of a coronary artery that blocks blood flow to the heart, causing a heart attack.

Yikes! I didn’t have that obviously or I would have known what the letters stood for.
I had a myocardial infarction
(heart attack) which was most likely caused by “uncontrolled blood pressure” (even tho I have taken blood pressure pills for a year and a half)). It resulted in a heart cath but no stent needed.
Most of my intention in joining Mayo Clinic Diet was for heart healthy eating & actions; not so much to lose weight.

I have trouble coming up with healthy menus all the time. I am new to the heart attack.

Yes, it's great to have a diagnosis. I had my first SCAD 20 years ago and my second was in January 2024 and like you, the first was not recognized as a SCAD. They've learned a lot in the last few years! There's lots of information available to patients now through the SCAD Alliance < https://scadalliance.org&gt;, I really recommend it. And Dr. Sharron Hayes at Mayo Clinic is one of the doctors who does a lot of education for SCAD patients -- you can probably find some of her videos on the Mayo website. I rely on them for updates.
It sounds like you are already doing everything you can to help it heal . . .

Thank you for sharing SCAD Alliance link. A lot of good information.

I had my first SCAD heart attack in November 2017 and my second one in July 2024. They knew enough about SCAD heart attacks to diagnose the first one, and I am happy they knew a bit more when I had my second one. In my case, I they checked for fibromuscular dysplasia which is a kind of artery that grows in a corkscrew pattern and is usually diagnosed when someone has high blood pressure that doesn’t respond to medication. I do have it in my arteries for my heart and kidneys but not on my brain, yay!

I keep to a low salt diet and am moderate in my carb intake. Another help for me is finding joy and gratitude in each new day.

Walking is great exercise but my doctors recommended that I quit lifting. They don’t even want me doing isometrics. One thing I have learned about myself is that I am a fairly intense person doing many things with all my might. Even resting, I find myself making fists or flexing the muscles in my legs. I have wondered if others who have experienced SCAD heart attacks have similar dispositions.

Overall, it’s good to be a survivor!

Thanks for posting. I am newly diagnosed and all the information I can get is very helpful.