SCAD Straight from the Heart

By Pamela McKenzie

This book contains true stories from real survivors in the hopes of raising awareness of an uncommon cause of heart attack in women and men.

The emotional effect of SCAD can be quite traumatic for both the survivors and those around them. It is hoped that this book will help newly diagnosed SCAD survivors to understand that they are not alone in this journey. It is also hoped that this book will assist those close to the newly diagnosed survivors to understand SCAD and the emotional effect that it has.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley
• Release date: Jun 13, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463777343

Pamela McKenzie

Pamela McKenzie is a healthy, active mother of four living in the southwest of Western Australia, without any previous health condition. There was no reason to suspect that there was any cause for concern on Easter morning 2014, but later that morning, she suffered a rare form of heart attack (SCAD). She then set herself the task of finding as many other survivors as possible. What she found were more people that felt alone and isolated and this has now sparked Australian research into SCAD. TV appearances, magazine articles and radio interviews now under her belt, this book is the realisation of not being alone for the survivors of SCAD.

Book preview

About the Author

Pamela McKenzie is a healthy, active mother of four living in the southwest of Western Australia, without any previous health condition. There was no reason to suspect that there was any cause for concern on Easter morning 2014, but later that morning, she suffered a rare form of heart attack (SCAD). She then set herself the task of finding as many other survivors as possible. What she found were more people that felt alone and isolated and this has now sparked Australian research into SCAD. TV appearances, magazine articles and radio interviews now under her belt, this book is the realisation of not being alone for the survivors of SCAD.

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Dedication

I’d like to dedicate this book to my husband, family and friends who believed in me even when I didn’t. I really can’t thank you enough for your unconditional love and support, without which I never could have made it this far.

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SCAD Straight from the Heart

Published by Austin Macauley at Smashwords

Copyright 2018, Pamela McKenzie

The right of Pamela McKenzie Irving to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the

Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with the written permission of the publisher, or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended). Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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A CIP catalogue record for this title is

Available from the British Library.

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www.austinmacauley.com

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SCAD Straight from the Heart, 2018

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd.

ISBN 978-1-52890-173-4 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-52890-174-1 (Kindle E-Book)

First Published in 2018

Austin Macauley Publishers.LTD/

CGC-33-01, 25 Canada Square

Canary Wharf, London E14 5LQ

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Acknowledgements

Without the donations and support from the following people and businesses, this book would have not been possible. A very big thank you goes out to the following:

Prof Robert Graham AO, FAA, Fahams MD

Cardiac Research Institute

Rosewood Care Group

Dominique Chevrant Breton

Naomi Byles

Cathran Bowyer

Susan North

Marty Chapman

Marianne Punshon

Lynne Clarke

Louden family

Dibdibn/Dilland family

Karen Heerman

Graham Lee

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Introduction

The reasons for this book about SCAD are:

To assist newly-diagnosed patients with adjusting to life after SCAD

To assist family members and friends of SCAD patients to learn about the emotional journey after SCAD

To educate the general public about SCAD and the emotional journey of those who have had SCAD

To raise funding for SCAD research within Australia.

There is currently very minimal information available for those who are diagnosed with SCAD and this can be very frustrating.

Contained within this book are personal stories of SCAD patients who have chosen to share their journeys so that others can gain confidence with dealing with life after SCAD. It is also our hope that this book will assist the families of SCAD patients to understand the condition and the emotional effect that it has.

To suffer a life-changing heart attack for what apparently seems to be ‘no real reason’ can be very difficult to deal with. We would like to share our stories to raise awareness and assist others to realise that they are not alone, and that there are others of us out here if they would like to reach out and make contact. We would like to reassure all new SCAD patients that there definitely is life after SCAD and that although it is very frightening and difficult to deal with initially, you most definitely can pick up and keep going. Within this book are some incredible stories of survival by some very amazing women; we hope you find them to be inspiring and valuable whether or not you yourself are a SCAD survivor.

At the end of this book, there are link addresses for further information and support groups as well as a section where you can write down your notes during your hospital stay so that you have a record that you can refer back to should you need to. In general, patients tend to only retain approx. 10%–20% of the information given to them by medical staff, so this is just to assist you for your future reference.

As a survivor of SCAD myself, I would like to also suggest that you consider keeping a diary to write in regarding your progress and your feelings as this can be very therapeutic. I found writing down your emotions and progress helps on bad days when you can look back and see how far you have really come.

We hope that you find this book to be helpful and informative.

By purchasing a copy of this book, you are helping to fund SCAD research here in Australia; we thank you for your support.

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What Is SCAD?

Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection – SCAD – is an uncommon cardiac event that occurs when a tear forms in one or more of the coronary arteries near the heart. Pieces of the arterial wall can act as a flap or even block the artery by causing clotting. The clot or flap stops the flow of blood to the heart muscle resulting in a heart attack or even sudden death.

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SCAD tends to affect mainly women aged 30 to 50, though it can occur at any age and to any gender. People who experience SCAD are often healthy, don’t have any high-risk factors for heart disease such as high blood pressure, overweight, high cholesterol or diabetes.

To date, many medical practitioners are still unaware of the prevalence of SCAD and assume it to be rare. Studies and awareness are being raised within Australia with the hopes of educating both medical practitioners and the general public; many thanks to the tireless dedication of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute.

Below is a graph of known survivors’ location by state/territory within Australia. This information is correct at the time of print. Please note that this is only a list of those survivors who are known and have registered their whereabouts. There may be many more survivors who have not been listed.

Unfortunately, this graph does show that we still have a lot of work to do with raising awareness in areas such as the Northern Territory, South Australia and Tasmania.

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ACT – Australian Capital Territory, NSW – New South Wales, NT – Northern Territory, QLD – Queensland, SA – South Australia, TAS – Tasmania, Vic – Victoria, WA – Western Australia

Becky Baxter – 9th August 2017 – Aged 38

I had my SCAD attack Wednesday, 9th August 2017. Writing this at 38 years of age is something I never thought I’d be doing. The emotions are still so very raw. I have been married for nine years and we have two wonderful children, our son, aged nine, and daughter, aged six. I have always been a reasonably fit, healthy, happy person and not normally one to be bothered by stress but over the last two years, I have been dealing with a lot of emotional stress, which impacted all aspects of my life a great deal.

A few months prior to the attack, I had been having some time away from any major exercise due to emotionally needing a break and self-care can often mean taking myself away and just resting. Although still in a constant state of fight or flight, I had begun to really push through those emotions again and had started back at yoga and gym classes. The week before and days prior to my attack, I had been to yoga, worked extra shifts at work and started a higher-intensity workout and was feeling so positive in my mind and body.

Wednesday morning, I was sitting, relaxing on the lounge, organising a lunch date for my husband and I when a sudden intense pressure came on in my head, jaw and roof of my mouth, flowing down into my throat and chest, restricting my breathing. I knew something was really wrong, I tried to have a glass of water, hoping it would pass; it didn’t. Heart palpitations started and I tried to breathe through it and not panic but I became very dizzy and the pressure on my chest continued. I laid down and rang my husband but he didn’t answer, so I googled the Heart Foundation website and looked up symptoms of heart attacks in women as I knew they were different to men, only to see I had every symptom. My husband rang back within minutes and thankfully was already on his way home, we headed straight to the local hospital, as we only live a two-minute drive from it.

The first bloods taken were a negative for troponin, so I was sure I’d be heading home and so were the nurses, because honestly, I’m a fit, healthy 38-year-old; clearly it was just a panic attack or a stress-related reaction. I know that was what the staff were thinking but part of me knew, as much as I didn’t want to believe it, it was more than that, but to be honest, I didn’t think it could be an actual heart attack. Second bloods taken were a positive for troponin. They, the doctors and nursing staff, were in shock; I just sat there calmly, taking it all in. Why I was so calm, I don’t know, disbelief maybe, but honestly, I’m the type of person who once I know what is going on, good or bad, and what I need to do, survival mode kicks in and I just deal with it, and in reality, I knew panicking was not going to help or reverse what just happened, so I just sat and listened, I listened to them tell me I had just had a cardiac event, I’d just had a heart attack.

I was transferred to Flinders Medical Centre that night and had an angiogram the next day. SCAD, Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection, is what they came back with, I had never heard of it. Although my cardiologist believes it is SCAD and contacted two other colleagues in the field, as there was still a possibility it could be plaque build-up, they too agreed SCAD as I have low cholesterol, I’m not diabetic and no family history of heart disease. Thankfully my attack was only minor, my left side of my heart all showed normal but my right had a 90% blockage, so I am being treated with Aspirin at this stage, but also on Rosuvastatin just as a precaution.

I was sent home the Friday, feeling a little lost now, as although I knew I’d had the heart attack and had accepted it, the resources for SCAD, causes, recovery, treatment, etc., are still limited and a great deal more research is still needed.

It had been almost a week since the attack and I was feeling well. Then Tuesday I felt that same scary pressure and pains I had before but thankfully, an attack was ruled out. They also did an ultrasound for fluid around the heart as I was and still do experience shortness of breath, but that also came back clear. I was kept in overnight at my local hospital but all my tests were good and I was cleared to go home.

I was home again but feeling overwhelmed. Is this how my life is going to be now, constant trips to ED every time a pain or tightness occurs?

It has only been four weeks since my attack and still unsure of heart damage, long-term treatment and, honestly, what lies ahead and the battle with my emotions, anger, thankfulness, sadness, guilt, but I have made an appointment with a psychologist to help work through these and I begin cardiac rehab in two weeks’ time to regain my confidence within my body and its strength.

It’s only early days, so I know I need to be kind to myself. I’m so very thankful though to have found the support group Australian SCAD Survivors on Facebook; the support, knowledge and kindness shown helps to feel not so alone.

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Louanne Mitchell – January 2014 – Aged 46

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I did it, I did it, I did it! It was February 2017 and I had completed the Cole Classic, a one-kilometre Ocean Swim from Manly to Shelley Beach in NSW. My adrenalin was pumping and I celebrated with joy, hugs with my swimming buddies and a few obligatory selfies. As we wandered along the beachfront making our way home, I felt small tears well up inside me, as I reflected on my personal achievement. I had overcome physical and emotional limitations to get to this point and I was experiencing deep joy and satisfaction.

Just over three years earlier, in January 2014, I suffered a SCAD – Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection – and I had to withdraw from that year’s ocean swim. I was disappointed but that was only one of the many emotions I experienced following my SCAD event.

I had switched to swimming as my exercise after suffering from meningitis in 2009. During this time, they discovered a cerebral aneurysm but I will leave that story for another time. After neurosurgery to have a stent implanted, in late 2009, I was no longer comfortable running, so I switched to swimming for my exercise. My goal was to one day complete an ocean swim and to never take good health for granted again.

Skip to January 2014, I was 47 years old, a wife, mother (of three children) and working full time. I was swimming a kilometre thirty-four times a week in preparation for the Cole Classic. My family and I had returned from ten days’ camping; once we had the unpacked, we headed down to the beach for a swim. I swam in the surf with my nine-year-old daughter and as I emerged from the water, I had what I could only describe as double vision and I couldn’t quite get my bearings to find my way back to our towels. My husband asked me if I was OK because I looked like a confused old woman coming out of the surf. I was not impressed with his comment and said I was ‘fine’.

Driving home, I had a tightness behind my left ear that came down my neck to the top of my chest. It lasted a few minutes. I wanted to ignore it but thought that I’d better tell my husband, Brett, and the kids that I had a funny pain but still assuring them that it was nothing.

I went inside, laid down for five minutes – sandy and still in wet swimmers – until it went away. I then had shower and a nap but as I woke, the tightness was there again, this time a little stronger and further into my chest. I told my husband, who suggested I call my best friend who is a GP. I said, ‘Yeah yeah,’ and went and got changed back into my swimmers to head back to the beach pool for some training. Deep down, I didn’t want to be sick, well no one does really. I had been so sick in 2009 so I refused to believe it was possible there to be something else wrong with me.

The kids and I headed back to the beach. They walked around the rocks to the surf beach; I had never let them do this before and I jumped in the pool prepared to swim a kilometre. I swam a few laps and the tightness started again. I stopped swimming, walked out of the pool, trying really hard not to clutch my chest and draw attention to myself. This time, the tightness was stronger and lasted longer. I sat on the side of the pool until it stopped and then I rang my girlfriend, Kath. She was ridiculously calm and told me that I needed to go straight