Patient Success Story: SCAD & Heart Attack
Robyne Thibodeau was doing what she did every day, walking her dog, when she noticed she was short of breath. Robyne is an avid hiker and loves to enjoy the outdoors, and so experiencing shortness of breath on an average walk was abnormal.
Symptoms from what was initially thought to be previously diagnosed GERD and an esophageal spasm persisted into the next day, until Robyne finally trusted her gut and went to the ER.
The E.R. ran chest pain protocol and cardiac blood work. As hospitalist, Dr. Douglas McConnaughey admitted Robyne to the ICU and ordered a consult with Dr. Tae Yang from California Heart Associates.
An Angio Catheter procedure was performed to assess her arteries and Robyne was diagnosed with a SCAD (Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection) or tear in a wall of a heart artery which caused a heart attack.
Dr. Rivelle took over as hospitalist and ordered further testing to determine what may have caused the artery to tear, and it showed Robyne has a very rare connective tissue disease called Fibromuscular Dysplasia (FMD) which is most often seen in women ages 25 to 50.
Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Bairy-Merz told Robyne, “You survived a SCAD, that is a badge you wear with honor and gratitude. Only you can know what is off inside of you and you do not hesitate to head to the ER out of embarrassment, being a bother or whether it may or may not be anything. Just GO.”
Robyne is now on a beta blocker for life to reduce pressure in the arteries and ordered to take a blood thinner and a statin. Also, she now knows what symptoms to watch for moving forward as it is unknown if this will happen again.
Robyne’s advice for anyone experiencing similar symptoms is to trust your gut instincts – you know your body better than anyone else. It is always better to get it checked out, if only for peace of mind. In Robyne’s case, it saved her life.
On Feb. 2nd, 2024, the Edinger team wore red for National Wear Red Day to bring attention to cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in women.
