I had a SCAD (Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection) July 5, 2011, five days after our Aniston was born. I experienced nausea, vomiting and shortness of breath. I was living in the border of Mexico in El Centro, CA so I was life-flighted to San Diego. I was, thankfully, diagnosed pretty quickly by a doctor there who had seen it before. I was medically treated (Plavix & Metoprolol for one year, baby aspirin for life, no cardiac rehab.) After I recovered and Aniston was two or three, Kelvin and I were considering having another baby. I saw three doctors in four cities, they all said no more babies. They said it would be too big of a risk and advised against it. We were devastated. I flew to see Dr. Sharonne Hayes at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She is considered to be the leading expert in SCAD in the country.
After looking at my file and running some tests, she said it was really our decision but to live my life as fully as possible. Other than Dr. Hayes, all doctors said we needed to adopt or get a surrogate. We decided that another traditional baby was really what we wanted so we took a leap of faith.
I was 35 years old and a SCAD survivor when I became pregnant with Leah. I was monitored closely by my obstetrician and perinatologist. I was great throughout the whole pregnancy but my blood pressure went up when I was 38 weeks so I was induced. Both girls were born healthy. I did not have a c-section like most people would expect after having a heart attack; all doctors have said that I am not to undergo any unnecessary surgery the rest of my life.
I was of course really nervous at the end of the pregnancy and for months after but I have settled in now. I exercise three to four times per week including walking, jogging, Zumba, kickboxing and light weights. I'm feeling good and am extremely thankful to be alive! My advice to all women would be to listen to your body. It would have been easy for me to ignore the signs since I was so healthy and had no risk factors, but I didn’t take any chances and went to the ER. If you feel like something is wrong, get checked out.
After looking at my file and running some tests, she said it was really our decision but to live my life as fully as possible. Other than Dr. Hayes, all doctors said we needed to adopt or get a surrogate. We decided that another traditional baby was really what we wanted so we took a leap of faith.
I was 35 years old and a SCAD survivor when I became pregnant with Leah. I was monitored closely by my obstetrician and perinatologist. I was great throughout the whole pregnancy but my blood pressure went up when I was 38 weeks so I was induced. Both girls were born healthy. I did not have a c-section like most people would expect after having a heart attack; all doctors have said that I am not to undergo any unnecessary surgery the rest of my life.
I was of course really nervous at the end of the pregnancy and for months after but I have settled in now. I exercise three to four times per week including walking, jogging, Zumba, kickboxing and light weights. I'm feeling good and am extremely thankful to be alive! My advice to all women would be to listen to your body. It would have been easy for me to ignore the signs since I was so healthy and had no risk factors, but I didn’t take any chances and went to the ER. If you feel like something is wrong, get checked out.
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