When you맥스카지노�re young and healthy, heart attacks aren맥스카지노�t really on your radar. But Jennifer Halvas, a 41-year-old living in Colorado, had two heart attacks within a week of each other맥스카지노� and she never saw them coming. Halvas told NBC 9 News that she was on vacation with her family when she suddenly developed intense pain in her chest, arm pain and shortness of breath. She went to her local emergency room but was told she was fine. The next day, however, she experienced more intense chest pain, and this time it radiated to both of her arms and neck. She also felt nauseous, had pain in her jaw and was vomiting. She was reluctant to return to the ER but she knew something was wrong so she trusted her gut and went back.Halvas was diagnosed with spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), a rare condition that happens when a tear develops in one of the arteries that provides blood flow to your heart, according to the American Heart Association. The condition can cause a heart attack, which is exactly what happened to Halvas.She was given medication to help with her symptoms and discharged from the hospital but, a week later, she experienced severe chest pain again and was told she'd had another heart attack due to her arteries contracting and closing. It맥스카지노�s been five years since her heart attacks, but Halvas is still on medication to control her symptoms and, if she misses a dose, she can get them again quickly. How common is it to have two heart attacks so close together?맥스카지노�It맥스카지노�s very unusual, but when one situation is not appropriately attended to, then sometimes it can spiral, escalate, and then you have two episodes back to back,맥스카지노� says Dr. Nicole Weinberg, a cardiologist at Providence Saint John맥스카지노�s Health Center in Santa Monica, California.SCAD is tough to treat and can make it more likely that someone will have a heart attack again, says Dr. Jennifer Haythe, co-director of the Women맥스카지노�s Center for Cardiovascular Health at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and cardiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia. What is SCAD, and how is it treated?맥스카지노�SCAD involves a split in the wall of the artery and often we don맥스카지노�t like to put stents in arteries that have SCAD because you can split the wall more,맥스카지노� she explains. 맥스카지노�Sometimes treatment is just to leave a patient alone, but you can have further dissection of the same vessel later leading to another heart attack.맥스카지노�SCAD in particular seems to have a 맥스카지노�significant hormonal component associated with it,맥스카지노� Weinberg says, meaning it seems to disproportionally affect women who have regular periods or are pregnant or postpartum. It also seems to commonly affect women in their 40s and 50s, Haythe says. SCAD can be tough to diagnose because these women are often healthy. 맥스카지노�Then, it맥스카지노�s not on a physician맥스카지노�s radar to think that this patient could be having a coronary artery problem,맥스카지노� Weinberg says. 맥스카지노�As a result, this is very under-diagnosed.맥스카지노� What are the symptoms of SCAD?In general, they맥스카지노�re very similar to symptoms of other coronary artery problems 맥스카지노� they just come on suddenly, Haythe says. Symptoms include chest pain, shortness of breath, back pain, nausea and vomiting. 맥스카지노�They맥스카지노�re often worsened with some amount of exertion, but sometimes they just happen suddenly,맥스카지노� Weinberg says. If you맥스카지노�re having weird symptoms and you suspect it맥스카지노�s heart-related, but you feel that your doctor isn맥스카지노�t taking your symptoms and concerns seriously, Weinberg recommends insisting on certain tests. 맥스카지노�A standard cardiac workup is very reasonable,맥스카지노� she says. 맥스카지노�That means an EKG, blood work that looks for cardiac marker elevations and an ultrasound of your heart. Sometimes medical practitioners aren맥스카지노�t thinking it could be your heart and just don맥스카지노�t do these tests.맥스카지노� Remember, heart attack symptoms are slightly different in women than men.And, if you ask for the tests and your doctor is hesitant, Haythe recommends 맥스카지노�making some noise맥스카지노� and pressing for answers. 맥스카지노�Across the board, women aren맥스카지노�t being treated as much as they should and are being told they simply have anxiety,맥스카지노� she says. 맥스카지노�You have to stick to your guns if you맥스카지노�re concerned and say, 맥스카지노�I want you to show me why you think I맥스카지노�m okay.맥스카지노�맥스카지노�Bottom line: Weinberg says SCAD should be something that women in their 40s and 50s are aware of. And, if you맥스카지노�re having symptoms that just don맥스카지노�t seem right to you, speak up. 맥스카지노�You are your biggest advocate for your health,맥스카지노� she says.