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Washington Bureau Chief
A Utah mother has issued a warning to other seemingly healthy women after suffering a heart attack on a treadmill.
In May, Justine Carter’s casual treadmill workout resulted in a shocking near-death experience, with the 33-year-old experiencing a heart attack 12 minutes in. At first, she started having shortness of breath, then a pain in her back extended to her chest, and moments later she began violently vomiting.
At the time, Carter assumed she had come down with some sort of flu, but things took a turn for the worse.
“That’s where things get a little bit hazy,” the mother told Fox News, adding that she had called her husband and mother-in-law but later could not recall having had those conversations. “The next thing I knew, I woke up in the hospital.”
Her husband Kevin and her mother-in-law Teresa discovered Justine passed out in the bathroom, seemingly having a seizure. A nurse at HCA Healthcare’s Mountain View Hospital in Payson, Utah, kept her alive with CPR. Justine’s heart didn’t beat for 25 minutes, with blood only circulating to her body through CPR.
“Everything was pretty ominous,” Teresa recalled to the outlet. “She had what we call ‘tombstone rhythm’ on the monitor, which tells us she was having a heart attack, and that her heart muscle was not getting enough oxygen.”
Once emergency medical services took her to HCA Healthcare’s Mountain View Hospital, the doctors confirmed that Carter had experienced a spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD).
SCAD occurs when there’s a tear in the wall of a coronary artery. It can either lead to a heart attack, heart rhythm problems or result in sudden death. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), those with the condition tend to be women in their 40s and 50s, tending to present as healthy. “Scientists think it’s likely that multiple factors may cause SCAD, such as abnormalities in the arteries, genetics, hormonal influences or inflammatory issues,” their website says.
Before the episode, Justine said she experienced no warning symptoms. She recalled, “I just felt like I had low energy that day and didn’t feel up to par – but I just thought it was because it was winter and cloudy outside.”
A week after the first heart attack, Justine experienced another cardiac event presenting the same symptoms as last time.
This time, she was flown to HCA Healthcare’s Timpanogos Regional Hospital where there was a full cath lab team and a cardiothoracic surgeon on hand in the event she needed open-heart surgery.
The aortic tear that had caused her first episode had grown in size, leading the walls to swell and block blood flow. The cardiac team restored blood flow by using a balloon to compress the artery wound. They then implanted a small heart pump to temporarily relieve the pressure on Justine’s heart as she healed.
Justine has since completed cardio rehab and can now do some physical activities like taking her dog for a walk, but she hasn’t been cleared for more strenuous activities such as hiking. She said that the whole ordeal has put things into perspective.
“You can live your life scared of a lot of things, but if you spend every day in fear, you won’t enjoy life,” she said. “Life is fragile and short, so just enjoy it for what it is.”
She also shared a warning to other seemingly healthy women. “If something feels ‘off,’ don’t hesitate,” she warned. “Just call 911, because a lot of things can be prevented if you do that.”
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