A woman has who felt a tingling sensation down her arm days after changing contraceptive pill – was suddenly told her life was on the line. Peta Rance was an avid runner, doing 5k jogs multiple times a week.

The 40-year-old footcare practitioner had taken up the activity in a bid to get fitter following being diagnosed with high blood pressure. Her health suddenly took a turn for the worse when she began experiencing shooting pains in her arm, and her condition quickly became life-threatening.

“I thought the people saying it was a heart attack were crazy,” said Peta, from Yeovil, Somerset. “I was only 38 – people that age don’t have heart attacks. Or so I thought. I started to fret I was going to die. As tears streamed down my face, I couldn’t think about anything else.”

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Peta had originally been prescribed a different contraceptive pill after being diagnosed with high blood pressure. She continued with life as normal, spending the morning of the attack in April 2023 cleaning her house.

But this left her feeling “exhausted” and slightly nauseous. As she hadn’t been on her usual run in weeks due to not feeling well, the mum decided to pace through and go for a jog. But while on her run, a tingling sensation shot down her left arm.

And then chest discomfort, followed by nausea, took hold. She took some paracetamol and Rennie tablets to ease the symptoms, but they had little to no effect. Peta then started to worry as her cat, Winnie, began fussing over her and wouldn’t leave her side.

She said: “It was so out-of-character for her. I wondered if she was trying to tell me something. I started to feel worse and called 111. Immediately, an ambulance was on its way

“I didn’t want them to waste their time, so I told them not to bother. But as the paramedics arrived, I was whisked straight to hospital.”

While there, it was confirmed she was having a rare form of heart attack known as spontaneous cardiac artery dissection (SCAD). It meant that Peta had a tear in her artery.

And while it’s not been confirmed, it’s likely that it was caused by hormonal changes as a result of the contraceptive pill switch, as well as her diagnosis with high blood pressure. She said: “It’s more common in women as it’s due to hormonal fluctuations. I was forced to rest so the tear could heal, while being placed on blood thinners, beta blockers and blood pressure medication.”

Peta didn’t let the terrifying incident get her down, though. Just six weeks later, she began training for a 5k marathon in Bournemouth.

She raised £1,000 for the British Heart Foundation and has since raised £2,000 for the Beat SCAD charity, too. Peta added: “Check your blood pressure. If you feel something is wrong, get checked out. There’s a chance I could have another attack again.

“But, for now, I’m focusing on living each day in case it’s my last.”