Three years ago, I landed in hospital with a terrifying question hanging over me: did I just have a heart attack at 24?

A few days earlier, I felt off. I drenched my bedsheets with sweat. I also felt sharp pains down both arms. When I started to improve, I tried to run. I barely made it down the street before weakness drove me home.

That night, my chest tightened. Breathing felt hard. The pain shot harder into my left arm. I called 111. When no ambulance arrived, I went to A&E myself. Staff took blood and ran an ECG. I started to feel calmer, so I made a foolish choice and went home at 4 a.m.

Two hours later, my GP called. They told me to return immediately. My results looked like a heart attack.

Doctors later ruled that out. Instead, they diagnosed myopericarditis, inflammation of both the heart muscle and the lining around it. The symptoms can mimic a heart attack. In severe cases, it can leave lasting damage.

At the time, doctors told me it can happen rarely after mRNA Covid vaccination. I want to be clear: I am not anti-vaccine. The shots protected vulnerable people in my own family.

Recovery asked a lot. I took medication. I wore a monitor. I stopped exercise for six months. I managed stress and even skipped grapefruit because of drug interactions.

By January 2023, doctors gave me the all-clear. I walked out grateful, humbled, and very aware of how quickly life can change.