From January to mid-April, I traveled weekly from New Jersey to California for work. I’ve never felt any pain in my legs, and I always tried to move them during flights.
On May 4, I drove from New Jersey to my daughter’s home in Maryland, about a four-hour drive. I stopped for a break after two hours. The next day, I felt an excruciating pain in my right side. I couldn’t move when lying in bed, and it was hard to breathe.
The pain eased a little the next day, and I thought maybe it was a gallbladder attack or pulled muscle. A few days later, I felt the same pain on my left side, only this was much worse and was very hard to move and breathe.
I’m a nurse, and I knew something was very wrong, so I went to the emergency department. They did blood work and a CT scan, and before they came in with the results, I had already seen the bloodwork results from the patient portal and knew immediately from the one result that I had a blood clot.
The CT confirmed bilateral pulmonary embolism. I was in the hospital for two days on heparin protocol and discharged with apixaban. I went to the hematologist the next week for extensive bloodwork and found out that I have a mutation on the prothrombin gene (factor II).
Traveling most likely caused the clot, and I’m sure the dehydration contributed somewhat. I now make sure to stay hydrated.
My advice is to listen to your body and if you feel anything abnormal, do not hesitate to seek medical attention. Stay hydrated!
