In March 2019, I was recovering from a broken ankle when I began experiencing odd, unfamiliar symptoms, like shortness of breath and back pain. I thought it was anxiety.
My husband picked me up from work one day, and the second I got in his car, I couldn’t breathe, then I passed out. When he couldn’t wake me, he started driving to the nearest ER.
When we arrived, they immediately thought it was a blood clot. They couldn’t find a vein to start treatment, so I was transferred to another hospital. A special team placed a line in my upper arm so they could perform a scan to see the clots.
While I awaited the results, I was in so much pain from my elevated heart rate, back pain, and anxiety. I recall hearing the doctor tell my mom and mother-in-law that I had an extremely large pulmonary embolism and that my outlook wasn’t great.
I was transferred to a heart hospital and underwent catheter-directed thrombolysis to treat the PE. During my 10 days in the hospital, it was also discovered that I had other DVTs in my injured leg.
My only blood clot risk factors were my ankle injury and estrogen-based birth control. I will be on warfarin for the rest of my life. If I choose to have children, that experience will be extremely different than what I thought.
I hope to spread awareness so that others seek help before it’s too late!
Resources
Living Your Best Life on Blood Thinners
Women and Blood Clots
Interventional Therapies to Treat Blood Clots
