Three years ago, I woke up on a Friday with pain in my calf that felt like a cramp that would not go away. I had big plans that weekend, so I went along my way, but the pain never went away.
Sunday morning, I iced and heated my leg, thinking I just pulled a muscle or had a bad cramp in the night that left my calf sore, but the pain got consistently worse. I went a few more days until I noticed my breathing felt off. Taking a deep breath felt as if I had a bad cold, and when I bent over my back rattled when I breathed. My heart rate was also very elevated at times, and I could feel my pulse like never before.
My family likes to call me a hypochondriac and I will gladly take the title after this experience. Being aware of my body saved my life.
I finally decided it was time to go to my local quick care where they told me that I needed to get to the emergency room ASAP!
I was immediately sent for an ultrasound of my leg, and I knew right when the nurse hovered over my left calf that she saw something. They rushed me to a room and also ordered a CT scan. The results showed a large blood clot in my left leg and four small clots in my lungs.
I was in pure panic.
I wasn’t admitted to the hospital, but I was sent home on blood thinners and scheduled follow-up appointments with a hematologist. We ran many different tests trying to figure out why a perfectly healthy 28-year-old woman would develop blood clots.
The medicine I took daily was actually the perpetrator. I was on a high-estrogen birth control.
Now, three years later, I have remained clot free. I’m sharing my story to help advocate for women everywhere to pay attention to what birth control your doctor prescribes you, ask the questions I didn’t ask, and know the risks.
The physical recovery was only part of it. I had a lot of anxiety and health OCD after this incident. But I am now recovering emotionally and proof that it does get better.
Resources
How is a pulmonary embolism diagnosed?
