It started on a Tuesday with mild lower back pain. I assumed that I’d strained something somehow. By Wednesday, the pain was slightly worse, and I felt weak, short of breath, and dizzy when standing—something definitely wasn’t right.
By Friday, the pain spread to my left groin and down my left thigh. I convinced myself it must be a severe back injury, maybe a herniated disc.
Later that night, the pain was so excruciating that I couldn’t walk and had to be wheeled into the ER. The pain felt like a tourniquet was tied around my thigh, like I wasn’t getting any blood flow. I told the ER doctor that I suspected a back injury, but I also mentioned a possible blood clot, since I’d started estrogen-based hormone therapy about eight weeks earlier for endometriosis.
Imaging revealed a massive DVT—completely occluding my left femoral vein, iliac vein, and extending into my inferior vena cava. On top of that, I had multiple small pulmonary emboli scattered throughout both lungs.
I underwent two emergency procedures to remove the clots, discontinued hormone therapy, and later tested positive for factor V Leiden (heterozygous) —a genetic clotting disorder — and May-Thurner syndrome, a condition where the left iliac vein gets compressed by the right iliac artery. At 25 years old, I’ll likely be on anticoagulants for life.
As a nurse, I knew the signs—but I didn’t recognize them in myself. Like many medical professionals, I didn’t want to be “that” patient who overreacts or wastes an ER visit. I waited until the pain was unbearable.
I share my story to remind fellow medical professionals: You are not immune. Listen to your body. Don’t delay treatment out of fear of seeming “dramatic.” It could save your life.
