Birth control
Always Pay Attention to Changes in Your Body: Kristian’s Story
In May of this year, I took a short flight, only about two and a half hours one way, and soon after, I noticed a cramping sensation in my right calf. I assumed it was just soreness or dehydration, so I ignored it for a couple of days. When the pain didn’t go away, I…
The Fear of Another PE Still Lives in my Body: Caitlyn’s Story
It was a couple of days after traveling when I first noticed something wasn’t right. I had switched birth control pills within the last several months. At my first conference talk after COVID, I realized mid-presentation that I couldn’t quite get through full sentences without pausing for breath. I told myself it was just nerves.…
I Learned to Love My Body Again: Andreea’s Story
Two weeks after a 68-mile bike ride, I couldn’t straighten my leg, and my veins bulged. “It’s just a bruise,” the ER doctor said, looking at my leg. He dismissed it the same way that the sports doctor and physical therapists did. But weeks later, my leg looked blue with spider veins. I sent a…
As a Physician, I’m More Aware of Looking for Blood Clots in my Patients: Lynette’s Story
In 2014, while in podiatry school, I went to the student health center because I was short of breath and was coughing up blood. The nurse practitioner diagnosed me with bronchitis. Less than two weeks later, I learned the truth — I had a saddle pulmonary embolism, which means a large blood clot was blocking…
This Could Have Ended Up Much Worse: Michelle’s Story
In February 2021, on a Friday, I noticed that my heart rate was getting high with very little activity. By Monday, I was having chest pains and severe shortness of breath. On Tuesday, I decided to go to the hospital because I was concerned about my heart. After almost passing out multiple times in the…
Fight For Yourself: Sarah’s Story
After two long months of debilitating headaches and vision problems, I was finally diagnosed in July 2025 with a cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), a rare and dangerous clot in the veins that drain the brain, at 24 years old. My first ER trip was in May, when I showed up with stabbing head, neck,…
If You Feel Like Something is Wrong, Please Advocate for Yourself: Nicole’s Story
On October 27, 2024, I was diagnosed with cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). There was a large blood clot taking up the transverse and sigmoid portion of the venous sinus of my brain. I am still dealing with some neurological deficits. My symptoms started while I was working. Looking at the computer screen, numbers and…
You’re Never Too Young to be Diagnosed with a Blood Clot: Maudi’s Story
My story starts on a fun family trip to New York City. The first day after our flight, I woke up with the most painful muscle cramp in my left calf. I stretched and walked it off throughout the day, and the pain subsided for a few hours. I went three more days of stretching…
Never Give Up Hope: Shaun’s Story
I was diagnosed with two left pulmonary emboli on January 22, 2024. I tested positive for Covid one week prior, and I had just started estrogen-based birth control for irregular periods as well. On Sunday, January 21, I started having shortness of breath and left-sided chest pain. I still had a cough from Covid, and…
I Suddenly Felt Like My Leg Was Dying: Kailea’s Story
I was living in Arizona and going to school. I was in a very minor car accident where my knee hit the dashboard. It was bruised, and about two weeks later, I started feeling a painful cramp behind my knee, similar to a charley horse. When I told my primary care doctor, he ordered an…
