Birth control
My Only Risk Factors Were Birth Control and a Long Car Ride: Hillary’s Story
My husband and took a trip to Destin, Florida for a long weekend after finding out my breast biopsy surgery was benign. We drove 14 hours in one day from Michigan and returned a few days later, only stopping twice for gas. I returned to work and walked to my office up two flights of…
Doctors Will Gaslight You Into Believing You’re Crazy: Kourtney’s Story
I was diagnosed with a DVT and bilateral pulmonary embolism on April 10, 2024. I underwent a biopsy for a uterine cyst in November 2023 and subsequently had my menstrual period for almost 30 days. My gynecologist prescribed me birth control to stop my period. From mid-January until April, I was taking four birth control…
I Convinced Myself It Would Never Happen to Me: Kristin’s Story
When I was just a few months shy of turning 24, I traveled to Mexico, which included a four-hour drive to the airport and four-hour flight. Once I returned, I got sick with a gastrointestinal bug and was off work for three days. The night before I returned to work, I had some chest pain…
My Diagnosis Shook Me: Courtney’s Story
I am a healthy 30-year-old woman. Or at least I thought I was. This summer, I was getting my 1-year-old ready for the day. I lifted him onto the changing table and started to feel light headed. I grabbed him and put him on the floor and sat down to catch my breath, but I…
The Doctor Said a DVT Was Highly Unlikely: Kelly’s Story
One week I was a healthy 24-year-old hiking mountains, the next I was bedridden in a hospital with an unprovoked 20cm DVT. I had an unusual cramping pain in my leg on a Friday night. I took some painkillers and decided to sleep it off. The next morning I felt okay and set off for…
Factor V Leiden Runs In My Family: Abby’s Story
When I was a child, my brother and I were tested for factor V Leiden after my father had a clot that traveled to his lungs (PE) and was diagnosed with the factor V disorder. The test came back normal for both me and my brother. About 10 years later, I was 22, working my…
They Couldn’t Figure Out What Was Wrong: Shantelle’s Story
When I was 20, I had some pain in my leg. I chalked it up to a pulled muscle. In the next few days, it seemed to get worse. My mom convinced me to go to the hospital, but they told me I was constipated and sent me home. The pain continued to get worse…
I Didn’t Give Blood Clots a Second Thought Before Experiencing Mine: Alison’s Story
Last July, I started feeling tightness in my chest when I breathed in deeply. I ignored it for awhile, as it didn’t seem to cause any real issues. A month or so later, I went to my doctor to make sure it wasn’t Covid or another respiratory infection. The doctor ran basic bloodwork, which came…
This Was a Terrifying, Life-Altering, and Isolating Experience: Logan’s Story
I was home from college on winter break when I started feeling a cramp in my leg after working out at the gym. I thought I may have pulled a muscle. I kept stretching and it felt like it was never going away. The pain ended up moving all the way up to my lower…
Three DVTs in Two Decades: Heather’s Story
I’m 43. My first DVT experience was at 19 years old while in college. Long story short, I was sent home by two different doctors over two months even though my leg was in excruciating pain and eventually could barely walk. The third doctor knew what was wrong with me within minutes and sent me…
