DVT
I’ll Never Ignore My Body Again: Chrissy’s Story
At 35 weeks pregnant, I had a feeling that something was severely wrong. While cooking Father’s Day breakfast for my husband, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I called my OB and was told to come into triage for monitoring. I was admitted, but my oxygen levels were perfect, and my EKG was pristine. I…
No One Should Have to Bury Their Child: Brianne’s Story
As told by her mother Nancy My world changed in 2014 when my 22-year-old daughter Brianne died in my arms. I was in so much shock that she passed away. She had leg pain, then trouble breathing, and I just couldn’t figure out what was wrong. I didn’t know why until the medical examiner conducted…
My Doctor Laughed At Me: Charmaine’s Story
I was involved in a motorbike accident on August 9, 2023, and had an injury to my left leg. I suffered severe pain but had to go to work. After struggling to walk, I went back to my doctor. He recommended bed rest for about five days. I asked him to admit me to the…
Never Lose Hope in the Face of Adversity: Jennifer’s Story
In 2009, I experienced the most challenging and life-changing event. After giving birth to my beautiful baby girl by C-section, I was overjoyed, but soon faced a series of unexpected and frightening health complications. Two days after giving birth, I began experiencing severe abdominal pain and could barely move. This pain went on for weeks,…
Things Do Get Easier: Patsy’s Story
One Sunday afternoon, I was giving my daughter a bath when I suddenly became very hot and dizzy. I felt my heart fluttering and then I had difficulty breathing. I called for my husband and we both agreed that I had probably overdone it and gotten too hot. I took it easy the rest of…
I Was Diagnosed with Factor V Leiden When It Was New: Lisa’s Story
In March 1989, I was a sophomore in college and on spring break in Florida when my left calf became extremely swollen and I could barely walk. I also had severe pain in between my shoulders and had shortness of breath. A friend took me to the ER, where I stayed for almost two weeks.…
She Thought She Was Protected: Jessica’s Story
As told by her sister Ashley My sister Jessica was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis that caused her to have a pulmonary embolism when she was 21 and she almost died. She had an IVC filter placed at that time, but it didn’t keep her from developing another DVT in July 2023 that caused her…
He Passed Away on the Way to the Hospital: Brian’s Story
As told by his wife, Allison In January 2017, my husband Brian and I had been married for one year, and I had just given birth to our son seven weeks earlier. Brian started mentioning that he had bad calf pain. For a man that never complained, this was odd, but I didn’t know to…
It’s Important to Listen to Your Body: Dan’s Story
On Valentine’s Day 2013, I woke up with what I thought was a stomach virus. A few hours later, I was in the ER with a diverticulitis attack that split open my intestine and spent 10 days in the hospital. A few months later, I had another diverticulitis attack, but I caught it early and…
The Doctor Told Her Not to Worry: Marsha’s Story
My younger sister Marsha had many blood clots over the years. She found out that she had protein S deficiency shortly after our father died in 1998. She had veins that were painful and found a doctor who was willing to strip them (phlebectomy). Marsha asked him about her history with clots. The doctor told…
