MTS

When I had a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in my left leg, I was a 19-year-old college freshman who had never heard of blood clots before. I assumed I’d broken my leg and hobbled to two classes before going to the hospital. The hospital was a rural one with only four beds in the ER,…

At 31 weeks pregnant, I was getting ready for the arrival of my baby when I started experiencing extreme pain in my left leg. I remember going to my baby shower and barely being able to walk. This was very concerning, so after the baby shower, I called my OB/GYN and explained the symptoms I…

In September of 2020 at the age of 21, I was pregnant with my son during what appeared to be a perfectly normal pregnancy. Thankfully, I delivered a healthy baby boy. But just two days later, I began experiencing significant swelling in my left leg. I knew it was normal for pregnant women to retain…

In February 2021, at 28 years old, I was diagnosed with a 5.5- inch blood clot in my left vena cava. I was admitted to the hospital and the images revealed that the clot had been present and developing for more than a year and a half! I also underwent knee surgery one month prior…

December 19, 2019, will always be a day I remember. Three weeks prior to that day, I noticed calf pain in my left leg that would come and go. I chalked it up to a running injury. I was in the best shape of my life, running 20 miles a week and attending fitness classes…

I was the most fit I had ever been when I had my deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary emboli (PE) at 28 years old. I ran marathons, competed in triathlons, and had just recently completed my first 100-mile bike race. After my bike race, I was struggling to recover. My legs felt heavy. My…

I am a registered nurse, but that didn’t help me spot my issue. I was working a shift, and I felt very run down and tired. I thought maybe I was catching the flu. My left leg felt kind of tingly like my foot was asleep, and I had some pain in my groin, which…

I was sitting outside enjoying the fresh air when my FitBit said my heart rate was up to 100. I just had surgery to put in a plate and screws for a broken tibia (shin bone). My mom was concerned that she saw signs of a blood clot in my leg. When she touched my…

On Thursday, December 20, 2018, I was 19 years old, and one day away from finishing my first semester of college. As I opened my eyes that day, I was having excruciating pain on the left side of my lower back. I had been dealing with lower back and hip pain since July 2018, and…

No one can predict what medical issues they will have to overcome in their lives. I never thought that I would come face to face with a serious condition, like deep vein thrombosis, when I was 16 years old. It is what happened to me, though, and I feel extremely passionate about raising awareness, because…