Thrombectomy

I ran my first 5K in years the Sunday before all this happened. During the race, I injured my right knee. On Monday, I went to the doctor and was told to try rest, ice, compression, and elevation, and to use crutches for a few days. The first day on crutches wasn’t bad, but by…

I’m 27, and my story isn’t about being young; it’s about blood that doesn’t flow. My history is a sequence of crises. Two weeks postpartum, IVF hormones and an emergency C-section created the perfect storm. I was struck by shortness of breath, chest pain, and neck pain. Rushed to the hospital, they found a pulmonary…

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…

Not long ago, I faced a medical nightmare that nearly ended my life. It wasn’t just one issue — it was a total breakdown of my body from the inside out. It started with unbearable chest pain, shortness of breath, and intense abdominal pressure. I went to three different hospitals before I was treated. The…

On October 29, 2024, I began experiencing persistent pain in my right calf. The discomfort was significant enough that, five days later, I drove myself to the nearest hospital. Unfortunately, no blood work was conducted, and the ultrasound performed on my leg was brief and inconclusive. I was diagnosed with a muscle cramp and advised…

In August 2024, I experienced growing weakness in my legs after a hamstring injury. I had a pain in my lower back and almost complete numbness in my hamstrings. Gradually these symptoms worsened to the point where I needed help to stand on my own. Around the beginning of March 2025, I made an appointment…

I have always been an avid runner. In August 2024, I was training for my seventh marathon when I developed pain and swelling in my left leg. I thought I had strained my calf and did physical therapy, but I didn’t make any progress. I attempted the marathon but ultimately dropped out at mile 8…

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…

In January 2022, at 27 years old, I checked in to the hospital and was treated for a superficial clot in my right leg, along with a minor case of cellulitis, a bacterial skin infection. Over the next few months, the pains in my leg continued to the point where I could no longer walk.…

I wrapped my leg around a chair while walking by it on January 16, 2025 and fell. My right leg immediately bruised and swelled, so I went to the emergency room. X-rays showed a contusion to the bone. My leg was bandaged and I was sent on my way. As time wore on, my leg…