Thrombectomy
“My God. I Could Have Died:” Cheryl’s Story
Listen to Your Body I’m 68 now. I’ve had asthma most of my life. It’s under control most of the time. February 2025 The first of February 2025, my breathing was not good. I thought it was my asthma. My nebulizer was doing nothing. I went to urgent care. They did a chest x-ray and…
My Right Lung Was 100% Clotted — and My Doctor Told Me It Was Just COVID Recovery: Melissa’s Story
Your Body Speaks. Listen. In late October 2020, I was 8 weeks past a bout of COVID — but short of breath with a hard cough that did not respond to medication. Two Visits. No Answers. Visit 1 to urgent care in early November showed high BP and a hard cough — but nothing on…
I Had No Chest Pain — and Three Pulmonary Embolisms: Tammie’s Story
Just Because You Don’t Check the Boxes Doesn’t Mean You Don’t Have a PE In October 2020, I survived 3 pulmonary embolisms. It Started as Something Familiar It started with feeling unwell with some problems breathing. Because I had asthma, I thought it was that. However, it got much worse the next day. No Chest…
My 14 Year Old Child Saved My Life From a Massive Clot: Cheryl’s Story
My 14 Year Old Child Saved My Life It was 9:30am on 9th December 2022. I was sat on my bed. I had been well the previous fortnight, though I did have a bad cough and a slight niggle in the back of my leg that I thought was a pulled muscle from wearing a…
I Was Awake During My Thrombectomy — Sara’s Story
There Are Moments That Divide Your Life Into a Before and an After I’ve only heard the words “pulmonary embolism” a handful of times in my life. It was a term really reserved for the unthinkable — the kind of thing that happens to other people, not me or my loved ones. February 2nd On…
A Torn ACL Led to a Life-Threatening Pulmonary Embolism: Dawn’s Story
Luckily They Found The Clots in Time It all started back in 2024 when I injured my knee. I came to find out I had torn my ACL with my right knee. Not knowing that clots were forming in my leg and traveling, I had my MRI appointment. Something Was Wrong My heart was racing.…
The Calf Pain I Ignored for Months Was Actually a Massive Blood Clot: Melisa’s Story
I have always been a very avid runner and I was training for my 7th marathon when I developed pain and swelling in my left leg in August of 2024. 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…
Postpartum Blood Clots Don’t Only Happen to High-Risk Patients: Kristelle’s Story
In February 2014, shortly after giving birth prematurely to my twin sons at the age of 34, I developed severe back pain. For about a week, I continued to go about my daily activities despite the symptoms. The pain and swelling were especially severe during physical activity and less noticeable at rest. Within days, my…
A Near-Fatal Pulmonary Embolism Story: Grace’s Story
How do you even begin to explain one of the most terrifying, traumatic experiences of your life? It started with a cough that just wouldn’t go away. At first, I figured it was something mild that would pass. But instead of improving, things slowly began to change. I was getting more tired, out of breath…
A Massive Saddle Pulmonary Embolism Without Warning: Pam’s Story
For several months, I had been dealing with high blood pressure, but otherwise felt mostly okay. One morning, I woke up early as usual and started doing chores around the house. After emptying the dishwasher, I felt unusually tired. My daughter noticed I was struggling and had me sit down. That’s when I realized how…
