Travel
Make Sure You Ask Questions Before Ingesting Prescribed Medications: Riddhi’s Story
I suffer from severe polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and irregular cycles. My doctor prescribed birth control pills to regulate my cycle back in December 2021. I often felt cramps in my left leg, but I attributed them to dehydration or fatigue, given that I was a 20-year-old college student at the time. However, after my…
Do Not Ignore Anything, Even if You Feel Like it’s Nothing: Eilidh’s Story
A few days before my collapse, I felt a little out of breath when moving around. However, I had just got back from travelling around Thailand and I also had a sore throat, so I assumed I was just a little run down. I was wrong. On March 22, 2023, I walked down the stairs…
Listen to Your Intuition, Manage Fear, and Advocate For Yourself: Julie’s Story
In October 2023, I had just returned from a Florida vacation. The following day, I woke up with a subtle ache in my left calf. When I shared with my husband, he casually said, “Do you have a blood clot?” But after years of international flights with no issues, it was easy to attribute the…
My PE Triggered a Seismic Shift in My Lifestyle: Wendy’s Story
In Paris, during my second night, searing pain tore through my right lung. I hurried to the hospital and straight into the ICU. Reality hit hard. Blood clots besieged my lungs, diagnosed as a pulmonary embolism (PE), stemming from a larger clot in my left calf—deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The cause? Not a mere muscle…
Keep Finding Joy in Little Things: Arielle’s Story
I am a two time blood clot survivor. My first pulmonary embolism was at 21 after endometriosis surgery and while on birth control, and my symptoms included shortness of breath and back pain making it impossible to sit back or lie back. My second clot happened when I was 25 after a cross-country flight. I…
The ER Sent Me Home With No Answers: Emily’s Story
When I was 34 weeks pregnant and 25 years old, I started experiencing pain in my left calf. Being a nurse, I started to question when I should be concerned about the pain. I reached out to my obstetrician and was advised to drink more water and walk more often. The following weekend, I traveled…
My Doctor Told Me There Was Nothing Wrong With Me: Billie’s Story
After a long car trip, I began having pain in my right calf. I came home and told my doctor I thought I had deep vein thrombosis or DVT. He ordered an ultrasound, which took less than 10 minutes, and it came back negative for DVT. My pain continued to worsen over the next two…
I Had Never Heard of DVT/PE: Greg’s Story
As a former professional baseball pitcher, I have always been active. I continued my workouts over the years and tried to stay healthy. But my pride as an athlete in pushing through pain goes way back to my playing days. I even pitched seven innings with a fractured leg before I knew it was injured.…
Don’t Ignore Your Body’s Cry For Help: Connie-Vee’s Story
I’m an artist, and I was editing and spending long hours working with few breaks. In addition, I didn’t get up on my last flight from Washington, DC to Los Angeles. Prior to traveling, I noticed swelling in one leg, but I ignored it. Upon my return, I took a one-mile walk that normally takes…
I Collapsed In Front of My Wife: Steve’s Story
We had been traveling throughout the Great Smoky Mountains looking for our forever home. We got back home to Florida, and on Sept. 3, 2020 at 10 p.m. I walked less than 100 feet to put the garbage on the curb. I looked up at the night stars and thought about how God did such…
