Woman

Sarah was a full-time college student when doctors discovered a blood clot in her abdomen that blocked almost all of her collateral veins and produced swelling and pain in her leg. They thought the clot was covering her inferior vena cava, but after she had surgery to remove the clot, they realized her inferior vena cava was completely …

I’m in my mid-twenties and very active. When I experienced calf pain for about two weeks, I attributed it to a strain from uphill running and other cardio and weightlifting workouts. Towards the end of two weeks, I couldn’t ignore the pain. I decided to pop into a nearby physical therapist’s office. I explained my…

I ran my first marathon in 2017, started graduate school for a Masters in Accounting, and accepted a job with a public accounting firm post-graduation. I have always led an active lifestyle throughout high school and into college, which is why it is still difficult for me to wrap my head around the fact that…

In June 2011, 16 weeks after giving birth to my first child, I started having symptoms of back pain. As a  23-year-old new mother, I diagnosed myself with all sorts of things. I decided that the pain I was experiencing must be my kidneys reacting to alcohol after such a long time without any, and…

For all of my life, I have struggled with my weight. When I was 23 and 346 pounds, I decided to get gastric bypass surgery. That is when my nightmare started.  After the surgery, I followed my doctor’s orders to walk as much as possible. However, I started experiencing chest pain about a week later…

After three and a half years, I am ready to share my story about blood clots and pulmonary emboli. My story is tied to my godson, Paul Englert Jr., who unfortunately did not have the same outcome as me. Almost four years ago, he lost his life to a pulmonary embolism at just 19 years…

Three years ago, I was starting a new school year with dozens of other school teachers in my district. About a week after going back to work, I noticed some changes in my health. I seemed more fatigued than usual, and I noticed my ankles were swollen. While walking my son around his new school…

I was just recently diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in my left leg, and acute pulmonary emboli (PE) in my lungs. It all began in early March of 2017, with an unexplained persistent cough. Shortly thereafter, I began to also have shortness of breath. I thought I was developing asthma. Although I initially ignored…

During the third trimester of my fourth pregnancy, I began to have a burning sensation in my left leg when I stood on it. I felt silly for being worried about something that seemed so insignificant, but I eventually called the on-call obstetrician. He told me to take an over-the-counter pain medication, and to stay…

I’ve always been active and healthy, and I was always involved in a lot of sports growing up. Now, as a 28-year-old woman, I’ve maintained a healthy lifestyle with proper nutrition as well as exercise. I have enjoyed running, high intensity interval training, and yoga for years now, and I am currently training for my…