When I was a child, my brother and I were tested for factor V Leiden after my father had a clot that traveled to his lungs (PE) and was diagnosed with the factor V disorder. The test came back normal for both me and my brother.
About 10 years later, I was 22, working my first desk job, and I started having pain in my left leg. I thought it was from favoring that leg after having plantar fasciitis in my foot on the opposite side. I chalked it up to muscle pain and even used a roller to try and roll out the pain.
I got Covid-19 soon after noticing the pain and was quarantined in my bedroom at my parent’s house. My Covid symptoms were improving, but my leg was not. On Super Bowl Sunday of 2022, I had trouble putting my shoes on because my leg was so swollen. It started to become discolored and felt hot.
Reluctantly, I had my boyfriend drive me to urgent care, hoping I’d be sent home in time for the Super Bowl party we were to attend.
Instead, I was quickly sent to the ER and found out that I had a blood clot that went from my groin down to my knee, and I was lucky that it had stayed in my leg. I was admitted to the hospital and was placed in the Covid wing since I had contracted it so recently. I watched the Super Bowl in my hospital bed and worried.
Again, my factor V test came back normal, just as it had when I was a child. I was skeptical. But the doctors told me it was provoked by my birth control pill and Covid. Of course, this could have some truth, but it didn’t tell the whole story.
I’m writing this now about two years later, and I have just found out that I do have factor V Leiden, and even worse, homozygous factor V Leiden, meaning that my mom must also be a carrier. This puts me at a much higher risk of developing a clot in the future.
I take rivaroxaban every day, and I wear compression stockings sometimes. And I’m working on being more active.
My advice to others is to trust your gut. You know your body best, and it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Resources
Factor V Leiden
Birth Control
Family Testing for Clotting Disorders
