On December 19, 2024, I noticed that my right thigh hurt and was discolored (purple-ish) but dismissed it, thinking that it was just bad circulation that would go away. Later that night, I felt extremely light-headed, my vision went dark and almost passed out. My mom and I rushed to the hospital because something was not right.
We spent several hours at the ER getting test after test. I got an EKG, X-ray, ultrasound, you name it. Eventually, the doctor told me that I had several blood clots spanning from my inferior vena cava to the iliac veins in my right leg. DVT and PE. He told me that I would have to get emergency surgery.
I was then transported by ambulance to another hospital, where I would spend the night and get my thrombectomy the next morning. I had never been so scared in my life. That night has been replaying in my mind over and over for the past couple of months. I felt so helpless, overwhelmed, and scared that I was going to die.
The surgery itself was pretty traumatic, but it was a success thanks to the wonderful team of doctors that saved my life.
Now here’s the question. I am only 17 and otherwise healthy, so how in the world do I have blood clots?
Well, the answer is a couple of things. I am heterozygous for both factor V Leiden, and prothrombin gene mutation (factor II). These had increased my odds of developing blood clots only slightly compared to the normal population. However, I was also on estrogen-containing birth control, which had increased my chances of clots by seven-fold. My hematologist says that the clots formed first and foremost due to the combination pill and were exacerbated by my genetic mutations.
I live in pretty much a constant state of anxiety. Any sensation or tingle I feel in my body makes me think there is a new clot. I am now on blood thinners (rivaroxaban) for a minimum of six months, which puts me out of my senior season of lacrosse. I am hopeful that I will be able to come off blood thinners one day, but for now, I want to educate others on the importance of being informed about their clotting risk.
