In March 2024, I ran a parent race at my kids’ sporting event. Two days later, I started to experience symptoms similar to costochondritis, including a sharp pain in my ribs. It became worse, and I could not lay flat to sleep and it was painful to take a deep breath.
A doctor friend of mine told me to come and see her the next day. I was sent to do a D-dimer blood test and the result returned as elevated. I had a CT scan, which required me to lay flat, putting me in excruciating pain. I left the hospital and was told I would have my results the next day. Meanwhile, I felt like my entire chest was being compressed — the worst pain I had ever experienced.
My doctor called me a few hours later and demanded that I meet her at the ER immediately because I was experiencing a pulmonary embolism. I was immediately given a blood thinner injection and placed on a blood thinner for six months.
After starting the medication, I started bleeding from my right breast. This led to a series of tests, and a lump was discovered, but a biopsy revealed it was benign. The process led to me getting my right side milk ducts removed.
In terms of risk factors for blood clots, estrogen-based birth control may have been the root cause of my PE. I had no pain in my legs leading up to my PE, but the doctors feel it may have stemmed from a clot that moved from my leg to my lung.
Through this experience, I have learned to listen to my body, move more, and not sit for long hours. The NBCA website has taught me so much, and it’s been such a helpful guide throughout my journey.
