Not long after I turned 21, I started to notice the veins on the left side of my chest becoming extremely prominent. My left arm felt like it was falling asleep constantly throughout the day. It was strange, but I just assumed I had pulled a muscle or slept on it wrong.
I didn’t feel any pain, so I ignored it for about a week until I noticed my arm turning purple. It kept getting darker and more swollen so I rushed to the ER in a panic. I was instantly dismissed and the doctor told me I probably just overextended my arm, and that I was too young for it to be a clot.
I knew nothing about clots so I didn’t put up a fight, but I still felt like something was wrong. I saw my primary doctor about a week later and she was furious that the ER dismissed my concerns. She immediately ordered me a CT scan, blood tests, and an X-ray, and within a few days, my life changed drastically.
I got a call saying I had a DVT under my collarbone and a pulmonary embolism, caused by a condition called venous thoracic outlet syndrome. I started daily enoxaparin injections that night, and was contacted by a vascular surgeon who told me I would need two procedures. The first was a thrombectomy, and the second was a first rib resection.
The whole process was terrifying and it all happened so fast. I had to drop out of college and resign from a job I loved. It was really hard to see my friends live regular lives while I spent the year in recovery.
Luckily I have an incredibly strong support system and I’m surrounded by so much love. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my family, partner, and friends. It took a lot longer to heal than I thought, but 10 months later I feel like I’m finally getting back to normal. I’ve just come off blood thinners and it feels amazing. Plus, I got to keep my rib in a cup which is really cool.
When you’re young and healthy you feel invincible, and being faced with a sliver of your mortality is life-changing. I value and prioritize my health so much more now. It’s extremely isolating to go through medical turmoil at this age. It helped so much to read other people’s stories.
