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Please Be Mindful of Any Strange Pain You’re Having: Emily’s Story

Please Be Mindful of Any Strange Pain You’re Having: Emily’s Story

I went on an oral contraceptive to help with my acne. My doctor went over all of the risks, including blood clots. She specified that most clots from oral contraceptives are in the calf. I understood and went on the birth control.

Two months later, I woke up with severe pain in my abdomen and left leg. I was brought to the emergency room and had a CT scan, where doctors found an extensive DVT starting at the top of my abdomen and ending at the top of my left leg. My clot extended through three of my main veins including the IVC. Because I was 17 years old, they were shocked to see such an extensive clot in that location.

I went through an emergency thrombectomy as the clot was too large for me to solely be on anticoagulation. Now, I am doing fine. I had a successful venogram and am still on anticoagulation until further notice.

I went through a traumatic situation at such a young age. For the rest of my life, I will always be extra sensitive and hyper-aware of any instance regarding my blood. I will always have to be mindful of what I’m doing, what could happen while I’m doing it, and how that will forever affect me.

I have learned that even the most unexpected thing could happen to anyone. They could be doing everything right, like I was, and still have to go through an unfortunate and scary event.

Please be mindful of any strange pain that you are having. Even if it seems like nothing, never dismiss it because it could always be something serious and you may never know if you don’t trust your instincts.

Resources

Birth Control
Know Your Risk
Signs and Symptoms

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The personal story is intended for informational purposes only. The National Blood Clot Alliance (NBCA) holds the rights to all content that appears on its website. The use by another organization or online group of any content on NBCA’s website, including patient stories that appear here, does not imply that NBCA is connected to these other organizations or groups or condones or endorses their work. Please contact info@stoptheclot.org with questions about this matter.

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