Patient Stories
The Doctor Wanted to Send Me Home: Catalina’s Story
My heart was beating unusually and I felt tired; it was a long day. After family holidays and an accident on the road, we were trapped for several hours in the car. When I arrived at my destination, my heart still racing. I felt it in my neck. My heart rate was between 160-180. As…
Being Diagnosed with a PE was a Traumatic Experience: Lauren’s Story
In early April 2023, I underwent a complete hysterectomy. My recovery was complicated by uncontrolled pain and urinary retention, which required a Foley catheter for a week. I then started experiencing a UTI, which required hospitalization. I was finally improving by the end of April, but on May 5, 2023, I suddenly started to experience…
Educate Yourself on the Signs and Symptoms of Blood Clots: Peggy’s Story
As told by her daughter Pellayia My mother passed away June 22, 1998 of a pulmonary embolism. It was sudden. I left for university that morning and got a call in between classes that I needed to come home right away. I told my cousin that I had a quiz and couldn’t. He kept insisting.…
Having So Many Blood Clots at a Young Age is Terrifying: Shannon’s Story
I was 20 years old and on the contraceptive pill when I had my first DVT very suddenly. I woke up with a swollen, painful leg and couldn’t walk properly. I was diagnosed with factor V Leiden (heterozygous) and put on blood thinners. After having my son at 23 years old, I developed two DVTs,…
VTOS is a Medical Emergency: Elise’s Story
On October 24, 2023, my 13-year-old daughter Elise’s arm began to swell and change color during swim practice. Elise has been a competitive swimmer since she was five years old and being at practice was a routine part of her day for many, many years. Her coaches did not know what was wrong with her…
I Knew Nothing About Blood Clots: Shawna’s Story
During Covid, I was teaching from home and not as active as I once was. I began feeling short of breath at the start of the week, but attributed it to the bad air quality from fires in the area. On Thursday evening, I began feeling a pain in the right side of my back…
This Was a Wakeup Call: Emily’s Story
In October 2020 I began to experience difficulties breathing, sharp stabbing pains, and dizziness that continued for for five days. During this time, I was avid long distance runner and weight lifter. My life revolved around fitness. I assumed since I was in such good physical condition that something like this would ever happen to…
Love Your Fam Like Crazy Every Day: John’s Story
Our son John died as a result of massive bilateral pulmonary embolism on August 10, 2023 after a high-risk cosmetic procedure performed on July 29, 2023 in Hawaii. John was less than 10 days post-op when his symptoms first began. His cause of death was cardiac arrest secondary to massive bilateral pulmonary embolism. My biggest…
I Begged Them to Look at my Lungs for Clots: Renee’s Story
I had two episodes where I was walking through my house and felt something in my chest. I felt clammy like I was about to pass out. After the second episode in March 2020, I went to the doctor I told her I thought I had blood clots. I felt something dragging through my chest…
I’ll Never Ignore My Body Again: Chrissy’s Story
At 35 weeks pregnant, I had a feeling that something was severely wrong. While cooking Father’s Day breakfast for my husband, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I called my OB and was told to come into triage for monitoring. I was admitted, but my oxygen levels were perfect, and my EKG was pristine. I…
