Patient Stories

In July 2017, I was walking from the parking garage to my office, and by the time I got to my desk, I was completely out of breath. This continued for three days. By the third day, I was scared and I actually thought maybe I had a heart attack. I made an appointment with…

I was 23 years old and 40 weeks into a high-risk pregnancy. I was considered high risk because of a cyst cutting the circulation off to my right ovary, and I also had endometriosis. I had a C-section on August 17, 2020. After the surgery, I returned to my hospital room and cuddled up with…

In February 2023, I went to the ER with abdominal pain I couldn’t explain. After four days in step-down ICU, 30+ labs, two CT scans, three ultrasounds, a chest X-ray, and an echocardiogram, doctors told me I had blood clots, which compromised my blood flow and caused splenic infarcts. After a consult with my hematologist,…

I had been going about my normal routine at work and home. I awoke one day with cold symptoms. The next day was a tad worse, so I got some cold medicine. I went to work as usual and was carrying a ladder when — boom — I felt dizzy and winded and I was…

In October 2021, I had a fall that caused my left knee to dislocate. It was determined that I had fractured my patella, and torn the medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) in my knee. Since I had a history of dislocations, I opted for an MPFL reconstruction to reduce the chance of dislocation in the future.…

At 20 years old, I was healthy, fit, active, and recovering from an ACL tear from a year and a half prior. When I finally went in for reconstructive surgery on June 19, 2020, it was at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, already a very stressful time. I was aware that I had a…

My husband and I are both ultra runners. On June 27 of this year, we were both going for an early morning training run with him starting about five minutes behind me. I had been experiencing shortness of breath for a few weeks before this run. Little things, such as bringing groceries in from the…

In April 2020, I had been feeling sick and brushed it off as allergies. Due to COVID, I had a telehealth visit and was diagnosed with bronchitis. After four months of a lingering cough, I started to have a hard time breathing while doing the most menial things. Standing became so trying. I finally went…

I had my first deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism at 18 years old due to May-Thurner Syndrome. My symptoms were left lower abdomen pain and fainting. I was told multiple times it was a miracle I was alive due to the clot burden. I spent 12 days in the hospital and had a temporary…

I remember going for a walk with my 10-month-old daughter the day I first felt the pain. I thought I’d pulled a muscle in my shoulder while pushing a heavy pram up a steep hill. Over a few days, the dull, sharp pain became worse. It felt like it was wrapping around my shoulder and…