Patient Stories
I Was Told My Leg Might Need to be Amputated: Velton’s Story
In October of 1993, when I was 47, my left leg started swelling from my hip to my toes and I started experiencing trouble breathing. My leg felt so tight, that I couldn’t bend my knee, so I contacted an orthopedic practice who then referred me to an internal medicine physician, Dr. D. Dr. D.…
The Other Side of Nursing: Christa’s Story
My name is Christa and I have been a cardiac nurse at South Shore Hospital in S. Weymouth, MA for the past 15 years. My story is not from any of my many years of working in the medical profession but rather of the challenges I came across from the other side of nursing, as…
I Appeared on Good Morning America: Pam’s Story
It’s because of a Good Morning America segment about pain in the back of the leg that I was listening to while getting ready for work that I am able to tell my story. Having similar pain to what they were talking about prompted me to call my physician and I was scheduled for an…
Misdiagnosed With Chest Wall Pain: Jim’s Story
My sport and how I got started are directly linked. I lost my father and grandfather to blood related cancers when I was a young boy. In 2005 I became aware of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Societies Team in Training and got involved. I became an endurance athlete and began raising money to fight blood…
Factor V Leiden and Birth Control: Jessica’s Story
Today was a cool, brisk November day, and I decided to go visit Jessies’ Garden. I climbed from my car and walked the short distance to the spot where our journey ended two and a half years ago. We brought her here to her final resting-place while the bagpipes she loved played Amazing Grace. I…
Diagnosed with Antithrombin III Deficiency: Harold’s Story
In October 2008, I found out that I have the thrombophilia known as Antithrombin (AT) Deficiency, and I learned it the hard way. I noticed that I felt slightly short of breath for two days, so I made an appointment with a cardiologist at the Minneapolis Heart Institute. I was unable to keep that appointment,…
My Gynecologist Never Warned Me of the Dangers: Jeanne’s Story
I was logging more than 100 miles on my bicycle in any given week. So, at 46 years of age, it was not surprising that from time to time my legs ached. Why wouldn’t they? And that was exactly what I told my family physician when she warned me that my leg pain could be…
Cedric Bill’s Story
As U.S. Army Master Fitness Trainer, I was used to physically challenging my body. So, it was not unusual, when in August of 2002, I shrugged off a sharp pain in the calf of my leg – a pain that had jolted me from a restful morning sleep. “What is it,” I thought, and quickly…
After My Sister’s Death, Our Fears Now Shift to Our Children: Kimberly Story
Kimberly Hennings of Colorado shares her and her sister’s story of pulmonary embolism. Kim developed multiple PE’s post-surgery in November 2007. She later found out she carries prothrombin G20210A genetic thrombophilia, as do all of her family members except her mother. Tragically, her sister Angela died of a PE at age 40 in July 2008. …
Owning My Coagulation Health Management
Like many of you who are reading this, I am a Warfarin “lifer.” Also, like many of you, I have experienced the frequent delays and inconvenience of waiting at busy lab sites for the brief procedure resulting in my PT-INR ratios. As a busy professional, I felt a growing need to challenge this “traditional” approach.…
