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 and the doctor laughed, saying, “You can’t feel blood clots moving. It’s your heart fluttering.”
I was sent to a cardiologist for an EKG and stress test in August 2020 and was told there was nothing wrong with my heart. From March 2020 to March 2021, I had chest pains, tightness and had shortness of breath.
It was a Friday and I had taken off work because we were going camping with friends. While loading the truck, the shortness of breath became worse, but I kept on. While on the drive to the campground, I was getting pains in my back. My husband said that maybe we should turn around and go back home, but I said no.
We got there and start setting up camp and I was in severe pain. I walked a few steps and got this stabbing pain in my back and dropped to my knees. Our friends keep telling me we should just go home but I am determined not to ruin the weekend. The worst of it was when I would lay down to sleep. I slept sitting up the whole time. Sunday afternoon we packed up and drove home. I figured I would go to the doctor on Monday morning, but couldn’t wait that long.
In the very early hours of Monday, March 22, 2021, I was crying and could hardly breathe, and my husband rushed me to the ER. When we got there and he told them that I had chest pains, they automatically started thinking it was my heart, so I begged them to look at my lungs for clots.
They did the CT and rushed in saying I was right, clots in both lungs. Blood tests revealed a that I have a blood clotting disorder, factor V Leiden heterozygous, and they believe birth control triggered the clots.
My advice is to pay attention to your body and do not listen to a physician when they say you don’t know what you are feeling. Reading everyone’s stories on the Stop the Clot page has helped me to know that I’m not alone.
Resources
Factor V Leiden
Signs and Symptoms
Glossary of Blood Clotting Terms
