I ran my first marathon in April 2024 and eagerly began training for my second one. I quickly noticed that training was a lot more challenging than usual. I chalked discomfort in my shoulder up to lifting heavy weights in the gym and chest pain up to my sports bras being too tight.
My heart rate was also abnormally high and I noticed I was having trouble breathing, which I thought could be due to the humidity or dehydration. When these symptoms carried over from just running to my day-to-day, I knew something was off.
A date with my boyfriend at the Harvard Art Museum quickly went south. He noticed I was out of breath, had trouble climbing stairs, and needed to sit down frequently. We went to urgent care, where I was quickly dismissed. They offered to prescribe me ibuprofen which I declined. The provider asked if I was feeling anxious, thinking that this may be in my head, and asked if I had hit my arm or shoulder on anything. She did not believe that I needed to visit the ER.
Two days later, I visited my PCP. I told her that my EKG from urgent care was clear, but since she knew I was on estrogen-based birth control, she advised that I go to the ER to make sure that what I was experiencing was not a blood clot.
By this time, I could not lay back, had trouble taking a deep breath, had pain radiating from my neck into my arm into my left side, a resting heart rate well over 100 BPM, and extreme pain. At the ER, I was triaged quickly, but since another EKG was clear, I was told that I “would not die in the next hour,” and I waited for 3.5 hours.
Once taken back, I had my blood drawn and a D-dimer taken, which showed over 1500. Then, I had a CT scan with iodine, showing several clots in my lungs.
I was kept in the ER overnight before being transferred to a room. An ultrasound confirmed a DVT the next day. The scariest part was that my boyfriend was away and my parents live out of state, so I was experiencing this alone! My parents came up the next day to help.
I’m now on a blood thinner and awaiting additional testing to find the root cause. I’m so grateful to my PCP! I am also grateful for my ability to breathe comfortably.
I’ve learned to be my own advocate and recognize my symptoms. It’s also been helpful talking to young, active women who have experienced the same thing.
