When I was 20, I had some pain in my leg. I chalked it up to a pulled muscle. In the next few days, it seemed to get worse.
My mom convinced me to go to the hospital, but they told me I was constipated and sent me home. The pain continued to get worse and I went back to the hospital.
They couldn’t figure out what was wrong. They tried to send me home again, but my mom refused. It’s a good thing she did, as on my way to get X-rays my entire left leg turned blue and I collapsed and couldn’t walk. I was sent for an ultrasound and they found a grapefruit-sized blood clot in my groin.
After I was diagnosed, it took three months to recover, as I couldn’t walk. I was diagnosed with factor II deficiency and factor V Leiden. The blood clot was brought on by being on birth control for six months.
I am on blood thinners for the rest of my life and my leg has permanent damage as my leg created new veins. I am so happy my mom pushed the doctors to look further into it. If a piece of that clot had broken off, it may have gone a completely different way.
