Birth control

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…

In late September 2023, my left calf started aching mysteriously. The pain was radiating up and down my leg so I thought maybe it was a pinched nerve. It was getting hard to walk, so I did an online urgent care visit. I was diagnosed with muscle strain and told to wrap it, take ibuprofen…

In the fall of 2023, I was a healthy 21-year-old college senior busy with graduate school applications and interviews. I was working out multiple days a week and going to class, trying to enjoy my last year of college. One night, I went bowling for the first time in a while and woke up the…

In September 2024, I went on FMLA and short-term disability due to severe pain in my leg that was assumed to be a hamstring and calf cramp issue. Less than two months later, on Nov. 14, 2024, I had the biggest scare of my life. I woke up that morning and went to let my…

When I went in for hip surgery to repair my labrum — a ring of cartilage in the hip that stabilizes and cushions the hip joint — I was excited. After two years of limited mobility, I couldn’t wait to get back to the active lifestyle I loved. I’d likely injured myself training for triathlons,…

I am a healthy 23-year-old woman and had never experienced any real health concerns. I walk the same route every morning to work, but on this particular morning, I was out of breath almost instantly. When I sat at my desk, I was still unable to catch my breath. It felt like the air was…

I was diagnosed with my clot in February 2022 after a period of immobility recovering from a torn hamstring. I was unaware of any underlying health conditions, and the blood clot was seemingly out of nowhere. The medical professionals where I was living at the time placed me on blood thinners and left me to…

I am a healthy 44-year-old mom, wife, and professional who has never had any health issues. But 2024 was an extremely busy year, and I was having a lot of stress and anxiety. In October, I started experiencing some minor pain in my shoulder. Within a few days, the pain had moved into my side…

A week before everything took a drastic turn, I had fallen and broken my foot. I was placed in a boot and told to rest. A few days later, I noticed the back of my knee hurting. Not just a regular ache, but one that felt like a cramp and the pain meds didn’t touch…

One morning I was feeling lightheaded, so I checked my running watch and saw my heart rate was in the low 40s. I assumed I’d just stood up too quickly. As the day went on, I felt some chest pressure, which I chalked up to anxiety, something I often experience with POTS. But the pressure…