Birth control
When in Doubt, Check it Out: Melissa’s Story
Three years ago, I was starting a new school year with dozens of other school teachers in my district. About a week after going back to work, I noticed some changes in my health. I seemed more fatigued than usual, and I noticed my ankles were swollen. While walking my son around his new school…
Surviving Blood Clots is Life-Changing: Jackie’s Story
I was just recently diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in my left leg, and acute pulmonary emboli (PE) in my lungs. It all began in early March of 2017, with an unexplained persistent cough. Shortly thereafter, I began to also have shortness of breath. I thought I was developing asthma. Although I initially ignored…
No One Knows Your Body Better than You: Rebecca’s Story
I’ve always been active and healthy, and I was always involved in a lot of sports growing up. Now, as a 28-year-old woman, I’ve maintained a healthy lifestyle with proper nutrition as well as exercise. I have enjoyed running, high intensity interval training, and yoga for years now, and I am currently training for my…
Grateful to Be Alive: Melanie’s Story
I am 53 years old, a busy business owner, wife, and mother. Being diagnosed with PE has rocked my world. I ran a marathon in May 2016. A month later, during my annual exam, my gynecologist suggested I take birth control to “get through menopause without having to deal with the nuisances.” A voice inside…
A Blood Clot in the Brain Changed My Life: Jen’s Story
I am a 33-year-old relatively healthy, active woman. I don’t smoke or drink. On August 19, 2016, I woke up with a headache that wouldn’t subside even with pain medication and acupuncture. The next morning, the pain was worse. I vomited and had a drooping eyelid, so I went to urgent care. Thankfully, the doctor…
Youth Doesn’t Equal Invincibility: Helen’s Story
The day my life almost ended was a picturesque, snow-dappled Saturday in December. I was a 22-year-old on an adventure, visiting Germany for the first time and staying with some old friends. I couldn’t wait to see what an authentic German “Weihnachten” had to offer. Little did I know, my life was about to be…
I’m a 22-Year-Old Nursing Student, and I Experienced a Blood Clot: Katie’s Story
It was just another day of college as I got up to go to my clinical rotation for nursing school. When I got home, I noticed a sharp pain under my left breast that, as the night went on, radiated to my back and up my left shoulder blade. Just to be safe, I went…
Back Pain was my First Symptom: Kassidy’s Story
Five years ago, at the age of 23, I developed dozens of blood clots in both of my legs, my pelvis, and my stomach. Two weeks earlier, I was experiencing daily back pain on my lower right side. My OB/GYN chalked the pain up to ovarian cysts, which had never been a problem before. I…
Trust Your Gut: Kaitlyn’s Story
In April 2013, I traveled to Japan to visit my brother, and then to California to visit my grandfather. When I got home from my two-week vacation, I woke up one morning with a shooting pain in my leg. I thought perhaps I slept wrong or I wore the wrong shoes at work the previous…
Surviving Made Me Stronger: DesiRae’s Story
In December 2015, I was a 32-year-old newlywed and my life seemed perfect. Three months earlier, Brian and I had our dream wedding in Sonoma, CA, and were planning our first Christmas together as Mr. and Mrs. Since we went home to the Midwest to visit our families over Thanksgiving, we decided to take a trip…
