COVID
I’m Grateful for Every Healthy Day I Have: Julie’s Story
In December 2023, I finally got Covid. Not once, but twice with a rebound version. I was so sick I couldn’t move on the second round. For months, I worked with my GP to modify and add medications, trying to get my breathing better. Nothing worked, and I barely left the house for months. It…
I Refuse to Let CTED Control My Life: Lizzie’s Story
I suffered a massive saddle pulmonary embolism as well as multiple smaller PEs, some of which are now chronic, in October 2022. My event was provoked by an unsuccessful vascular ablation that left my great saphenous vein partially open and Covid 19. Two years later, I still experience intermittent chest tightness and fatigue. After an…
My Current Diagnosis is Chronic Thromboembolic Disease: Ann’s Story
On Day 10 of a mild case of Covid and after running five miles that morning, I developed pain under my collarbone right before bedtime. I thought it might be a coronary vasospasm, which I get, so I took nitroglycerin. It didn’t help, so I decided to measure my oxygen, which was in the mid-80s.…
I’m Inspired By Others Who’ve Been Through This: Christina’s Story
I was 33 years old. I had a cramp in my leg and figured it was just that until it lasted three days. I’ve always been judged and misunderstood when it comes to my health anxiety but this time it saved my life. I knew something wasn’t right and made a doctor’s appointment. I had…
Factor V Leiden Runs In My Family: Abby’s Story
When I was a child, my brother and I were tested for factor V Leiden after my father had a clot that traveled to his lungs (PE) and was diagnosed with the factor V disorder. The test came back normal for both me and my brother. About 10 years later, I was 22, working my…
Monitor Your Own Vitals: Jamie’s Story
It was June of 2023. I was five days postpartum when I started to get really erratic blood pressure readings. It would go from 177/206 to 123/79 within minutes, up and down like a roller coaster. I was also having palpitations and I remember telling the doctor later that I had a twinge of pain…
I’m Happy to Be Alive: Lizzie’s Story
In September 2022, I underwent a foam sclerotherapy on the great saphenous vein in my left leg to treat a varicose vein. This is a minimally-invasive, non-surgical procedure that involves injecting a foam mixture into varicose veins to treat underlying vein conditions. At the time, I was unknowingly Covid positive for the second time in…
I’m Grateful for the Insightful Urgent Care Provider Who Saved My Life: Mary’s Story
I had lower right leg pain for more than a month. I finally went to urgent care in October 2022. I described the pain as a pinging inside my leg and I thought it was a stress fracture. The provider asked a few questions about medications. I told her I took tamoxifen to reduce a…
I’ve Become a Passionate Advocate for Mental Health Support: Carrie’s Story
In November 2022, I caught COVID-19 and was battling sickness for over a week. Mild symptoms persisted for a few weeks beyond that, but I was pretty much back to my normal routine by December. In January 2023, I began noticing symptoms that I had never experienced in the months prior: random shortness of breath,…
Recovery Has Been a Long Road: Jessica’s Story
I had COVID for the first time in November of 2020. My symptoms were typical: fatigue, loss of appetite, and shortness of breath. Once I recovered, I had ongoing yet mild shortness of breath, so when it started happening more frequently, I wrote it off as just a symptom of long COVID. Looking back, I…