DVT

At 20 years old, I was healthy, fit, active, and recovering from an ACL tear from a year and a half prior. When I finally went in for reconstructive surgery on June 19, 2020, it was at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, already a very stressful time. I was aware that I had a…

I was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism in 2013 as a side effect of steroids I was taking for nephrotic syndrome, a kidney disorder. I was on warfarin for two years until my doctor advised me to stop taking it. In March 2023, I had sudden pain in my left leg that was the worst…

It was one of the most exciting times! After six long weeks of wearing an air cast, I had just received news that I could get it removed. I told the doctor that my leg had been cramping, but he said it should subside once the cast was off and I moved around. Later that…

About a week after having an arthroscopy on my left knee, I was icing the top of the knee and commented to my wife that I really should be icing the back of my knee. What I did not know at the time was that the back of the knee hurt because I was passing…

About 15 years ago, my dad had a blood clot in his leg (deep vein thrombosis) and testing showed he had factor V Leiden. Since it’s a genetic disorder, my two sisters and I got tested. I tested positive for factor V Leiden as well as one of my sisters and one did not. So,…

It started as a sharp pain in my leg when I walked. I thought it was from my shoes, or maybe I had bruised my foot at some point. After about a month of these symptoms, my other leg started to swell and turn red. My wife, who is a nurse, and my doctor both…

I played soccer for 20 years until January 2023, when I had a muscle rupture in my thigh, which kept me away from training and matches. At the end of April, I had a throat infection. Within a few days, I was experiencing shortness of breath and felt tired after taking a few steps, but…

I woke up one morning in 1978 to find that my right leg was swollen to twice its size. I called my doctor, who told me to come in immediately. He pressed his thumb into my ankle and created a ½-inch dent to show me how swollen I was and sent me to the hospital.…

After walking up five flights of stairs to a friend’s Manhattan apartment, I rested at the top of the staircase. It took me almost 15 minutes to gain control of my breathing. I chalked it up to the extra pounds I had gained. A few days later, my bottom lower right extremity began to swell…

In March 2019, I was recovering from a broken ankle when I began experiencing odd, unfamiliar symptoms, like shortness of breath and back pain. I thought it was anxiety.   My husband picked me up from work one day, and the second I got in his car, I couldn’t breathe, then I passed out. When he…