DVT

For all of my life, I have struggled with my weight. When I was 23 and 346 pounds, I decided to get gastric bypass surgery. That is when my nightmare started.  After the surgery, I followed my doctor’s orders to walk as much as possible. However, I started experiencing chest pain about a week later…

After three and a half years, I am ready to share my story about blood clots and pulmonary emboli. My story is tied to my godson, Paul Englert Jr., who unfortunately did not have the same outcome as me. Almost four years ago, he lost his life to a pulmonary embolism at just 19 years…

I am a true testament to the fact that a blood clot or blood clotting disorder can affect anyone. As a healthy 14-year-old boy, blood clots had never even crossed my mind. My story begins on Christmas Eve in 2016. I was having trouble walking, and my leg was swollen. I was paranoid about it,…

My name is Pat, and I am a professional fireman in Iowa. In January of 2008 – after fighting a house fire in subzero temperatures – I got off shift and later that day I was having trouble breathing. I checked my vitals and saw that my oxygen saturation was low, so I went to…

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…

During the third trimester of my fourth pregnancy, I began to have a burning sensation in my left leg when I stood on it. I felt silly for being worried about something that seemed so insignificant, but I eventually called the on-call obstetrician. He told me to take an over-the-counter pain medication, and to stay…

Early in January 2017, my healthy 16-year-old son Christian began experiencing lower back pain that radiated down the back of both of his legs. He has a black belt in Karate, and we thought he hurt himself in class, as did our pediatrician. A few days later, and after taking over-the-counter medications with little relief,…

It started as an ordinary Monday morning in June 2015. I arrived at work and swiped my badge to access the elevator corridor when I noticed a sign taped to the steel doors that read, “OUT OF SERVICE.” I knew the sign meant that I would be huffing up the stairs, even though I was…

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…

In the winter of 2012, I started to feel strange tightness in my right calf and mild discomfort behind my knee. Instead of seeing my doctor, I spent a lot of time researching potential causes, including DVTs. The situation changed in April when my right ankle and calf swelled as if I had sprained it.…