International

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…

It was February 24 2024, and I had overslept. My husband had joked the night before, “Let’s not waste tomorrow staying in bed. I’ve got the day off, let’s make the most of it!” But when I finally glanced at the clock, it was already 10:22. Oh no, I thought, he’s going to call me…

In 1994, I had my son prematurely at 24 weeks. They did a bunch of testing and found out that I had antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). I had another preterm baby at 25 weeks three years later. I was followed by a high-risk OB/GYN at the time but no other preventative measures were done while pregnant.…

I was walking my dog when I suddenly felt weaker with every step. I needed to sit down on the ground repeatedly throughout the walk. I had chest pains, shortness of breath, and I felt faint. I called my family and went to the emergency room. It turned out that my D-dimer levels were high.…

In April 2023, I had a spontaneous seizure at work. I was taken to the hospital and stayed for 10 days. On day 8, I had a lumbar puncture (also known as a spinal tap) to try and find the cause of the seizure. The following day, I woke up with an intense, sharp, left-sided…

In November 2023, I had been experiencing calf pain for several weeks, which I assumed was a pulled muscle as I had recently started an exercise program. I also had a nagging cough which I assumed was a seasonal cold. By November 30, my entire leg had doubled in size, so I quickly went to…

When I was 20, I had some pain in my leg. I chalked it up to a pulled muscle. In the next few days, it seemed to get worse. My mom convinced me to go to the hospital, but they told me I was constipated and sent me home. The pain continued to get worse…

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 was involved in a motorbike accident on August 9, 2023, and had an injury to my left leg. I suffered severe pain but had to go to work. After struggling to walk, I went back to my doctor. He recommended bed rest for about five days. I asked him to admit me to the…

As told by her daughter Kirsten My mother Sonja was a sparkling school principal and 62 years old. She loved her teachers and children. In mid January 2022, she had a pain behind knee that she was used to, as she had mild arthritic chronic pain. She made her usual chiropractor appointment on January 27,…