Misdiagnosed
I Was Filled With Clots: Savannah’s Story
I had my son via C-section in April 2023. During my pregnancy, doctors said my leg pain was sciatica. After having my son, I was having severe headaches, and the pain medicine I was given didn’t help. A week later, I had three seizures. After the first seizure, we went to a local hospital. They…
This Took a Huge Toll on My Emotional Health: Holly’s Story
In May of this year, I began to feel bloated and my stomach area became distended. It was very uncomfortable. Shortly after, I started feeling upper left quadrant pain. I continued on for a day or two feeling increasingly worse. Finally, I went to the ER. They did blood work and an ultrasound of my…
My Doctor Failed Me: Getsemany’s Story
I had given birth via C-section, and my daughter was sent to the neonatal intensive care unit at a different hospital. My legs were swollen for a couple of days after giving birth, but I figured it was normal since they pumped me with so many fluids when I was in labor and delivery. Six…
My Life Is Not the Same: Lisa’s Story
I remember how excited I was. I was five months pregnant with my son. I had just started feeling him kick and move and I was busy planning the nursery, clothes, pictures, and working. When I left work on a Friday, my left leg was heavy and I was dragging it. Over the weekend my…
Trust Your Gut Feelings: Joni’s Story
I broke my left leg in eight places and had three surgeries within a three-week period. I was in a wheelchair and could not walk at all. Whenever I tried to stand and get upright, I’d feel an excruciating pain behind my left knee. It hurt as much as the 48 staples and cuts on…
I Had Zero Risk Factors: Thomas’ Story
I woke up in the middle of the night and could barely breathe, so I booked an appointment with my local urgent care for the next morning. They took an X-ray of my lungs for pneumonia, but it was clear, so I was sent home. A couple weeks later, I got a sharp pain in…
Take Advantage of the Support Available: Tammillia’s Story
In 2021, I had a routine laparoscopy procedure and came out of the general anesthetic coughing up blood. I was pale, sweaty, low on oxygen, and experiencing a fast heart rate and chest pains. After being told by the surgeon, “We were rough with the tube we put down your throat,” I was discharged like…
I Advocate For Myself More: Jessi’s Story
In October 2021, I had a fall that caused my left knee to dislocate. It was determined that I had fractured my patella, and torn the medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) in my knee. Since I had a history of dislocations, I opted for an MPFL reconstruction to reduce the chance of dislocation in the future.…
I Was Told I Was Too Young for Blood Clots: Audrey’s Story
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…
My Neighbor Found Me and Performed CPR: Jessica’s Story
My husband and I are both ultra runners. On June 27 of this year, we were both going for an early morning training run with him starting about five minutes behind me. I had been experiencing shortness of breath for a few weeks before this run. Little things, such as bringing groceries in from the…