MTHFR
Having a Blood Clot Will Not Slow Me Down: Barbara’s Story
In August 2023, I had my second bunionectomy. The first was in 2015 with no complications. This time would prove differently. Preparing for surgery, I was advised by the surgical team to curtail my activities in the following days. After surgery, I adhered to the instructions. I elevated my leg often and limited going up…
This Was a Terrifying, Life-Altering, and Isolating Experience: Logan’s Story
I was home from college on winter break when I started feeling a cramp in my leg after working out at the gym. I thought I may have pulled a muscle. I kept stretching and it felt like it was never going away. The pain ended up moving all the way up to my lower…
Keep Finding Joy in Little Things: Arielle’s Story
I am a two time blood clot survivor. My first pulmonary embolism was at 21 after endometriosis surgery and while on birth control, and my symptoms included shortness of breath and back pain making it impossible to sit back or lie back. My second clot happened when I was 25 after a cross-country flight. I…
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…
I Was Fortunate to Have Survived This: Joe’s Story
In June 2017, I noticed a pain in my left calf. I had been walking several days a week, so I thought I may have pulled a muscle. I spent time trying to stretch it out over the next week, but it persistently got worse. The pain I had been having in my calf then…
I Developed a Blood Clot While on an Anticoagulant: Linda’s Story
I injured my ankle in 2017 and needed surgery. Shortly after, I woke up in the middle of the night with intense pain in my back. I knew it was bad, as I was having difficulty moving. My husband took me to the ER, where I was fortunate that they did take me seriously. They…
I Had Three Large Blood Clots in my Brain: Jessica’s Story
In November 2016, I was at a wedding when my head started hurting. I took Tylenol, but it wouldn’t go away. In fact, it was getting worse. A couple of days later, my head hurt when I tried to turn, and I started getting pain behind my right eye and down the right side of…
Not Just Calf Pain: Kayla’s Story
During the summer of 2012, I was going into my senior year of college and was training for Kent State’s Annual Black Squirrel 5k Race. I grew up playing soccer and I figured running a 5k would be a breeze. Little did I know, it was going to change my life forever. I was up…
Know Your Family Health History: Kelly’s Story
The morning of November 14, 2019 I fell in my bathroom and hit my head on the bathtub. I was unconscious, lying in a pool of blood, until I finally gained some life and crawled to call 9-1-1. When the medics arrived, I was barely able to breathe and went into cardiac arrest three times.…
Birth Control Caused a Blood Clot in My Lung: Lucy’s Story
My name is Lucy, and I am 22 years old. I had DVT (deep vein thrombosis or blood clot in the leg) and PEs (pulmonary embolism or blood clots in the lung) due to estrogen-based contraception. I am sharing my story to raise awareness about the risks of estrogen-based birth control in women of my…
