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Blood Clots are More Common Than People Realize: Hector’s Story
I have always been physically active, but I had slowed down as our family grew. I was smack in the middle of getting back into steadily working out when, after a 10-mile morning bike ride, I started experiencing pain in my left leg. The pain started on a Friday morning and intensified over the weekend,…
I Felt Like I Was Drowning: Pete’s Story
I had been feeling bad for more than six weeks, experiencing shortness of breath while doing light exercise, like walking up a flight or two of stairs. I had gone from being able to run 8+ minute miles comfortably to struggling to walk at a normal pace in a matter of weeks. My resting heart…
I Mistook My Symptoms as a Panic Attack: Jillian’s Story
In December 2021, I was climbing up the subway stairs, heading to my college campus in New York City, when I started feeling off-balanced and dizzy. I suffer from anxiety and panic attacks, so that’s what I thought was happening. I sat down and a nice family came over to me and asked if I…
The ICU Staff Called Me ‘Miracle Man:’ Ted’s Story
I became committed to staying healthy in my late 40s. At 55, I was in the best shape of my life, hitting the gym three times a week. One day after exercising, I felt a pain in my left calf, which I attributed to an overzealous workout. However, it continued through Christmas weekend. I planned…
Blood Clot Risks for Transgender Women: Katherine’s Story
My story begins when I first started experiencing swelling in my right ankle after getting home from work one day. Over the next few days I developed pain in my upper calf that started to hurt when walking. I immediately thought it could be a deep vein thrombosis (DVT), but instead of addressing this, I…
I’m Thankful to Be Here Today to Advocate for Maternal Health and Blood Clot Awareness: Patsy’s Story
My son was stillborn on March 2, 2023. Almost immediately after, I started having chest pains, which I attributed to stress from my son dying. My doctor prescribed anxiety medicine and I was discharged that day. However, for the next eight days, I experienced throbbing chest pain as if the world was sitting on my…
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’m Grateful My Doctor Took My Symptoms Seriously: Sonali’s Story
I completed treatment for Stage 3 triple-negative breast cancer in June 2022. During my treatment, I developed tachycardia, a condition that caused my resting heart rate to be around 100 and could spike up 140. In August 2022, my oncologist suggested we do a heart study. Two days later, I had a resting heart rate…
Cancer Was My Main Risk Factor for Blood Clots: Heidi’s Story
I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in November 2017. I had a complete hysterectomy followed by the standard six rounds of chemotherapy, after which I had no evidence of disease until February 2021 when I had a recurrence. I had to undergo six more rounds of chemo, and I also participated in a trial, but…
It’s Common for Cancer Patients to Develop Blood Clots: Susan’s Story
I was receiving chemotherapy treatment for early-stage breast cancer in 2009 when I started having persistent chest pain. After several weeks of increasing pain, I called the oncology nurse practitioner, and she instructed me to get to the nearest emergency room. I underwent a chest CT scan, which identified multiple blood clots in one of…