Pregnancy
My Leg Pain Was Shrugged Off as a Labor Injury: Courtney’s Story
At five days postnatal, I started having pain in my right calf. I rang maternity at the hospital, who ran through the clot checklist: “Is it hot to touch? No. Is it red? No. Is it swollen? No.” Apart from the pain, there were no other symptoms. I was told to ring back if the…
I Experienced DVTs on Three Occasions: Joanna’s Story
My first DVT was in July 1995, two weeks after the birth of my first (and only) child. I had a shooting pain in my left buttocks and rode an ambulance to the hospital with my newborn and husband. The ER docs did not seem to consider the possibility of a DVT and were looking…
My Family History With Clots Saved My Life: Sadie’s Story
In December 2022, I experienced a miscarriage and developed constant pain in my right calf. Because my mom and an extended family member have a history of blood clots, I called my doctor right away to get it looked at. The doctor ran a D-dimer blood test and it came back high, so an ultrasound…
I Lost a Year of My Life: Tatum’s Story
In January 2024, I had an uncomplicated, five-hour labor on my due date. Immediately after handing my baby off, a nurse applied a standard procedure intervention known as controlled cord traction. I instantly felt sick and demanded she stop, but it was too late. My baby’s placenta was shredded and forcibly ripped out of my…
All I Wanted to Do Was Delivery My Baby Safely: Faye’s Story
I was 31 weeks pregnant and was feeling very breathless. I had a routine appointment at the hospital and I was going to cancel as I felt so unwell. They immediately looked at me and things started to happen very quickly. I had a massive PE with right heart strain. They said if I hadn’t…
My APS Diagnosis Got Lost: Dione’s Story
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 Couldn’t Walk Without Extreme Pain: Kris’ Story
In July 2022, I gave birth to my second child via C-section. In October, I was doing physical therapy for my back. I woke up one morning and my left leg felt off, like a bad muscle cramp. Within a few days, it progressed to the point where I could not walk without extreme pain…
Three DVTs in Two Decades: Heather’s Story
I’m 43. My first DVT experience was at 19 years old while in college. Long story short, I was sent home by two different doctors over two months even though my leg was in excruciating pain and eventually could barely walk. The third doctor knew what was wrong with me within minutes and sent me…
I Almost Left the ER: Lucy’s Story
In October 2020 at age 28, I woke up at 5 a.m. with back pain. It felt like I pulled a muscle. Throughout the day, the pain got worse. It hurt to sit or lie down. By the next morning, I was vomiting from pain and decided to drive myself to the emergency room. The…
I’ll Never Ignore My Body Again: Chrissy’s Story
At 35 weeks pregnant, I had a feeling that something was severely wrong. While cooking Father’s Day breakfast for my husband, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I called my OB and was told to come into triage for monitoring. I was admitted, but my oxygen levels were perfect, and my EKG was pristine. I…
