Thrombectomy
My Clot Started 10 Years Before It Was Found: Jana’s Story
In December 2022, I had the worst pain in my life in my left side of my buttocks after working out. Being a physical therapist and a retired high-level figure skater, I assumed I had strained a muscle until I was unable to walk or bear weight on my left leg. After three ER visits…
My Only Risk Factors Were Birth Control and a Long Car Ride: Hillary’s Story
My husband and took a trip to Destin, Florida for a long weekend after finding out my breast biopsy surgery was benign. We drove 14 hours in one day from Michigan and returned a few days later, only stopping twice for gas. I returned to work and walked to my office up two flights of…
My Doctor Told Me I Almost Died: Tonia’s Story
On March 21, 2024, I woke up having extreme shortness of breath while trying to get ready for work. Finally, I decided to text my boss to tell him I was going to be late. I made it to work at 10:00 and let my boss know what was going on with me. At the…
VTOS is a Medical Emergency: Elise’s Story
On October 24, 2023, my 13-year-old daughter Elise’s arm began to swell and change color during swim practice. Elise has been a competitive swimmer since she was five years old and being at practice was a routine part of her day for many, many years. Her coaches did not know what was wrong with her…
Never Lose Hope in the Face of Adversity: Jennifer’s Story
In 2009, I experienced the most challenging and life-changing event. After giving birth to my beautiful baby girl by C-section, I was overjoyed, but soon faced a series of unexpected and frightening health complications. Two days after giving birth, I began experiencing severe abdominal pain and could barely move. This pain went on for weeks,…
I Have to Take Things Slow Now: Reachelle’s Story
I was six months in my new job as an attorney when I felt pain in my ribs and shortness of breath. I went to urgent care and was rushed to the ER after my D-Dimer blood test came back high. At the hospital, they did a CT scan and found the blood clots in…
Listen to Your Intuition, Manage Fear, and Advocate For Yourself: Julie’s Story
In October 2023, I had just returned from a Florida vacation. The following day, I woke up with a subtle ache in my left calf. When I shared with my husband, he casually said, “Do you have a blood clot?” But after years of international flights with no issues, it was easy to attribute the…
It All Happened So Quickly: Charlotte’s Story
In September 2023, I was feeling poorly with what turned out to be a kidney infection. I couldn’t move as the pain was unbearable and was bed-bound for a few weeks. By the end of September, I was unable to walk. It all happened so quickly. My calf swelled up at least three times the…
There is Hope: Kacie’s Story
I developed my first deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) around 10 weeks pregnant with my second child. From then on, I was on enoxaparin sodium injections and everything was going great until 37 weeks, when the same feeling in my leg came back. We returned to the hospital where an ultrasound once…
If I Had Waited One More Day, I Wouldn’t Be Here: Heather’s Story
Last March, I had turned 35 exactly a week before my traumatic discovery. I had a terrible, terrible, headache. I knew that after a few days of having this head pain, something wasn’t right. I was flown out of my local emergency room to a stroke center, where I was told I had two brain…
