Filter Patient Stories by tags…

Travel

This Experience Transformed My Life: Nina’s Story

I was on a business trip to Scotland when I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my chest during pre-dinner drinks. I began to feel dizzy and had difficulty breathing. I thought it might be anxiety caused by dehydration and not having eaten that day. A taxi was arranged for me to return to my…

Read the full story

I Continue to be Gaslit: Stephanie’s Story

When I was around 23, I started to go to the doctor complaining about persistent, enduring headaches. I was told it was stress. I went to the optician, where I was immediately sent to the emergency eye hospital. I had idiopathic intercranial hypertension, which was causing vision loss due to my optic nerves being forced…

Read the full story

Misdiagnosed With a Gallbladder Attack: Bob’s Story

My wife and I have an RV and sometimes we are on the road for 6-10 hours without stopping. One day, after a long trip, I began having pain in my left calf. I went to my doctor and he ordered an ultrasound on my leg and discovered a blood clot. I started taking a…

Read the full story

I’m a Nurse and I Missed The Signs: Rachael’s Story

In April of 2024, I flew from Tennessee to California for work. The night after arriving, I woke up in the middle of the night with a bad calf cramp. The following day, my calf was extremely sore– like the worst muscle cramp I’d ever had. That same day, I took another flight from California…

Read the full story

Keep Breathing In The Beauty: Joanna’s Story

Watch a video of Joanna’s story here.  I am a miracle in motion, and my story is one of ongoing survival and transformation of finding beauty that fuels me in life’s most challenging moments. I didn’t know much about blood clots until three of them nearly took my life — an unexpected complication after a…

Read the full story

My Children Will Have Education About Blood Clots: Katelyn’s Story

It was the last day of our honeymoon. We were packing when I had a sudden onset of nausea, and I was also hot, dizzy, and out of breath. It felt like I was running a marathon every few feet I walked. But I was determined to enjoy our last day, so I took a…

Read the full story

Blood Clot Survivors Can Do Anything: Charles’ Story

In the summer of 2012, I was training hard, running, lifting weights, and eating clean. My goal was to be in my best shape for my best friend’s bachelor party in Las Vegas on Labor Day Weekend. My wife and I also took a trip to Europe. I was running along cobblestone streets and swimming.…

Read the full story

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…

Read the full story

I Ignored My Body’s Signals: Kim’s Story

In 2015, six weeks after starting a synthetic, estrogen-based birth control pill for perimenopausal symptoms, and one month into an overseas trip, I experienced the first symptoms of what I now know to be deep vein thrombosis and multiple pulmonary emboli. Sadly, my years of experience as a critical care nurse did not help me…

Read the full story

She Had So Much Life Ahead of Her: Sydney’s Story

As told by her mother Charita My daughter Sydney’s blood clots began in 2020 after driving six hours to Mississippi and back to visit her cousins for a week. The very next morning after returning home, she told me she was out of breath and her leg was hurting badly and had a cramping feeling.…

Read the full story