Travel
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.…
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…
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…
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.…
It’s an Ongoing Battle to Stay Well and Manage This Life Condition: Callum’s Story
At 29, I considered myself to be fit and almost indestructible. I don’t smoke, I don’t drink and I have a myriad of athletic accomplishments. I’ve run multiple marathons, I’m at a healthy weight, and I train in the gym regularly. All of the above left me feeling completely lost when I started to experience…
My Experiences with DVTs and PEs have Changed my Life: Hannah’s Story
On September 8, 2021, when I was 24, I had an emergency appendectomy. Four days later, I went into the ER for extreme calf pain and tightness in my chest, as it felt like I couldn’t get a full breath. I was diagnosed with DVTs in my left leg and bilateral lower lobe pulmonary emboli.…
The ER Doctor Did Not Want To Do a CT Scan: Meghan’s Story
About two weeks after a surgical procedure, I began having pain on my left side near my rib cage and towards my back. I assumed I had pulled a muscle due to overcompensating with my upper body post-surgery. The pain became relentless and I began having shortness of breath that I assumed was musculoskeletal pain…
Surgery and Travel Resulted in Three DVTs: Chris’ Story
In 2006, I completed my fall lacrosse season in my senior year at Eastern University. I was experiencing a lot of knee pain and after an examination, I was diagnosed with a torn meniscus. I needed knee surgery to clean out the knee and fix the tear. The day after my surgery, I noticed that…
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…
I Convinced Myself It Would Never Happen to Me: Kristin’s Story
When I was just a few months shy of turning 24, I traveled to Mexico, which included a four-hour drive to the airport and four-hour flight. Once I returned, I got sick with a gastrointestinal bug and was off work for three days. The night before I returned to work, I had some chest pain…
