Woman

After twisting my ankle a few weeks prior, I had a dull charley horse ache in my calf. Nothing worked to relieve it, but it wasn’t too bad, and it was easy to ignore most of the time. I started to notice when climbing up my stairs at home I would get a little out…

In September 2020, at the age of 24 and in good health, one week away from graduating with my master’s degree, I nearly lost my life. I woke up one day with a headache slightly worse than normal. Over a week, things got worse until I was in more pain than I had ever experienced…

I was diagnosed with bilateral pulmonary emboli, or blood clots in my lungs, on July 20, 2020, at the age of 28. This clotting was provoked by estrogen-based birth control combined with immobility due to a recent wisdom teeth extraction. This was a day I will never forget and a day that changed my life…

My mum saved my life. I was diagnosed with upper extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT), or a blood clot in my arm, in late June 2019. I started showing signs and symptoms at the beginning of the month. I was 26 years old, had a 9 to 5 job, and loved going to the gym.…

December 19, 2019, will always be a day I remember. Three weeks prior to that day, I noticed calf pain in my left leg that would come and go. I chalked it up to a running injury. I was in the best shape of my life, running 20 miles a week and attending fitness classes…

I believe that our daily hustle and bustle, which society has pressured us to believe is normal, convinces us to think that obligations are more important than the health and wellness of our own bodies. Ironically, being a doctorate student unintentionally embodies that notion as curriculum piles up to what eventually feels like an unfathomable…

“I have shortness of breath.” This was the oft-repeated comment to each of my doctors. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2020. By August 2020, I had major surgery that included three surgeons: breast cancer surgeon, thoracic surgeon, and plastic surgeon. This was followed up by 30 rounds of radiation. I also complained…

During my first pregnancy at 15 years old, I started to have intense burning and numbness on my left side groin and hip region that my OB/GYN stated was normal pregnancy pain. After giving birth, I followed up with my primary doctor and neurologist. All of my doctor’s visits concluded with no diagnosis. My second…

I thought I was being responsible.  My husband and I had been married for nearly 10 years. We’d mutually agreed that we didn’t want biological children and I’d faithfully remained on the same birth control, having never experienced any adverse effects. I’m a big believer in the old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix…

At 15 years old, I began taking hormonal contraceptives to relieve migraines. I received my prescription quickly after a brief medical exam where I was asked about my family history. I never imagined my journey on hormonal contraceptives would end abruptly nine years later after an emergency room diagnosis of bilateral pulmonary emboli, or bloods…