Woman

My name is Jessica Nichols and I am a 28-year-old female living in Cheshire, England. In December 2015, I had the shock of my life when I was diagnosed with a Pulmonary Embolism or blood clot in my lung. I woke up one Saturday with a very sore knee. However, I didn’t think much of it at the…

We are all incredibly strong, remember that when the bad days outweigh the good ones. My name is Brittney Berlingeri and I am twenty-two years old. Over the summer, I was diagnosed with a pulled muscle that was then diagnosed as “pneumonia,” despite the fact that my D-Dimer test was elevated. I could not breathe. It was…

On January 25, 2016, I found out I had a blood clot after going to a follow-up doctor’s appointment. Ten days prior, I had cosmetic surgery and was advised that developing a blood clot was possible, but I never thought it would happen to me. Two days after surgery, I noticed my left leg was swelling…

My name is Melissa, I am 41 years old, a wife, mother of three adult children, and grandma to three handsome boys. I have lived in Ohio my whole life. Fast forward to August 3, 2013, a day that will forever be embedded in my memory. That day started like any other Saturday. I woke…

My name is Arianna, and I was only 21 when I got the worst unexpected news of my life. A couple days before, I had noticed I had what I described as an “air pocket” in the upper left side of my back that was uncomfortable and wouldn’t go away. Eventually it did and I…

In January 2015, I was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and started estrogen-based birth control. Two months later, I married an active duty Marine and moved from Georgia to Virginia. Around that time, I started getting severe charley horse pains in my right leg that caused me to cry. I thought maybe I was…

As dentists, we are continually updating our knowledge about oral cancer, bacterial endocarditis, diabetes, cardiac disease and all the many ways they intertwine with what we are planning for our patients’ oral health needs. We are also tuned into the signs and symptoms of stroke, heart at- tacks, high and low blood pressure, and a myriad…

This photo was taken before I went to the ER, but I was already having shortness of breath upon exertion. That was my only symptom. I saw so many doctors and had three CT scans without dye and nothing was found on my lungs. One week in March 2015, my breathing got worse and one…

My name is Lisa Nelson and I am 35 years old. I happened to run across the listing for the annual Austin Stop The Clot race on the calendar page from RunTex and was disappointed it was coming up so soon. I couldn’t possibly still sign up, but more importantly: Am I up for a…

I was recently asked to present to a professional group of thought leaders about my experiences with atrial fibrillation (AFib).  In preparing for that presentation, I put a lot of thought into how I might tell this story and in wondering about how I should start my story, and I realized that I was thinking…