[NadineMarie]

Hey All! I haven't posted in about two weeks because I have been hospitalized with a pulmonary embolism (aka a blood clot in my lungs), and its a large one! The ONLY RISK FACTOR I have was birth control, which I have been on for 3 years. I'm only 24 years old and never thought something like this would happen to me.

HOW IT ALL STARTED...
Early in october I got a cold, which resulted in me getting asthma symptoms. Oddly even after a week of treating my asthma with my at home nebulizer my symptoms weren't getting better. This past thursday morning I woke up with shoulder pain, I thought i slept on it funny, no biggie. After work that after noon my boyfriend and I traveled 4 hours up north to Traverse City for a weekend of camping. Friday and Saturday the pain got worse and then spread to my lower back, the pain worsened when i coughed or took a deep breath (which was ALL THE TIME due to my asthma). We were sleeping in tents on an air mattress and laying down was the worst part of the day. I was in excruciating pain. Taking ibuprofen all weekend only numbed the pain for a couple hours before I was popping more pills.

Sunday morning (the day we were to leave home) I woke up in the worst pain of all and could barley get out of bed, out of the tent, and barley make the 30 yard walk to the bathrooms. I tried sitting in the car to get some sleep since it was about 6:30am still. But I was miserable and didn't know what to do. I thought i had a strained shoulder but why is it getting worse. So I called my mom. I was in tears and couldn't even tell her what was wrong with me. She told me just to go to the ER. I argued. I was 4 hours from my family and just wanted to be home! But you always take your mother's advice. I woke up my boyfriend and he drove me to the hospital. He didn't stay too long before he left to go pack up camp so we could get home, neither of us thought I would be there long. After blood work, EKGs, Xrays and a CT scan, they told me I had a blood clot in my lung. That was so scary to find out all alone and I tried so hard not to cry. I was able to text my mom and my boyfriend the news. My boyfriend rushed back, and my mom hoped in the car for the 4 hour drive.

I was admitted and put on blood thinners immediately and was told that If i didn't come in that i could have died. DIED!!! I'm 24 years old! I was released the next day on instructions to see my doctor in a couple more days. Well after the drive home and a good nights sleep in my own bed, I passed out in the shower the next morning. I was home alone and once I came too I had to call my boyfriend to come get me and take me to the ER.

This is only half the story. But I will make the rest short. This entire time my heart rate has been very high and out of control. I have been on strict bed rest for the past 5 days and my heart rate still wont get below 100. Because of the passing out I have had more x-rays, more CT scans, heart echo, ultrasound of my legs, and an MRI. Everything comes back normal. Finally last night my doctor put me on medication to control my heart rate for the time being. I am still sitting in my hospital bed waiting to find out if I can go home today.

One of the reasons that I am on this journey to lose weight was to become healthy so that when the time came in a couple years to have children that I would be able to conceive and have a healthy pregnancy. Well because the hormones in birth control are very similar to those during pregnancy the chances of getting another blood clot is high for me. That might be the most upsetting thing about my future. I can never be on birth control again and getting pregnant while on blood thinners is very dangerous.

For now I am going to be on blood thinners for 6 months and regular check ups with my doctor to monitor my bloods INR (clotting levels).

Birth control has a lot of benefits but just beware that it could happen to anyone!

[bargoo]

The most important thing is to take care of your health , now. I had a blood clot when I was younger than you, that was many years ago and I am OK( In that regard,anyway) Follow Doctor's orders now and worry about birth control, later. There are other forms of birth control that don't have such risk factors.

[MariaMaria]

I'm glad you're being treated and that you'll be okay.

There are birth control options other than the Pill.

As for "it could happen to anyone" the Pill has been in widespread use for over 40 years. Millions upon millions of women have used it safely. You got super-duper unlucky, but I'm uncomfortable with confusing one data point albeit a really unpleasant and scary data point, with mounds and mounds of data.

[Ryler832]

I am glad it was spotted when it was. I have seen many of my patients come in too late and die from it. I am glad that it was detected and you are doing well.

[Raven132]

Thank you for sharing your story. I wish more people would hear stuff like this because messing with the body using hormones (for whatever reason) can carry serious consequences. I was relatively normal until the depo shot completely threw everything out of whack and probably triggered my PCOS or at the least made it worse.

[ToriJ]

How scary! Please take care of yourself. (((HUGS)))

[freedomreins]

A friend from high school passed away about a month ago from a blood clot in her lungs. It took everyone by surprise. She had had it before and I guess it came back again? I'm not sure how it works, really, but it shocked all of us as she was only 23 and happy and healthy and certainly not overweight. I don't know if she was on the pill or if she had any indication that something was wrong. Now we'll never know if she had symptoms and kept them to herself.

I'm glad to hear you're okay now. The whole ordeal sounds incredibly scary - especially the part about passing out in the shower when you were home alone. That could have been extremely dangerous - even more so than obviously it already was!

Take care of yourself!

[damascho]

Glad you are okay Girl!
I had a scare when I was taking the pill also. Doctors thought there was a clot in my leg. There wasn't. Long story short, I stopped taking it without telling my husband. He was very upset when he found out. I have since opted for the paragard IUD. It's a copper IUD and it stays in for ten years. It has ZERO hormones! I don't have children, so they gave me something to soften my uterus so they could insert it without any trouble. I have had it for six months now. It's pretty awesome!

[JOLINA]

Family members of mine have passed away from blood clots and strokes, but in their old age.
So I studied what foods will thin the blood, and now I grow them.
I make my own juice.

Blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, wild grapes and Concord grapes. There are more.
I drink only 8 ounces a day of my homemade juice. I have to stop drinking it a week before I go to the dentist.

There are other foods that thin the blood also. Onions for one.

I never want to take blood thinner meds. There are just too many complications from them.

It finally stopped raining, so today I am going out to pick my wild grapes and make another gallon of juice to freeze.

There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way.
Christopher Morley (1890 - 1957)