It was World Thrombosis Day on October 13. I completely forgot about it since I was busy with my quilt projects. I thought I'd blog about blood clots today since I noticed there are more people joining the patient group I'm in that had it due to COVID-19.
I had pulmonary embolism in 2018. It was detected after being misdiagnosed as asthma for over a year. It was only found after my second opinion doctor ordered a CT scan. My first respiratory doctor kept dismissing my complaint for shortness of breath as severe asthma. Even the ER which I visited several times thought it was mild pneumonia.
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| That time I had a second venogram, one of the many tests I went through. |
Blood clots in the lungs (PE) or legs (DVT) can be caused by several things. It can be genetic, a compression in your pelvis (May Thurner Syndrome) or provoked by pregnancy or birth control pills (common). And now it can be caused by COVID-19 (read more here). After the boys had COVID-19, I insisted having them checked by a pulmonologist.
The cause of my clots is unknown. After going through so many tests I thought I'll just let it remain a mystery. I'm just grateful I survived two episodes of pulmonary embolism. The huge clot though from 2018 is still hanging out in my lungs. It did not dissolve and has progressed to pulmonary hypertension. That's the reason why my doctors told me to retire.
Be vigilant. Blood clots can be fatal (mortality rate of up to 30%, read more here). Clots also cause stroke, heart attacks etc. (read more here). I used to be so stable, but like other patients my mental health has been affected by the recurrent clots (read more here). It is, after all, a traumatic event.
If you've recently been diagnosed with PE or DVT, it's best to join a patient group. I found comfort through the group and learned so much on how I can improve the quality of my life. Here are some helpful links -
- Thrombosis.org
- Stop the Clot Support Group
- Patient Resource Guide - https://www.stoptheclot.org/new-patient-resource-guide-2/
- Questions to ask your doctor - https://www.stoptheclot.org/peer-support/questions-to-ask-your-doctor-about-blood-clots/
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