Debi’s DVT was intensely painful.
Risk Factors:
- Hormone Replacement Therapy
- Inactivity
- Previous Surgeries
My doctors tell me my DVT was probably caused by a number of factors, including the hormone replace ment therapy I'd been on for a few years following my hysterectomy.”
I was taking a nap one day after church, when I was awakened by a sharp pain in my left leg. I thought it was a charley horse. But when the pain moved into my right leg, I knew it was something much worse. It was the most intense pain I've ever felt, and I couldn't control my legs. I tried to make it down the hall to the nearest phone, but I felt a huge wave of heat come over me, and I passed out. Next thing I know, I felt my dog Mackenzie's wet nose on my face. I finally crawled to the phone to call 911. I'm positive she saved my life.
In the E.R., the doctors told me I had a pulmonary embolism. I was shocked. I had no idea what PE was, let alone learn that the clot circulated through my legs and landed in my lung. I was very scared. They gave me enoxaparin shots, then I was on warfarin for seven months.
My doctors tell me the DVT was probably caused by a number of factors, including the hormone replacement therapy I'd been on for a few years following a hysterectomy. Also because I lived a pretty sedentary lifestyle with a desk job that kept me sitting almost all day. I also flew across the country from Baltimore to Seattle, and didn't get up to stretch my legs the whole flight. And I'm a cancer survivor and had two knee surgeries which put me at higher risk for DVT though nobody told me that at the time.
I never thought something like this could happen to me. I'm extremely grateful to be living and enjoying my time with family and friends. I make an effort to exercise more and move around at the office, like standing during conference calls and walk doing stretches to keep circulation flowing.
DVT and PE can strike anyone, anytime. Know your medical history. And above all, know your risks.
