Pulmonary Embolism Support Group
By far the most common form of pulmonary embolism is a thromboembolism, which occurs when a blood clot, generally a venous thrombus, becomes dislodged from its site of formation and embolizes to the arterial blood supply of one of the lungs. Symptoms may include difficulty breathing, pain during breathing, and more rarely circulatory instability and death.
Hi all this is an article about a local ( south florida) News reporter for channel 6 that had a PE due to bc and genetic factors.
Thought you all would find it interesting and like to know shes trying to rais awareness!
Thanks
Jennifer Gray's Story ( she's from news 6, it be great if you too can do something about pe's and birth control she had the media power and you have the motivation) E-mail her: Jennifer.Gray@nbcuni.com.
By Jennifer Gray
If someone would have told me a year ago that my birth control pills were killing me, I would have laughed. At 25 years old, I was on the top of my game. Professionally, I had just started my dream job six weeks prior as a meteorologist at NBC 6 in Miami. Physically, I was in the best shape of my life, even researching where I was going to race my next 5K. I was excited about my new life and job, and thought I had finally found the challenges I had been looking for in my career. Unfortunately, those challenges were only a drop in the bucket for what was slowly surfacing.
Jennifer Gray
Less than 2 months after moving from Louisiana to Miami, I began to experience fever and body aches. I didnt think too much of it, especially considering the crazy hours and long days I was working. The only issue was it didnt seem like the symptoms were improving.
After a run of four different antibiotics, I continued to work during the next few weeks. My doctors kept telling me it was a Urinary Track Infection (UTI). Then, one Sunday morning, when I could barely stand in front of the camera, I finally went to the ER. I had shortness of breath, severe pain in my lungs, and it was all getting worse. The ER doctors said it was mono, but the chest pains were unbearable. When I asked
about the pain, they blamed it on the mono and/or anxiety, but I demanded more tests. Only then did the doctors find pulmonary emboli (PE) in both lungs the largest measuring 9.9mm. With a pale face, the doctor told me I would have died within hours if I had not been so persistent.
As I lay there alone in a strange new city - I had no idea how this would change my life. My physicians were shocked, especially since I was in incredible shape and wasnt a candidate. After three days in the hospital and countless blood tests, they found I genetically carry factor V Leiden. I also tested positive for several other anticoagulant antibodies that make me more prone to clotting by 50-fold. The biggest surprise to me was that it was my birth control pills that triggered the clot. I guess I never really knew the potential risks involved with taking birth control pills, and I had only been taking them for a couple of years. A few weeks later, my sister found out she also carries factor V Leiden and was immediately taken off birth control.
Since that day, Ive spent many hours before and after work in doctors offices undergoing tests. Ive been on Coumadin ever since. My doctors at the Cleveland Clinic are still debating whether I should stay on Coumadin for the rest of my life. My family and friends quickly became my source of strength and support when I couldnt find any within myself.
NBC was my family 1,300 miles away from home. Everyone urged me to take as much time off as I needed, but I refused and returned to work less than two weeks after my hospital release. I tried to hide the magnitude of what happened, because I didnt want to appear weak in a business thats so demanding of your strength. Even though I struggled with the denial of something so traumatic happening to me in my prime, I just wanted everything to appear normal.
Five months later, Ive developed the strength and courage to face these challenges. I know now that life will never be normal, but it can be managed. I learned to not look at Coumadin as my enemy, but as my saving grace. I thank God every day for giving me a second chance. I have more energy now than ever before and have even completed my first 5K run since the incident.
Needless to say, Im looking forward to my second run. I now look at my obstacles as opportunities to speak out about PE, especially birth control pills risks. Statistics show that one out of roughly every 20 people have factor V Leiden, and PE is amongst the three top causes of death in the US. The next person does not have to be you. I often wondered about my purpose in life. How would I be able to change the world, even if it were one person at a time?
My mission is now crystal clear - raising awareness about birth control risks and blood disorders, so no one elses daughter, sister, mother or best friend will have to experience what I did. I will continue to challenge my doctors, nurses, and educators when it comes to the risks of taking birth control pills. My new mission reminds me of an old spiritual song If I can help somebody as I travel along; if I can cheer somebody with a word or song; if I can show somebody that shes traveling wrong then my living will not be in vain.
Remember, my story doesnt have to be yours
Thought you all would find it interesting and like to know shes trying to rais awareness!
Thanks
Jennifer Gray's Story ( she's from news 6, it be great if you too can do something about pe's and birth control she had the media power and you have the motivation) E-mail her: Jennifer.Gray@nbcuni.com.
By Jennifer Gray
If someone would have told me a year ago that my birth control pills were killing me, I would have laughed. At 25 years old, I was on the top of my game. Professionally, I had just started my dream job six weeks prior as a meteorologist at NBC 6 in Miami. Physically, I was in the best shape of my life, even researching where I was going to race my next 5K. I was excited about my new life and job, and thought I had finally found the challenges I had been looking for in my career. Unfortunately, those challenges were only a drop in the bucket for what was slowly surfacing.
Jennifer Gray
Less than 2 months after moving from Louisiana to Miami, I began to experience fever and body aches. I didnt think too much of it, especially considering the crazy hours and long days I was working. The only issue was it didnt seem like the symptoms were improving.
After a run of four different antibiotics, I continued to work during the next few weeks. My doctors kept telling me it was a Urinary Track Infection (UTI). Then, one Sunday morning, when I could barely stand in front of the camera, I finally went to the ER. I had shortness of breath, severe pain in my lungs, and it was all getting worse. The ER doctors said it was mono, but the chest pains were unbearable. When I asked
about the pain, they blamed it on the mono and/or anxiety, but I demanded more tests. Only then did the doctors find pulmonary emboli (PE) in both lungs the largest measuring 9.9mm. With a pale face, the doctor told me I would have died within hours if I had not been so persistent.
As I lay there alone in a strange new city - I had no idea how this would change my life. My physicians were shocked, especially since I was in incredible shape and wasnt a candidate. After three days in the hospital and countless blood tests, they found I genetically carry factor V Leiden. I also tested positive for several other anticoagulant antibodies that make me more prone to clotting by 50-fold. The biggest surprise to me was that it was my birth control pills that triggered the clot. I guess I never really knew the potential risks involved with taking birth control pills, and I had only been taking them for a couple of years. A few weeks later, my sister found out she also carries factor V Leiden and was immediately taken off birth control.
Since that day, Ive spent many hours before and after work in doctors offices undergoing tests. Ive been on Coumadin ever since. My doctors at the Cleveland Clinic are still debating whether I should stay on Coumadin for the rest of my life. My family and friends quickly became my source of strength and support when I couldnt find any within myself.
NBC was my family 1,300 miles away from home. Everyone urged me to take as much time off as I needed, but I refused and returned to work less than two weeks after my hospital release. I tried to hide the magnitude of what happened, because I didnt want to appear weak in a business thats so demanding of your strength. Even though I struggled with the denial of something so traumatic happening to me in my prime, I just wanted everything to appear normal.
Five months later, Ive developed the strength and courage to face these challenges. I know now that life will never be normal, but it can be managed. I learned to not look at Coumadin as my enemy, but as my saving grace. I thank God every day for giving me a second chance. I have more energy now than ever before and have even completed my first 5K run since the incident.
Needless to say, Im looking forward to my second run. I now look at my obstacles as opportunities to speak out about PE, especially birth control pills risks. Statistics show that one out of roughly every 20 people have factor V Leiden, and PE is amongst the three top causes of death in the US. The next person does not have to be you. I often wondered about my purpose in life. How would I be able to change the world, even if it were one person at a time?
My mission is now crystal clear - raising awareness about birth control risks and blood disorders, so no one elses daughter, sister, mother or best friend will have to experience what I did. I will continue to challenge my doctors, nurses, and educators when it comes to the risks of taking birth control pills. My new mission reminds me of an old spiritual song If I can help somebody as I travel along; if I can cheer somebody with a word or song; if I can show somebody that shes traveling wrong then my living will not be in vain.
Remember, my story doesnt have to be yours
http://stoptheclot.org/News/article112.htm