In 2008 at the age of 25 I was hospitalized with deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary emboli. This is
the first time I have recounted my story and I am so happy to finally be able to share it with you all.
The holiday that changed my life:
It was meant to be the holiday of a lifetime. I had left Australia indefinitely with the hopes of
gallivanting the globe.
First symptoms:
The first leg of my trip was from Sydney to Dubai. After four days in Dubai I started to experience
swelling in the left forearm. Other symptoms included a number of red spots on my arm that looked
to me like an allergic reaction, shortness of breath and a slight tightness in my chest. However, I
was in no discomfort, and put my symptoms down to the sweltering heat. After all it was summer in
Dubai.
I am no stranger to allergic reactions so I took some antihistamines assuming that I was
experiencing a reaction to some red wine I had with me kebabs and baba ghanoush.
For the rest of my stay in Dubai my symptoms remained the same so I continued to soak up the
sites, and even had a tennis lesson with my Ethiopian tennis instructor.
My next stop was London. My swollen arm and I arrived safe and sound – myself none the wiser
about my condition. In London, the good news was I no longer had any red spots on my arm. The
concerning news – my arm was swelling more and more so by the hour. The skin on my arm
actually felt like it was stretched, it was cold, and deep red in color. Not knowing where the
hospitals were, I stopped by a pharmacy. The pharmacist advised I should take myself promptly to a
hospital’s walk in center. She was positive that I was not suffering an allergic reaction but rather
that my symptoms were indicative of decreased blood circulation.
Additional symptoms:
On the morning of July 29th I was woken by my ‘brojanica’ (bracelet). My arm was so swollen that
my bracelet was cutting into my skin. I walked to the bathroom, turned on the light, looked in the
mirror - my whole left arm, from finger-tips to shoulder was purple. The veins on the left side of my
chest were protruding. It was time to check myself into Whitechapel’s Royal London Hospital.
Progressed symptoms:
My arm seemed to be getting worse very quickly. To the doctors were surprised that I was not in
pain but it was extremely uncomfortable. My friend Linda was massaging my wrist and I was
massaging the reverse side of my elbow without which I felt my arm would explode.
Considering my symptoms I was seen to promptly by a nurse who concluded without hesitation that
I had DVT (deep vein thrombosis). I was fitted for a much to be desired pair of white hospital socks
and there in assumed my stay at the Royal London Hospital. At this stage, my pulmonary emboli
had not been uncovered.
Pulmonary emboli:
On approximately the third day into my stay I had a conversation with one of the doctors checking
in one me. On that particular day I happened to ask more questions than usual: “should the DVT
explain the shortness in breath I’m still experiencing?” He promptly scheduled me for a ventilation/
perfusion radioisotope scan to rule out the possibility of a pulmonary embolism (PE) in my lungs.
Ventilation/ Perfusion Radioisotope Scan:
Quite the guinea pig, I was examined by a dozen doctors. To everyone’s surprise, particularly my
own, the scan revealed exactly what the doctors were hoping to out rule out. I was found to have
multiple pulmonary emboli splashed across my lungs. My stay in hospital and in London continued.
Seeing those images for myself, what seemed like hundreds of little white freckles all over my
chest…I felt very far away from home.
Treatment:
My treatment commenced with heparin injections in hospital and continued with nine months of
taking the blood thinner warfarin. I recovered completely, with some minor scaring to my
lungs. Since this experience I have learnt a great deal about both conditions. The paranoia that this
will happen again remains my reality. Plane travel still makes me very uncomfortable, although I am
gaining confidence with every flight. I have even managed to find my way to USA, where I stumbled
across this amazing organization and your platform to tell my story. Thank you!