Real Stories from People Who Have Experienced Blood Clots – Caitlin Augustine
Caitlin’s Story
“I was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis (DVT), also known as blood clots, when I was 18 years old, during my freshman year of college. After a routine tonsillectomy, I was home on bed rest for about a week. About 2 weeks prior to my official diagnosis, I started experiencing pain that felt like a pulled muscle. When the pain started radiating down my leg, doctors dismissed it as sciatica. Eventually the pain was so intense that I was unable to get out of bed. It felt like the lower left side of my body was on fire. My parents told me we really needed to get to the doctor.
“We eventually learned that I had DVT, and at the time we had no idea what that meant. This was like a foreign language to us. The doctors had me on special medicine to treat DVT called blood thinners, but they didn’t know if I would make it through the night. It was a tough time for my family and me. It was a relief to finally educate myself and find out all the information about DVT. I think that’s when the healing process truly started. Once I learned that blood clots were something I would have to live with the rest of my life, I also learned they were manageable. As long as I’m alive that’s all that matters.”
CDC would like to thank Caitlin and the “This Is Serious” campaignExternal for sharing this personal story.
