Ever since we got back from summer break, I've heard stories of exciting internships, summer travels and lazy days spent soaking up the sun. When people ask me about my summer, I smile, but skip the details. It's a little awkward telling people you almost died.
It began last spring with a visit to my dermatologist. He suggested I try something new to clear up my skin and ward off acne. His suggestion was the birth control pill. If it didn't clear up my skin within a few months, he would suggest a stronger treatment. I was a little hesitant, even though I had friends and family members who were on the pill. Going on any kind of medication always made me nervous.
But his advice was echoed by my mom, who is a nurse, and my doctor, who assured me that even her own daughter was on the same pill and was doing fine.
Little did we know that in a month I would be lying in a hospital bed on the cardiac floor of Ball Memorial Hospital — struggling to breathe.
You hear that when people are dying, their life flashes before their eyes. I didn't feel any of that even after the ER nurse practitioner told me I was "very sick." I had a deep vein thrombosis in my leg that broke off into many blood clots that traveled through my heart and into my lungs. If large enough, these clots, called pulmonary embolisms, could cause sudden death.
The nurses and doctors regarded me with a mixture of worry and pity. I could see it in their eyes. I was going to die.
I knew they would do their best to make me comfortable, give me some IV pain medication and give me my own hospital room. I would wait for my parents to drive three-and-a-half hours to Muncie to say goodbye.
These blood clots can be extremely serious. Immobility during long flights may have contributed to NBC news correspondent David Bloom's death from a pulmonary embolism. Former Vice President Dan Quayle was hospitalized for blood clots that lodged in his right lung.
But instead of causing instant death, the clots silently filled both my lungs for an entire month before I started having trouble breathing and felt the pain in my side. The clots were not caused from a long plane ride or immobility. Mine were caused by the birth control pill and a previous underlying genetic blood disorder called factor V Leiden.
You might have heard this disorder discussed as a diagnosis on an episode of "House," but factor V is hereditary and can be passed down from one or both parents. This was the first time I knew I even had the condition.
I am alive today because of several reasons. First, I decided to actually go to the ER when I was having trouble breathing instead of ignoring the pain, taking some Tylenol and going to bed. I also had some amazing doctors and nurses (including my mom) who took great care of me for the eight days I was in the hospital.
I can't help but wonder, would I have gotten the clots if I didn't have factor V or if I wasn't on the birth control pill?
I've been given different reports from my doctors, but the truth is that there is a risk for getting blood clots from birth control pills. Those warning statements and fine lines after TV commercials are there for a reason. Blood clots can cause heart attacks, strokes, pulmonary embolisms, kidney problems and even death. I don't have anything against birth control, but before going on it, be aware and recognize the possible side effects.
Here's some more advice: Whether you are on birth control or not, if you are experiencing chest pain; shortness of breath; pain, redness or swelling in your leg; having trouble speaking; dizziness; or paralysis, you might be experiencing a blood clot and should go to the nearest emergency room.
Having factor V probably doubled my risk for getting these clots. (Doctors say people with factor V should not go on any type of hormones or hormonal birth control). My doctor never thought to test me for factor V, and most people who have it never know – unless a family member has had clotting problems – until you end up in the hospital like me.
I will have to be checked on a regular basis and stay on blood-thinning medication for the rest of my life.
I didn't plan on getting sick, missing the last week of school and spending my summer recuperating, but considering what else could have happened, I'll take it.
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