Blood clots from pill
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Blood clots from pill
| Sat, 05-06-2006 - 11:48pm |
I recently suffered from a massive blood clot in my leg and pelvis, one of the most extreme my doctors said they'd ever seen, and I was hospitalized for 9 days. My trauma could be traced back to the birth control pill because my bloodwork was sent to Mayo, and I had no other history of clots or blood disorders. The doctors said I could've died or had a stroke or heart attack, so I'm very lucky I came out of the situation alive. I will have problems with my veins in the future. I will also have to postpone my college graduation due to all the school I missed, but those things are nothing compared to what could have happened. Since this happened to me, I've heard numerous other stories about young women having strokes, becoming paralyzed, suffering from clots in the lungs, legs and brain, and dying due to complications from the birth control pill. In fact, 1 in 2,000 women each year are hospitalized due to complications from the pill, according to information released by Ortho Tri-Cyclen. This is an epidemic that not many women are aware of! Many women know there are risks associated with the pill and the patch (especially if they smoke and are over the age of 35), but most don't think anything will happen to them. The patch is even riskier than the pill, according to new FDA studies. And bad things can happen even to non-smokers and women under 35, because I was one of those women. I think women need to know the symptoms of blood clots because all of the women I've talked to were never informed. Neither was I. I walked around for two weeks with my massive clot which caused severe pain in my legs and pelvis, causing me to go to two doctors who didn't even recognize the symptoms themselves. Both doctors knew I was on the pill. A day after my second doctor's visit, my right leg started turning blue and doubling in size, so the doctor on call told me to get to the ER immediately because he suspected a clot and said it could be a life-threatening situation. It's a good thing I did. The clot could have dislodged and traveled to my lungs, causing pulmonary embolism, or my brain, causing a stroke. Women need to be aware of these symptoms when they are prescribed the pill so that at least they can take care of themselves if something horrible starts to happen. And women need to be more aware of the risks associated with the pill and the patch in the first place. Women are dying, and we need to do something about it! Every time I go into the doctor to get my blood checked, I hear more and more stories about young women having the same thing happen to them. This is no longer only affecting older women. Please help by spreading the word and making more women aware! Does anyone else have any stories similar to mine? I would love to discuss with anyone who is interested.

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Cologirl, thank you so much for sharing your story as well! I am in shock by what happened to you. What a horrific experience! I am so happy you are OK as well. Thank goodness your friend knew the symptoms of blood clots. Otherwise, you would probably not be here! I can relate to what you said about all of your doctors in the hospital attributing the clots to the pill. All of my doctors agreed the pill was the reason I'd clotted, too. They even sent bloodwork to Mayo to see if there were blood/clotting disorders in my genes, but nothing came back that suggested I had some kind of congenital clotting factor. They were 99.9 percent sure the pill was the culprit!
I totally agree with you that young women must be aware that the pill can be risky, as can all forms of medication when you really take a good look at the pamphlets that come with them. You just never know when a medication will affect you. While most of the time the pill is fine, it DOES cause complications in some people. THE RISKS INCREASE when they are prone to being in one position for long periods of time (such as after a surgery or during long car or plane rides or at sedentary jobs with little movement). Women can't ever forget that complications are indeed possible. They should also know symptoms of blood clots in the legs and lungs, the two most common places to clot. (The info is in pill packs, or look it up on Web MD.) However, there can even be clots in the eyes, pelvis or arms. It can happen anywhere! We should all be very aware of our bodies and if we feel intuitively like something is off, get it checked out, just as you suggested! With my clot, I just knew deep inside that something was very wrong with my body. The scary thing with me is that two doctors misdiagnosed before I even went to the ER. They just said I was having muscle pain. It finally got so bad that I went to the ER where everyone was shocked to find the clot after doing the ultrasounds and CT scan. So even doctors can be wrong initially. It's frightening!
You say you're on the ParaGaurd IUD now. That is what my doctors are suggesting that I get now. But I am on the coumadin until Sept. 30. One gyno said he'd insert it now and that it wouldn't be a problem, but I'm worried about heavy bleeding. What do you think, Cologirl? What did the insertion feel like? Was it terribly painful and/or bloody? Was the bleeding after it was in worse than usual during your period? Did you get yours during your coumadin or after your time on it was over? Has it ever fallen out? Do you find it easy to check the strings on it? Please give me your honest opinions and experiences; I'd really appreciate it! :) Thank you so much again for sharing your experience!!!! Hugs!
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