Hi everyone! 

My name is Olya. I am 39 years old. I am from Ukraine. I moved to the UK with my child because of the war in May 2022. 

My episode of DVT (deep vein thrombosis) happened in September 2019.

I was prescribed me a popular combined oral contraceptive. At that time, I did not know that I had hereditary thrombophilia (a predisposition to blood clots). Taking the combined oral contraceptives served as a trigger for DVT and pulmonary embolism (PE). After six months of use, I started feeling unwell. I experienced tachycardia, blood pressure spikes, and occasional shortness of breath, but I attributed these symptoms to being overweight and did not pay much attention to them. 

In September 2019, I felt a sharp pain in the heel of my left leg, and within a few days, my leg became swollen and turned blue. I was unable to walk. I went to the hospital, where my condition deteriorated. My blood pressure dropped dangerously low, I experienced tachycardia, facial cyanosis, and coughing up blood. Then I lost consciousness and was transferred to the intensive care unit. I was on the verge of death. My vascular doctor said I was lucky—the pulmonary embolism was not massive. 

I spent a month in the hospital and had a long recovery at home. At first, I could not walk, but with intensive treatment, the colour of my left leg slowly returned to normal capacity, and I was able to walk without crutches.

For a year after the illness, I was in depression, thinking my life was over. But eventually, I came to terms with the pain and began to live again. I found strength within myself. Despite the pain in my leg, I continued working as a Manager at a large cosmetics store in Kyiv, Ukraine. 

But everything changed on February 24, 2022, when the war in Ukraine began. My child and I had to leave everything behind and flee to another country. In the UK, I started life from scratch.

I enrolled in Newcastle College and received certificates in Adult Care Level 3 and Psychology Level 2. Later, I found a job as a care worker. I hardly worked for a year, but the physical demands of the job worsened my leg condition, and I was diagnosed with postphlebic syndrome (PTS). For the past four months, I have been on sick leave. 

I understand that I cannot return to my job as a care worker. I do not know how to move forward or what to do next. But I am trying to be positive. It has been challenging to integrate into life in the UK while living with DVT. I am seeking resources and knowledge on my own. Despite everything, I would like to support others with DVT and provide support to them. 

Olya’s account shows how damage caused by blood clots can be life-changing, but that staying positive and seeking support can make all the difference.