My thrombosis story began in 1986 when I was just 26 years old. Waking up one morning I felt severe pain in my back, like I would imagine it would feel to be stabbed in the lungs. Frightened and shaky, I immediately visited my doctor who tested me for hepatitis and pneumonia, with a large dose of scepticism about the pain I described. Two weeks of misdiagnosis culminated in my panicky plea to see another doctor who immediately sent me to hospital where I languished for ten days with clots in my leg and lung.
Pre- internet and mobile phones, I was totally reliant on the doctors for information and little was forthcoming, just a prescription for Warfarin for six months, no support and few explanations as to why I was in pain for so long after leaving hospital.
Six months later I was cast adrift and got on with life, looking forward rather than backward at all I had experienced.
Fast forward to 2001 and my Dad died of a clot in his lung and I began to ask questions about our family history which revolved around sudden deaths on his side of the family. A diagnosis of Factor V Leiden also revealed I am homozygous, having inherited this clotting disorder from both of my parents putting me at high risk in any situation where clotting may be an issue. Happily my Mother is fit and healthy at 86, having had no clots and my brother has had none either.
I avoided full time medication until reaching 60. On long journeys and flights of more than four hours I injected heparin and wore compression socks. At no time did it stop me from living my life to the full, including frequent travels around the world and even a trek in the Sahara Desert in support of Thrombosis UK.
Other factors have come into play in the past couple of years and I now take Apixaban, probably for the rest of my life. Nothing has changed about my attitude to life though.
I still vividly recall the pain, fear and panic I felt when I had my clots. Lack of understanding and knowledge means you have little power over your situation. Discovering Thrombosis UK in 2012 was a revelation and my facts, figures and deeper knowledge of clots, causes and treatments come from their website which is stuffed full of information.
The internet and improved communications plus Thrombosis UK have enabled me to gain that knowledge and understanding, things that give me back that power, an indispensable tool for handling your situation.
Listen to Dawne being interviewed talking about her work as an author and the impact thrombosis has had on shaping her life.