The Invisible DVT Symptoms: My Story by Sam DeBrule

sam debrule

None of the doctors or ultrasound technicians saw my DVT symptoms coming.

I was the only one who felt the pain.

I was a 15 year old football player in peak physical condition. The typical blood clot symptoms just weren’t there. My leg wasn’t swollen. It didn’t turn red, or even feel hot to the touch.

As I went undiagnosed for 6 weeks, my legs took a beating on the football field. The doctors would eventually find what my family had told them was there all along: a chronic deep vein thrombosis that stretched from my ankle to my hip.

My diagnosis came just in time. I’m sharing my story so you never find yourself, or anyone you love, in the same position I found myself. You must advocate for yourself, or risk doctors being blind to your DVT symptoms.

Refuse to take no for an answer

It took 4 trips to the emergency room before I was properly treated for my blood clot.

My clot started with a small muscle pull in my right calf. The pain initially felt no worse than a typical running injury, but quickly morphed into an intense aching pain that I hope to never experience again.

I have a history of blood clots in my family. My father had 2 DVTs and a pulmonary embolism before his 40th birthday. As soon as I told my mother that I was experiencing pain in my calf she took me to a medical imaging office to be scanned for a blood clot. The results appeared negative, and so to did the next 2 ultrasound scans over as many weeks.

Fortunately, my mom refused to take no for an answer. She took me to various hematologists and vascular surgeons, but everyone was thrown off by my unique DVT symptoms. It wasn’t until many weeks later, a 104 degree fever, and a complete inability to walk that doctors took me seriously and discovered the clot.

Had my mother been satisfied with the first or even 4th ‘no’ she heard, I wouldn’t be here today. My clot could just as easily have broken off and traveled to my lungs.

Don’t ignore your pain

Pain was the only DVT symptom I experienced with my first clot.

I was an athletic 15 year old in top physical shape, so doctors quickly shot down the idea that I had a blood clot. I was far from fitting the profile of a sedentary, elderly, post-surgery patient they are used to seeing.

You are the only one who knows your body, and knows how much pain you can tolerate. If any doctor tells you that “you would be in far worse pain if you had a blood clot,” leave the office immediately and find a doctor who takes his/her patients seriously.

Stupidly, I continued to play football with each mis-diagnosis from doctors. I tried to fight through the pain. I am incredibly lucky that my story didn’t end tragically. Don’t be too tough for your own good, or try to find excuses to not make that trip a doctor’s office.

Find the experts

I have permanent vascular damage in my right leg that causes me pain and discomfort every single day.

Had my DVT symptoms been addressed more quickly, I would be pain free. If you begin experiencing DVT symptoms, you will likely be fixated on your pain, or finding treatment as quickly as possible.

Be sure to ask around to make certain the doctor you visit has a better track record than anyone in the area at properly diagnosing and treating blood clots. You’ll save yourself from a life of discomfort.

Editor’s Notes:
Thank you, Sam, for sharing your story with Blood Clot Recovery Network.
Catch up with Sam on Twitter @SamDeBrule. Sam has created a workout program to help others who are looking to get in shape for the first time or maybe get back in shape after a debilitating illness or injury. Sam’s fitness plan is free, completely customizable, you don’t need any equipment or gym memberships and for me, it’s just the step I needed to take with the start of 2015 to take control of my health! All you need to sign up is an email address so check it out today or click below. 
Click here to sign up for Sam's workouts.

Click here to sign up for Sam’s workouts.


The Top 5 Reasons Why I Don’t Make New Year’s Resolutions

The Top 5 Reasons Why I Don’t Make New Year’s Resolutions Cover

As a [former] runner, I am accustomed to making New Year’s Resolutions around this time every year. Most of them stemmed from fitness goals: I’m going to run five half marathons, run a marathon, run faster, run smarter, lose weight, eat better, drink more water and start lifting weights again. And then some personal ones like I am going to journal every day, spend more time planning blog content and do more outdoors. Sometimes they are even ambitious like I’m going to take a three-day canoe trip or backpack with my husband. Sometimes the Resolutions happen (I survived backpacking indeed, but just barely) and well, that’s about it. Mostly they don’t happen and I end up feeling bad about it every time I reflect on what I should have or could have done – but didn’t. I feel guilty and sometimes even worthless. And all because of the New Year’s Resolution label. So here it is, The Top 5 Reasons Why I Don’t Make New Year’s Resolutions.

I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions because in reality, they don’t work out.

We set a goal at the first of the year – a really big, scary, hairy goal (like run a marathon) and sometimes, we have no idea about the commitment behind making such a promise. When the goal proves to be or later becomes unattainable, it feels like a failure to not complete it. Failure is hurtful, damaging and painful – both physically and mentally. And, it is in reality often not a failure because plans change, people change and circumstances change – making New Year’s Resolutions a great challenge to successfully complete.

I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions because I prefer to set goals with measurable progress.

Instead of deciding to run the marathon, it is more beneficial for me to set small goals like walk around the block with my husband and dogs or maybe even run-walk a 5K. Small goals, with measurable progress, work better – small steps one at a time eventually add up to a great distance. Instead of losing 75 pounds next year, maybe I will find a successful weight loss program that works for my schedule and lifestyle, join an online support group or commit to doing Weight Watchers for six weeks. If I start to see results with a program that works, I can alter my goal to fit my needs without scratching the Resolution by January 19 and getting discouraged. I’m still getting healthy and I’m not damaging my self-esteem by setting too high of a goal early on in the year. If by March I have successfully ran-walked a 5K race, maybe I then set the goal to run the next one of run-walk a 4 miler. Maybe my goal is to being an exercise program, to lace up my shoes or to join an aerobics class and from that foundation, my future goals can grow. Progress is made little by little, and I am inspired to keep going.

I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions because life doesn’t go according to plan.

Especially for someone moving through recovery or facing a chronic illness. Sometimes taking care of yourself is the most important thing you can resolve to do. If you face additional health challenges during your DVT and PE recovery – which can be common – your health may completely derail what you had in mind for a Resolution. Or, for example, your recovery could take longer than expected. Just because you need to focus on yourself and getting well does not mean you are a failure for not obtaining your New Year’s Resolutions – it makes you normal.

I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions because a lot can change in a year.

And let’s face it, it probably will. The person you are today is not the person you will be tomorrow, next week, next month or at this time next year. Your goals, priorities, motives and direction in life may all change from day-to-day, especially as you move through a difficult, confusing and frightening recovery and guess what? That is okay.

I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions because I don’t have to wait a year to make positive changes or modify the ones in place.

It is important for me to live the healthiest life possible and take care of myself in every way possible, especially since surviving a PE and DVT. Sometimes, I think it is easy to get caught up in the thought that because it isn’t December 31, we can’t make changes. It’s also easier to wait another year before cashing in on the “big one” – the year I am going to run a marathon or lose 75 pounds; but, it doesn’t have to be that way. We can make small choices and changes every day – at anytime – to help us reach a goal. Something as simple as drinking more water, walking to get the mail or limiting eating out to twice a week can make a difference and if a change isn’t working out in the long run – don’t wait to make it work for you.

To you and yours, wishes for a Happy and healthy New Year.

Reader Writes In. Do you make New Year’s Resolutions? Why or why not?  Share it in the comments below.

There is hope for healing and you are not alone,

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Raising Awareness with Everyday Health

Everyday Health is a website dedicated to helping others live a healthy and well-rounded life by providing a variety of resources and personalized wellness tools. Topics range in topic from depression to diabetes to vitamins to weight-loss to beauty to recipes and many more, including Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism. Blood clots (DVT and PE) kill an estimated 300,000 Americans each year. The number of deaths from blood clots  exceeds those from breast cancer, AIDS and motor vehicle accidents combined (Source). Sadly, blood clots are also a leading cause of preventable hospital deaths in the United States (Source) and are often misdiagnosed simply because people do not know the signs, symptoms and/or risk factors associated with them. Recently, I had the privilege of raising awareness with Everyday Health by sharing my story of DVT diagnosis, treatment and recovery.

Here’s a small excerpt of my interview with Jennifer Acosta Scott at Everyday Health:

A Mission to Raise Awareness of DVT

Now that Wyen’s life has stabilized, she devotes much of her time to educating the public about DVT and helping others who are going through a similar situation. A few months after her diagnosis, she started Blood Clot Recovery Network. The site provides links to medical resources and shares personal stories of people living with deep vein thrombosis.

“When it happened to me, I didn’t know the [DVT] symptoms. I didn’t know what to look out for,” Wyen says. “I want to spread the word that you can be young or old, you can be any body size, any body type. You can read the site and file the symptoms and signs away. If it ever does happen to you, hopefully something will trigger in your brain — I should get this checked out. [Read More]

Please read the entire story and share in your networks. Raising awareness saves lives!

Also be sure to connect with Everyday Health on Facebook and Twitter.

Thank you to Jennifer and Everyday Health for sharing my story and most importantly, for raising awareness about DVT and PE, including the signs, symptoms and dangers associated with blood clotting.

There is hope for healing and you are not alone,

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