By Jennifer M.

My story starts back in August 2020.

I switched jobs and started at Amazon, which requires a ton of walking. That’s when I started having problems!

I couldn’t walk.

I had to start and stop constantly.

That’s the only way I would feel better.

By the time I got where I needed to be for my job, my legs were numb and very red!

By the time I got home at night, my husband had to carry me into the house because I couldn’t move!

One night I decide to take a bath to soak my legs and I put my feet down in the water – my toes turned a deep purple, which didn’t go away!

So, we went to the ER and they did a CT Scan and an ultrasound of my legs.

They said everything was fine. So we went home!

A few trips to the ER with the same symptoms turned up nothing.

Even a trip to a vascular surgeon, and nothing. She looked at my scans and said everylooking looked fine. I went to my primary care doctor who suggested my symptoms were caused by muscle or sciatica issues.

My claudication got worse.

It got to the point where I just couldn’t walk anymore.

My feet were discolored all of the time.

And my pelvic area hurt something awful.

To make matters worse, I ended up with a hemorroid.

Fast forward to March 1, 2021 with escalating symptoms, and no explanation, my hope turned to fear for not only my legs but my life.

I woke up in the middle of the night and went downstairs to use the bathroom and my right leg went numb.

We called the squad which showed up and checked my leg pulse.

They said I was fine – that it was likely sciatica, and they left.

But as we approached the early morning hours, I wasn’t getting any better, so my husband got me ready and we went to the ER.

By the time we got there, my foot was turning black and the pain was awful bad.

This time they did a CT Scan from the chest, down.

We found the culprit!

I had a blood clot in the aorta, that was large enough to cut off blood flow to my right leg.

They shuttled me off to surgery, which took two to three hours, where they removed the blood clot and had to perform a fasciotomy to relieve the pressure in my leg from lack of blood flow they said.

They saved my leg but said I would eventually lose it because there’s nothing they can do for it after eleven surgeries since to keep my vessels open.

My right leg is much thinner than my left leg now.

I don’t have a lot of feeling in it and now have ‘drop foot’ so I have just about no range of motion in it.

I’m thankful I still have both legs for now.

Based on my experience, my advice to others is to make sure you push these Doctors for answers!

If your pelvic area is hurting, make them do a CT Scan, not just of your legs, but also higher, to make sure it is not a blood clot causing your pain.

Another piece of advice is to get a pulse oximeter that you can clip on your big toe and check your pulse! It’s not an accurate reading, but can let you know if it’s consistent or not normal.

I am always a nervous wreck as I am always aware of what’s going on with my legs!

I never hesitate to go to the ER if I have a concern because blood clots can be both life and limb-threatening as they’re unpredictable.

If you are ever in doubt of whether you have a blood clot, just go to the ER and have it checked!

I am telling my story cause I hope it helps someone else with the same symptoms!

I feel like I am lucky to be alive because it didn’t go to my heart or lungs.

My surgeons told me it was the biggest blood clot they had ever seen!

I hope this information saves your leg and life.

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If you are experiencing symptoms of leg pain, leg cramps, neuropathy, or skin discoloration, always talk to your doctor urgently. If you don’t have a primary care physician or podiatrist who offers PAD testing, go to PADtest.org for assistance in finding one. You can also call the Global PAD Association’s Leg Saver Hotline at (415) 320-7138.

The Journey To PAD Diagnosis and PADtest.org are supported by Biomedix, the maker of a PAD test technology, PADnet:

Disclaimer: The Journey To PAD Diagnosis is a series of real patients sharing their individual experiences.

Individual results may vary, patient testimonials are not claimed to represent typical results or guarantee that anyone will achieve the same or similar results.

This series is for educational purposes only and any advice offered is not a substitute for medical advice from your own supervising physician. Do not act on any information provided in this series without the explicit consent from your healthcare team.

For information on vascular diseases and real-time advocacy and support, go to www.PADhelp.org or call (415) 320-7138.