AN IRISH woman has told how she survived a terrifying near-death experience after a serious blood clot was diagnosed as anxiety.
Elizabeth Devaney, 39, suffered a saddle pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis after a procedure to rectify a varicose vein on her leg.
Elizabeth ( pictured with an eye infection picked up during the hospital stay) was hospitalised after a pulmonary embolism was missed[/caption]
She underwent further procedures on her leg after the ordeal to fix the varicose vein that started the health issues[/caption]
And when the clot moved from her leg to her chest, she was left feeling like she was “drowning and suffocating”.
Describing her horrendous health ordeal, she told us: “It literally just plugged my chest and I could not breathe.”
Elizabeth added that a “huge knowledge gap” almost cost her her life and is urging others to know the symptoms and advocate for themselves.
Her health hell began after going for a procedure called sclerotherapy in October 2022 which involves injecting a chemical into the varicose vein which seals the vein walls shut to close it.
Regular side effects include bruising, hives and skin sores, however deep vein thrombosis caused by a blood clot in the area is a rare, but possible complication.
And almost immediately after the procedure she started to experience clot symptoms, but was unaware it was a potential side effect.
She explained to The Irish Sun: “In my case, the vein doesn’t close fully between my knee and my groin.
“That’s where I developed severe pain. I mean, next level pain. It was like a cramp deep inside my leg.
“Then I contacted [the clinic] by email and I said, ‘I work from home, I can’t sit at my desk, I can’t bend my leg and there’s a lot of pain. Is that normal?’
“I was told it was all completely normal. I wasn’t brought in for a scan. My knowledge of blood clots would have been minimal at that point. So I trusted what was said.”
However, two days later Elizabeth “knew something was really wrong” when she had what felt like a panic attack and completely lost her balance.
Trouble breathing, chest pain, dizziness, or coughing up blood are all symptoms of a pulmonary embolism which happens when a blot clot travels to the lungs.
Blood clot symptoms include pain or tenderness, swelling, or a warm feeling if it is in the arms or legs; or trouble speaking, vision changes, a sudden strong headache, or dizziness if it is in the brain.
Elizabeth called a doctor concerned she had a blood clot and then called her mother, a retired nurse, who confirmed her suspicions regarding her symptoms.
But she was diagnosed with anxiety.
She explained: “I was diagnosed with anxiety which is a common thing with symptoms like that.
“And then unfortunately, there was no significant swelling between left and right leg at the time, which might have been more indicative of a clot.
“There was no discoloration of the leg for the doctors to be concerned about.”
‘I COULD NOT BREATHE’
After two days the pain in her leg had eased but it had now developed into a deep purple colour and she was unable to bare weight on it.
Having been examined a few days before, the 39-year-old believed she was fine, but was thrust into an emergency situation while walking to a nail appointment.
She said: “I felt the clot, it was a saddle pulmonary embolism, which is the worst one you can have. It literally just plugged my chest and I could not breathe. I felt like I was drowning, suffocating. My heart was over 200 BPM.
“I was on the verge of collapse. I could not catch my breath. I was trying, struggling to tell my husband. I couldn’t talk.”
The couple managed to call an ambulance with paramedics believing she was suffering a heart attack when they arrived on scene.
Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism together are known as venous thromboembolism and Elizabeth said it also cost her her life.
‘I WOULD BE DEAD’
Describing her experience with the paramedics, she said: “There was no mention of pulmonary embolism. They thought it was a heart attack, asthma, everything else.”
And when she arrived at the hospital it was still believed she had suffered a heart attack, was prescribed anticoagulants and almost discharged and initially asked to come back for a CT scan the following day.
However a CT done that night did confirm a “huge blood clot” as well as several smaller clots which are now chronic.
She said: “They were going to let me go home. If I did, I would be dead.
“There were so many things that should not have happened. And that’s what scares me the most.
“My respiratory consultant, the first thing she said to me, ‘You are so lucky’. That’s when I actually realised how serious it was.”
WHAT IS PE? – SYMPTOMS TO WATCH FOR
A pulmonary embolism is a clot that forms in a vein.
Clots form when blood cells and blood components stick together
and block blood vessels.
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a clot that forms
within a deep vein, usually in the leg or arm.
If untreated, part of the clot can break off and travel
to the lungs and block blood flow, known as a Pulmonary Embolism.
Symptoms can include shortness of breath, chest pain while breathing, coughing up blood and collapse however, some people may have no symptoms at all.
They are most often treated with anticoagulants which help prevent new clots developing and prevent existing clots from growing
and moving.
Treatment is usually at least 3 months or sometimes for longer, depending on your risk factors.
In some cases people need to take anticoagulant medication for life.
After her terrifying ordeal Elizabeth was asked by Thrombosis Ireland to make an awareness video for paramedics to help bridge a gap in knowledge.
She now suffers chronic thromboembolic disease as a result of the clots which results in shortness of breath, chest pains, tiredness and a racing heartbeat.
Elizabeth now works closely with both Thrombosis Ireland and the National Blood Clot Alliance to raise awareness and stop others going through the “horror” ordeal she has suffered over the past two years.
The 39-year-old now suffers from anxiety and post traumatic stress which is common for survivors of heart attacks, strokes and pulmonary embolisms.
She suffers regular panic attacks and was unable to leave her apartment for five weeks for fear a pulmonary embolism would strike again and is now preparing to return to work on a phased basis after taking three months off for mental health reasons.
Timing is everything, it can kill you on the spot.
Elizabeth Devaney
However, unlike survivors of heart attacks and strokes, no mental health supports are offered to those who have survived ordeals such as the one Elizabeth did.
The 39-year-old is calling for mental health supports to be put in place for survivors like her as she is stuck on a waiting list for physiological services where she feels she is “getting nowhere”.
And the brave survivor has also called for further awareness on the condition from healthcare providers and wants further “exploration” when someone presents with symptoms as she did two years ago.
She explained: “What I would like to see is more exploration.
“So when somebody presents to A&E with possible symptoms, they need to investigate thoroughly before discharging a patient home because the pulmonary embolism can mimic symptoms of anxiety, and vice versa.
“The only difference is an anxiety attack should only last a couple of minutes.
With a pulmonary embolism she explained: “Your oxygen saturation would be low, so there’s certain things that would stand out with a blood clot, as opposed to anxiety.
“So anyone that presents with symptoms of a blood clot, like tachycardia, they at least need an ECG.”
The survivor is now urging anyone who fears they may be suffering symptoms of a clot or a pulmonary embolism to seek medical help even if they feel it might be nothing.
She is also urging people to advocate for themselves when they arrive to A&E and ask for the tests they are entitled to.
Thrombosis Ireland encourages people to request a VTE test, which is a blood test used to diagnose clots and a pulmonary embolism.
Elizabeth explained: “There’s a pro-activeness with it. If you still feel like something is really wrong, just trust your gut, go to the hospital, don’t even go to a doctor, go straight to the emergency department.
“Don’t be afraid, if you’re not wasting their time they won’t ever turn you away. Maybe it’s an Irish thing, people are just like ‘I don’t want to be going in and annoying them, it’s probably nothing’.
“Time is of the essence. If you’re really unwell you can’t self-diagnose. And even a GP, they don’t have scanning machines like they do in the hospital.
“Tests like that need to be conducted in a hospital setting, so cut out the doctor if you have the symptoms and go straight to the emergency department, that would be my advice. Timing is everything, it can kill you on the spot.”
She suffered severe bruising as a side effect of anticoagulant medication[/caption]
The survivor is now trying to raise awareness[/caption]
