Happy anniversary to me!

It's DVT awareness month - how will you be celebrating?

I know that I've talked about my blood clots before, and it's not worth getting into the story again. But today is the day! Four years ago today, I almost died. For the second time.

Sorry I don't have any cutesie photos of me from that day to liven up this post. You see, I was in the hospital, hooked up to a cardiac telemetry monitor, coughing up blood and in intense pain, so I didn't take pictures. (Also I hadn't showered.)

This will probably be the last time I acknowledge this morbid anniversary, at least publicly. Ultimately, even though pulmonary emboli are fatal nearly a third of the time, mine weren't. I'm off of blood thinners now, I've lost much of the weight I gained, my race times are nearly where they were before I got sick, and aside from wearing compression socks on airplanes (and not being able to sleep), I'm perfectly healthy.

Kelly, another friend/blogger/runner, also had a PE, and she has some tips on prevention. Just please, do me a favor: if you take birth control pills/synthetic estrogen, be careful. If you smoke, quit. If you fly long distances, walk around the plane and drink enough water.