How I survived a pulmonary embolism while traveling

It all started with leg pain. My first thought was that it was a pulled muscle, that I hyperextended my leg the day before. But to be honest, at the time, I had much bigger issues happening. My mother-in-law was in the hospital in Trinidad, and my wife had left to go and see her.

Over the course of a few days, the pain got worse, but so did life’s circumstances. My mother-in-law passed away and I was suddenly making plans to fly to Trinidad for her funeral. But the pain in my leg had become so bad, the mere idea of traveling was daunting. So I did what anyone would do – I made a doctor's appointment.

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The doctor’s diagnosis was a pulled hamstring. He prescribed medication and instructions for getting better. I followed my doctor's orders and despite the pain, two days later, I was on a plane bound for Trinidad.

I arrived ready to celebrate my mother-in-law’s life, but I never got the chance. While driving to the family home, I passed out in the car, awoke and suddenly could not breathe.

I was rushed to Medical Associates in St Joseph, Trinidad, where it was discovered that I had a large saddle pulmonary embolism (Saddle PE), which is a large and potentially deadly blood clot that straddles the pulmonary trunk and can essentially block both the arteries to the left and right lung.

Turns out my original leg pain was likely not a pulled hamstring. It was most likely deep vein thrombosis (DVT) – a blood clot that develops in a deep vein (usually in the leg) and can be caused by anything that prevents your blood from circulating.

DVT was once nicknamed the ‘Economy Class Syndrome’ after a large number of passengers began collapsing after hours spent in confined tight seats on long-haul flights.

I spent a week in the hospital and was administered blood thinners to help clear my blood clot. It was six weeks before thoughts of going home was an option. The original plan was to take cruise ships back to the US, but the plan fell through.

I was going to have to take a plane home.

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I was a nervous wreck and in tears the day before my flight. A family friend, who works as a travel agent, booked our flights home and put me in wheelchair service. That helped because I couldn't walk for long distances and Miami International Airport is huge. The wheelchair service expedited me through customs, immigration and baggage stops.

The whole plane ride was spent thinking every pain or strange feeling was the result of me having another embolism. It was difficult and scary. My doctors told me to walk around and stretch every half hour, drink only water and take my medication.

But for me, the worst part was the entire diagnosis meant my wife and I would have to miss our honeymoon to Bali and Hong Kong that November. And with my health in such a precarious spot, we had no way of knowing when we could reschedule.

Luckily, we had trip insurance which allowed us to recover almost all of our costs. There are plenty of trip insurance companies that give you a myriad of options for insurance and coverage. Thankfully, our trip insurance specifically covered illness that prevents travel.