SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — It was just weeks until her son’s high school graduation; Melanie Bolkema couldn’t wait to see her son walk across the stage.
“I had to jump into mom mode,” Bolkema said.
But by late April last year, Bolkema could hardly walk around her own house. She was also having severe back pain.
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“I went to the chiropractor, and that seemed to have helped a little bit. It was on Monday that I started not being able to breathe very well,” Bolkema said. “I could only say small sentences without taking a breath.”
That next day things only got worse. A friend of hers came over and immediately took her to get help.
“She walked into my room, and she goes, ‘oh my gosh, you’re going to the emergency room,'” Bolkema said. “So, we got into the car, and we went to the emergency room.”
At Sanford Hospital, doctors found Bolkema’s oxygen levels dangerously low. It prompted a CT scan, which revealed a life-threatening condition: a bilateral blood clot in her lungs.
“Blood clots normally start in the leg, and it’s called DVT: Deep Venous Thrombosis,” Dr. Anand Dayama, a vascular surgeon with Sanford Hospital, said. “Then it gets loose and travels through the heart and into the lungs. The lungs usually are the final destination for blood clots. If there’s a large burden of it, it can completely plug the lungs.”
“It wasn’t until when Dr. Dayama came to see me that he told me that my left main bronchial was 100% obstructed,” Bolkema said. “That’s when I actually got a little bit scared.”
Dr. Anand Dayama said 900,000 Americans are diagnosed with blood clots each year, but 100,000 don’t survive. To save Bolkema’s life, doctors would need to perform a mechanical thrombectomy.
“We put a large IV in the vein inside the groin. And through that IV, we are able to snake a wire through the heart into the lung arteries,” Dr. Dayama said.
To Bolkema’s surprise, she was released from the hospital the next day.
“The recovery was really fast,” Bolkema said. “I actually went back to my hot yoga and walking right away. So, it was easy to get back into the routine.”
But had she waited any longer, doctors said things may have looked different.
“Most people, the heart can pump against a clot and overcome that stress,” Dr. Dayama said. “But after a day or so, it can give up.”
It’s why Bolkema is sharing her story- hoping others won’t ignore the warning signs.
“Blood clots in the lung are serious and dangerous. So, make sure if you start getting short of breath, it’s something to consider,” Bolkema said.
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Because for her, the thought of missing life’s moments- like her son’s graduation- was never an option.
“Sitting at graduation and thinking… I could possibly… haven’t been there,” Bolkema said.
It’s a gift that Bolkema will treasure forever, thanks to the quick action and care from her doctors.
Symptoms of a blood clot can vary, but some of the most common ones include chest pain, shortness of breath and feeling very weak. To learn more about the signs and treatments, click here.
