Kavon Clayton, 33, was diagnosed with pulmonary embolisms in 2022. Three years later, Clayton, of Hammond, Louisiana, underwent pulmonary thromboendoarterectomy surgery to improve her quality of life. Her story is edited for style and clarity.
I look forward to the life that will come next without my previous restrictions.
After experiencing breathlessness, chest pain, dizziness, fatigue, elevated heart rate and weakness, I was admitted to the emergency room. I had significant clotting in my left lung and pulmonary embolisms in both lungs.
After taking blood thinning medication for about two years, I experienced acute respiratory failure after a 2024 surgery. That was when I was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension.
My care team didn’t understand why I still had clots in my lungs after using blood thinners for so long. In 2025, I was referred to the UC San Diego Health pulmonary thromboendarterectomy program.
After sending my medical records over and undergoing diagnostic testing, I was diagnosed with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, which could lead to right heart failure if untreated.
I had lived for so long with CTEPH symptoms and constant leg swelling, I thought it was normal. I chose to proceed with PTE surgery to improve my quality of life.
UCSD Health did an amazing job on my procedure, and I was discharged seven days after surgery. I had no problem agreeing to participate for research purposes.
I will have to take blood thinning medication and be monitored for the rest of my life, but I look forward to the life that will come next without my previous restrictions.
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