A personal trainer from Cambridge, Becky Fanthorpe, went through a real tough time after catching Covid-19. It wasn't just the usual symptoms; this virus brought blood clots to her legs, stomach, and lungs, almost costing her life at 39.
Becky's journey started with hip pain, and she knew something wasn't right. But the doctors brushed it off as sciatica, Covid-related, or some autoimmune thing, telling her to pop some paracetamol.
Things took a scary turn when she dialed 111. The hospital dash ended with her collapsing – blame those blood clots messing up her organ blood flow. Tests revealed clots everywhere, and the British Medical Journal says there's a higher clot risk after a bout of Covid. Who knew?
Becky, a mum of three, had to relearn walking, and sadly, her personal training career of 16 years had to hit pause. A year later, she's crediting her love for cooking as the savior in her darkest days. Now, she's an online chef, dishing out recipes to her 11,000 followers.
Her fam – kids and partner – were the unsung heroes, sticking by her when things got tough.
Back in October, her hip screamed in pain. Two doc visits later, her concerns, despite a family clot history, got shrugged off. Then came Covid, just days after the autoimmune Graves' disease diagnosis.
Becky's gripe? The doc didn't take her history seriously. Sent her home with a paracetamol prescription. But three days later, 111 pushed her to Harlow Hospital, and as she walked in, her leg gave up – a lightning bolt through her body.
In a hospital bed ten minutes later, Becky faced the shock – leg infection thanks to those pesky clots. Bottom of her leg to the top of her groin, through her arteries, the clots were playing havoc, reaching her stomach and lungs, putting her on the edge. Two weeks in the hospital, eight weeks unable to walk, and her personal training days were over.
Recovery has been a rocky road. Becky's sad some days because exercise was her mental health fix, but her legs swell up now. The silver lining? She found a new love for healthy living, penning down food stories and recipes on Instagram. It's like my little escape.
A check-up spills the news – blood clots still in her arteries, maybe forever. But Becky stays positive, feeling lucky to be where she is "Always trust your own instinct. Keep thinking that there is always a tomorrow.