Rhianna Benson
When self-professed 'gym bunny' Holly Whitehall first began to experience a pain in her hip, she put it down to a pulled muscle.
It wasn't until weeks later that the 22-year-old's worst nightmares came true, after she was diagnosed with a condition that almost cost her her life.
Holly's initial hip agony began in October last year, but the fitness fanatic simply believed she'd exerted herself too hard during a gym session and proceeded to ignore it, especially as she was in the midst of planning a six-month trip to Australia.
Advert
When the pain grew to such an extent that she struggled to perform daily life activities, however, she believed it was best to get checked out and booked an appointment with her GP.
"I didn't think anything of it," she recalled. "It was like an achey, growing pain.
"A couple of days later, I thought 'this is getting quite painful' so I tried the classic ice pack and heat but nothing was helping."
After an assessment from her doctor, she was advised to go to A&E, with medics suspecting she may in fact be suffering with an ovarian cyst.
It was only after tests were performed on her by staff at Nottingham City Hospital - just 10 days before she was due to fly Down Under - that Holly received the news that knocked her for six.
She was suffering with multiple deadly blood clots in her lungs, stomach and left leg.
"They were shocked that it hadn't affected my breathing," Holly explained. "They said it was a significant amount and I was lucky to be alive. I was pretty petrified."
The trainee lawyer claims she was also told by staff that if she'd boarded the plane to Australia, she would have been unlikely to have returned home alive.
Upon further investigation, it was determined that the clots had been caused by complications surrounding the contraceptive pill.
Holly - who had tried three different combined pills since early 2022 - subsequently underwent two surgeries to remove the clots, and will remain on blood-thinning medication for the rest of her life.
She also had a stent fitted in her hip after tests found that Holly had antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), a disorder of the immune system that causes an increased risk of blood clots.
Now, Holly is using her almost-fatal experience to warn others to see their GP if they suspect they're suffering with the same condition.
"The doctors said this could've potentially happened in the future because of underlying issues with the APS but that it was triggered and contributed by the pill," she said.
"What scares me most is that I didn't know what was happening in my body and how quickly it came out of nowhere. You never think it's going to happen to you.
"I would tell people not to ignore any signs or pains you're getting, especially if you're on the pill.
"I tell everyone to get things checked just to be sure. I probably delayed treatment for myself by thinking it was minor.
"Just consider all options of contraception and whether you actually need them."