(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Does anyone believe in it or have a view about it? I certainly never used to until yesterday afternoon.

About 4 months ago now, I had lost a lot of weight in a very short period of time, I had undergone several tests and scans to determine the cause, to cut a long story short; I had a CT Scan to show my bowels for inflammation or another sign.

I went in to see the gastrologist yesterday regarding the results, he told me that nothing had shown in the stomach or bowels area, BUT, that I had something else shown on the scan unrelated to said issue.

I have a blood clot in one of the arteries leading to my heart, if it had gone any longer unnoticed then the chances were high for me to have a stroke. The unusual part of this is, I'm only 25, though blood clots are common at my age WHERE the clot is is uncommon, apparently more common within much older people.

I feel like I've been given a second chance in life, perhaps not to such extremes but I definitely feel very fortunate to have gone and gotten myself checked out!

Just goes to show, regardless of how healthy you feel, things like this can just pop up.

They've got me on worfirin (not sure of the exact spelling) tablets and other self-injections. At the minute I'm trying to 'build up the medication in my system', to then determine lower or higher doses. I won't know until 3-7 days if this is the case.

To say the least, I'm pretty frightened about knowing that at any given day I COULD have a stroke or another clot appears. If I'm prone to them I'm going to be on this medication for life.

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Don't take your life for granted.

That's a very thought-provocative testimony, and this is an even more thought-provocative topic. Medical issues are absolutely miserable experiences. After losing a mother to cancer and recently undergoing surgery myself, I can empathize with you and agree that life is a privilege, not a guarantee. Lying on the hospital bed still bleeding and nearly disabled caused me to ask "what did I do to deserve this?" and "why me, why now?" several times. Strangely enough, although I am by no means religious, I even entertained the thought that my suffering was a form of divine punishment for the sinful course of events that I had recently initiated. The point here is, that even though many of us realize that death is one of the two certainties in life, we tend to dismiss the true value of good health until we're actually in danger.

Second chances? Fate? Those concepts are more dependent upon spiritual/religious convictions over anything else. I do not believe in divine intervention, but sometimes I do feel guilt and remorse through the consequences of my actions. Waking up after spending the last 24 hours of your life unconscious, with tubes in your arm and metal on your bones really causes you to wonder if the path that preceded was truly one of righteous man. Struggle is nature's way of strengthening a man, and I think without second chances, regret, and loss we wouldn't experience true intellectual/spiritual growth.

Not a blood clot, but I'm on ACE inhibitors (Vasotec), Coreg (a beta blocker) and Lanoxin (which improves contraction strength).

Long story short, my heart sucks. It got worse over time to the point where my blood pressure was anywhere from 140/40 to 80/50. I also take insulin and I'm color blind in my left eye - which happens to be my dominant one.

It's pretty horrendous how such things happen to people deserving of much more from life, yet, we are the one's who suffer, when people less deserving live a long and (apparently) happy life.

I would hardly say it makes me 'suffer.' Although the financial responsibility that is required to meet outrageous costs for medicine that I need just to survive is a pretty heavy burden. I can't just not take Insulin or heart medications - that's not how it works. If I don't take them it's a living nightmare where I ache, hurt and feel so bad that I might as well die. Sometimes hurts so much that I'm immobile. It's not like external pain, it's much worse. Like if I try to eat breakfast without Insulin I'll get so weak I can't even stand up on my own - and I quite literally mean I can't.

So I can't just not take them, which sucks so I must pay for the medicine.

Perhaps 'suffer' was the wrong choice of word, but you saw what I meant at least. Fortunately, here, the costs of medication aren't that great, so no one really finds it difficult to make life easier. My blood clot is one of two issues I have, I am also type II bipolar, perhaps not severe in many peoples eyes, but, for someone who's lived life like a normal person, brushing issues under the carpet and pretending everything is ok.. the realisation of the matter when you realise it is a heavy blow. I often feel so down or low that I cannot get out of bed, it's not that I WON'T, but can't.

Don't mind me asking this, but, presuming by 'insulin' you mean you're diabetic? May I ask which type? Not just out of curiosity but just general concern.