My GP told me I just had a chest infection – to this day I have no idea why I nearly died

WHEN healthy Rachael Stewart started suffering from discomfort when breathing, she thought it was an innocent chest infection - and her GP backed this up.

But when her chest pain got worse ten days later in February 2019 - after five days of antibiotics - her doctor sent her to A&E. 

Within 24 hours, Rachael, 28, from Glasgow, who had previously run a half marathon, was told she had a blood clot and her lung had started to collapse and she needed urgent treatment.

Rachael’s world was turned “upside down” - she spent the next few days in hospital and the next two years building up her strength again.

Now, the commercial account handler competes in pageants and raises awareness of blood clots as she accepts she’ll be a hospital patient for the rest of her life. 

Rachael said: “The last healthy breath I took was some time in January 2019, and I never even realised it. 

“There were points where I thought, am I going to die? It was shocking to go from healthy, to being told life might never be the same. 

“To this day, doctors have no idea what caused this to happen to me. 

“My right lung is still partially collapsed and is at 60 per cent capacity - doctors are confident it will never improve, but I accept my health and have adapted my life and routine to suit my needs.

“I’ve realised that by sharing my story I can help others to know what life looks like on the other side - to give them hope.”

OUT OF THE BLUE

Rachael had always prided herself on being fit and healthy. 

She had previously gone to the gym regularly, ran a half marathon in 2016, and walked 10K multiple times per week. 

So when she first felt unwell and had pains in her chest in February 2019, she visited her GP who prescribed a five-day course of antibiotics for a chest infection.

When her symptoms worsened, her doctor referred her to A&E at Monklands Hospital, where an X-ray revealed Rachael’s lung was collapsing and she would need to be kept in. 

It also showed a pulmonary embolism - a sudden blockage in your pulmonary arteries, the blood vessels that send blood to your lungs - had appeared.

Rachael said: “I had gone from having my mind put at ease by my GP, to within hours of arriving at the hospital, finding out I had started losing blood supply to my lung because there was a sizable blood clot in my body.

“I just sat there in silence as they explained everything to me. 

“At 23 I was told I’m losing blood supply to an organ that's pretty much required for everything. 

“They also found that I had an inflamed lymph node and an unknown growth.

“Obviously being told that your lung has collapsed and you're losing blood supply, I knew it wasn’t good. 

“I messaged my dad and said I was in hospital and it was more serious than I thought.” 

Rachael questioned if she was going to lose her lung, but she wasn’t given a definitive answer.

Her doctors were confident they’d caught the blood clot in time, so she went straight onto blood thinning injections and was prescribed a course of blood thinners for six months to take daily. 

She stayed in hospital for two days before returning home to continue her recovery. 

LIFE NEVER THE SAME AGAIN

But life was very different when she returned home, as things she used to do easily, like go to the bathroom or walk downstairs, were now difficult. 

She felt tired, breathless and the pains in her chest remained for months. 

She stopped attending the gym and running and instead was limited to short walks to build her stamina back up. 

Rachael’s recovery took a year as she kept catching chest infections and she required two weekly check ups at respiratory, GP checkups and regular CT scans. 

She had to sign a disclosure to say she understood her risk of cancer was increased due to the amount of scans she needed. 

Rachael said: “My life had turned upside down. I’d never known anyone to have a blood clot, so I was unaware of everything.