spread the word about the dangers of smoking while on the birth control pill

I know blah, blah, blah more preaching about the dangers of smoking, but this one’s big. Think of the number of girls you know who smoke. Now how many of them are on the birth control pill? Do you think they read the tiny print inside the product information leaflet that says smoking whilst on the pill can increase your chances of blood clots? Do you think they would care if they did? Probably not. I read it and still smoked. In less than five years of being a smoker I had a serious problem. a pulmonary embolism – if you watch shows like HOUSE you know this can kill you. The ER doctors told me I had pleurisy and would just have to wait for the fluid to drain off my lung and then the pain would go away. All the time i spent waiting in agony that blood clot was sitting there waiting to make its move to my heart or my brain. By the time they found it it had actually broken up because the painkillers I took on my own for my “pleurisy” were a blood thinner and probably saved my life. I still had to be in the hospital for a week on my back with an IV pumping me full of rat poison to be sure the danger was past. Then I spent over six months popping poison pills and getting stuck with a needle every week(the scars make me look like a former heroin addict) and if you’ve never had an arterial blood gas test done you’re lucky – the needle goes into the inside of your wrist and they dig it around looking for the artery. Had the fluid not drained from my lungs on its own the needle they use to drain it is about 10 inches long and goes through your back. It’s been 10 years since this happened and I haven’t smoked since, but the consequences carry on. Once you get a blood clot from the pill you can never use it or any other form of birth control that involves hormones again and with all of these wonderful new pills that have come out that clear up your skin, regulate your cycle, etc. that is the worst part of all.