Justine Ezarik, also known to fans on YouTube as iJustine, is opening up about her experience with a critical health condition.
This past March, the 38-year-old's arm went numb, swelled up and turned purple, leading her to seek treatment. "I couldn't even flex my arm because my bicep was so massive that it looked like I was so shredded from the gym — but it was just swollen," she told Today in an article published Aug. 26. "I went to [an emergency clinic] and a nurse looked at it. She's like, ‘We're not equipped to handle that.'"
She added, "I went from [being] perfectly fine to almost [dying] in the course of a few hours."
After Ezarik was admitted to the hospital, the Pittsburgh native learned she had deep vein thrombosis, and there was a blood clot in her arm. She was prescribed high doses of blood thinners but was later transferred to another hospital better equipped to treat the clot. There, Ezarik underwent a thrombectomy, which involved using a catheter to break up the clot so it wouldn't move to her heart or brain.
After the clot didn't break apart, doctors performed another thrombectomy, which left Ezarik debilitated.
"I was basically bedridden. I couldn't move either of my arms because one had the catheter [and] the other had so many needles," she said. "My sister was brushing my teeth and feeding me. I was basically in bed for four days without moving."
The process was tough on Ezarik's body, which was a stark contrast from the day before she was admitted, when she was able to run seven miles. "My body was not letting me be myself," she continued. "It was very, very difficult."
Doctors were able to later diagnose Ezarik with thoracic outlet syndrome, a condition where the blood vessels or nerves between the collarbone and the first rib bone are compressed, per Mayo Clinic.
"They found the rib is actually set in a way that it pinches the vein, and that's what caused the clot to actually happen," Ezarik explained. "I do a lot of martial arts and also sword and lightsaber training, and there's a lot of repetitive arm movements, like circular spinning. Thoracic outlet syndrome is very common among athletes."
After being discharged, the New Celebrity Apprentice star—who also shared her experience with fans in videos on her channel—said she "rested as much as much as possible" and took it "very easy."
As Ezarik noted, she wanted to share her story to raise awareness of deep vein thrombosis and to encourage people getting help the moment they feel something may not be right.
"I hate that this happened to me, but I'm so glad I have this platform to be able to let people know," she said. "No one would ever think about blood clots until it happens to you."
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