article: A bride-to-be was left fighting for her life when her lung collapsed after she had been taking the contraceptive pill. Emma Dickson, of Edinburgh, thought she would be planning her wedding to her fiance Dougie, 26, but ended up talking to him about her funeral when she was rushed to hospital and told she had developed blood clots which had moved to her lungs. The 31-year-old had two blood clots in her lungs, which led to a condition which caused her left lung to collapse - just a month before she was due to get married. Doctors told her she had developed the clot as a result of taking the contraceptive pill. Mrs Dickson developed blood clots, which can be caused by the synthetic hormones in the contraceptive pill, that then moved to her lungs and caused a pulmonary embolism. It left her with bruises on her arms (right) Emma Dickson was meant to be planning her wedding but ended up thinking about her funeral after she was taken to hospital with a collapsed lung, which developed from complications caused by the contraceptive pill . Mrs Dickson, a care home nurse, felt certain she was going to die. There was also a risk the clot could have moved to her brain, causing a stroke. She eventually recovered in hospital but will now have to take blood-thinning medication for the rest of her life which have caused her hair to fall out and severe headaches. It is also uncertain whether she will be able to have children. 'I was just really horrified. It surprised me how quickly everything went downhill,' she said. 'You just never think it's going to happen to you. You take the pill to help you, to keep you responsible. 'You never imagine you're going to end up with a collapsed lung and planning your funeral. 'On the leaflet that comes with the pills it says that one in 1,000 women experience problems with clotting. I never considered the risks. I think I was just unlucky. 'I'd been taking a popular brand of the pill for over a decade with no side effects. It was difficult getting my head round the idea my pill might be to blame.' Mrs Dickson was taken to Causeway Hospital, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, after she experienced sharp pains on November 2 last year. After a CT scan, doctors told her she had two blood clots in her left lung - known as pulmonary embolisms -  and that the clots had developed after she had been taking the contraceptive pill. The pill can increase the risk of blood clotting because it contains a synthetic version of oestrogen which can very slightly thicken the blood, leading to clots. Mrs Dickson's blood clots had developed in her pelvis, moved around her body, and had then become wedged in the lungs. These clots then led to a pleural effusion, a condition which causes fluid to accumulate between the lungs and chest wall. The two pulmonary embolisms became lodged in Ms Dickson's lungs, causing a condition known as pleural effusion which leads to fluid accumulating around the lung and can make them collapse . Mrs Dickson was in a wheelchair after she was discharged from hospital and now must take blood thinning drugs for the rest of her life to reduce the risk of further clots developing . As this fluid collected, Mrs Dickson's left lung then collapsed. There was also a risk the clots could have travelled to her brain, causing a stroke. She was given a lot of strong painkillers, antibiotics, oxygen and blood-thinning medication to dissolve the clots. Surgeons eventually managed to re-inflate Mrs Dickson's collapsed lung and nurse her back to recovery. She said: 'The reason that I did not go into hospital at first was that I was embarrassed. I didn't think it was anything serious. 'If the clots had reached my brain, I could have had a stroke and could have died. Mrs Dickson is pictured with her husband Dougie when she was discharged from hospital in Ireland . A month after being discharged from hospital Mrs Dickson was finally able to plan her wedding . The couple are pictured on their wedding day in Edinburgh after Mrs Dickson was released from hospital . 'All my plans of a beautiful wedding suddenly seemed so trivial, and I was actually thinking of what I wanted to happen at my funeral. I text Dougie to say I loved him because I genuinely thought I wasn't going to make it. It was a horrible conversation to have. 'We were not sure whether we would be able to celebrate our wedding or plan a funeral. We did not know what was going to happen.' One month after she was admitted Ms Dickson managed to have her dream wedding. The pill can raise blood pressure. At first taking the combined oral contraceptive pill can cause headaches, nausea and mood swings. Although the risk of stroke in young women is generally low, pregnancy and contraceptive pills are both significant stroke risk factors, according to the Stroke Association. The combined pill is made up of a particular type of oestrogen and progesterone, called progestogen. Oestrogen can make the blood more likely to clot - causing deep vein thrombosis (in the leg), as well as clots in the lungs or brain, causing a stroke. It has been linked to thrombosis and breast cancer. Research has suggested there is a slightly higher chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer, but this risk level is returned to normal after 10 years. But her recovery has come with consequences, as she has to inject herself with a special blood-thinning medicine just to keep her alive. Ms Dickson had been taking the pill Clairette for three years and is now no longer allowed to use it as she cannot take anything with oestrogen in it, as it is 'too risky'. One in 1,000 women who regularly take the pill are at risk of developing clots. Ms Dickson added: 'The blood-thinning medication I am now on causes severe headaches, nose bleeds, hair loss, nausea and extreme fatigue. 'If I want to have a family, I will have to switch medication and inject myself on a daily basis, because my current medication can cause birth defects.' She has taken no action with the regards to the pills, as the Clairette brand has stated potential risks in the leaflet. She added: 'The risks are in the leaflet. It's just a remote possibility. There is nothing wrong with the pill. I just did not think it would affect me.'
highlights: Emma Dickson was taking the contraceptive pill and then was taken to hospital after suffering with sharp pains last November .
  Doctors said she had developed blood clots, which can be caused by synthetic hormones in the pill, and clots had moved up to her lungs .
  Clots, or pulmonary embolisms, were wedged in Mrs Dickson's lungs and caused pleural effusion - where fluid starts to build up around the lungs .
  Fluid caused her left lung to collapse and she thought she would die .
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