YouTube Star iJustine Recalls 'Difficult' Recovery from Blood Clot That Left Her 'Basically Bedridden'

YouTube star Justine Ezarik is opening up about the life-threatening blood clot that left her debilitated.

In a recent interview with TODAY, the 38-year-old — known famously on the social media platform as iJustine — revealed that her arm went numb, swelled up and turned purple during the last week of March.

She went to the emergency room on April 1 and after being admitted to the hospital she learned she had deep vein thrombosis, and a blood clot in her arm.

"I went from [being] perfectly fine to almost [dying] in the course of a few hours," Ezarik, from Los Angeles, told the outlet.

"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 said. "I went to [an emergency clinic] and a nurse looked at it. She's like, 'We're not equipped to handle that.'"

Ezarik was prescribed high doses of blood thinners and was later transferred to another hospital that was better equipped to treat the clot. There, she underwent two thrombectomies, which involved using a catheter to break up the clot.

"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."

"My body was not letting me be myself," Ezarik continued. "It was very very difficult."

Despite the procedures, part of the clot moved into her lungs and her condition became life-threatening. Doctors were able to successfully treat it with blood thinners. Staff later ran tests to understand why Ezarik developed a blood clot at such a young age and without known risk factors.

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Ezarik was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, a group of disorders that occur when blood vessels or nerves in the space between the collarbone and the first rib are compressed.

"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 said. "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."

Nearly five months after her blood clot, Ezarik said her recovery started off tough, beginning to work out again slowly. She told TODAY that she wanted to share her journey to raise awareness of thrombosis and encourage people to get help if they feel unwell.

"I rested as much as possible because the first three days my body felt so weird. Just standing up and walking, I was just very, very weak," Ezarik said. "That first month I took it very easy."

"I hate that this happened to me, but I'm so glad I have this platform to be able to let people know," Ezarik added. "No one would ever think about blood clots until it happens to you."