Pippalippa

About Me

Hi everyone, This is my DVT/PE story: In late 2006 I experienced extreme shortness of breath. The GP tried an asthma inhaler on me and when that didn't work diagnosed me with 'air hunger' saying I was not breathless but actually hyperventilating. He never checked my oxygen saturation, though. In November 2008 the shortness of breath came back. Different GP since then, but again I was given an asthma inhaler and then not given any further help or advice except a session with the nurse to show me how to use the inhaler 'properly' as it was having no effect on me. I chose to ignore the breathing over Christmas. By January 2009 things had got worse. I couldn't even get a coffee in the office kitchen without having to take a break on the way. It was pathetic! Then my knee started to hurt. Great, I thought, now I have two problems. So I made an appointment to see the GP a week later. Over the weekend my leg became worse and by Sunday night I noticed that it was swollen from the knee down to the foot, with small red spots like a shaving rash appearing around the ankle. Throughout the day on Monday I watched the rash spreading upwards toward the knee and after a few frantic phone calls with the GP receptionist managed to get myself an appointment that evening. He immediately sent me on to the hospital. There they sent me off for a venogram (like a blood pressure test on the leg) to 'rule out a DVT'. It came back positive and I was given a heparin shot right away. They let me go home overnight but made me promise to come back in the morning for a CT scan to 'rule out a PE', but that came back showing multiple bilateral PEs. One of the A&E doctors told me my lungs looked like a star-studded sky. The day after the CT I was admitted to hospital with oxygen and to start warfarin treatment. So, that is how I came to be diagnosed with DVT/PE. Since then I have been back in A&E three times. The last time they performed a repeat CT which came back inconclusive in that it is possible that I have had some new clots. The good news is that the original clots have somewhat disolved. The journey continues and I am so grateful for this site, which has been invaluable for the information I have been given and the support I have received.

Hi everyone, This is my DVT/PE story: In late 2006 I experienced extreme shortness of breath. The GP tried an asthma inhaler on me and when that didn't work diagnosed me with 'air hunger' saying I was not breathless but actually hyperventilating. He never checked my oxygen saturation, though. In November 2008 the shortness of breath came back. Different GP since then, but again I was given an asthma inhaler and then not given any further help or advice except a session with the nurse to show me how