Pulmonary Embolism Support Group
By far the most common form of pulmonary embolism is a thromboembolism, which occurs when a blood clot, generally a venous thrombus, becomes dislodged from its site of formation and embolizes to the arterial blood supply of one of the lungs. Symptoms may include difficulty breathing, pain during breathing, and more rarely circulatory instability and death.
So... this is the moment which most of us are waiting for. I went to my latest visit which my PCP finally decided it was a good idea to take me off. They scheduled me a hematology visit in a few weeks to undergo various blood/genetics testing.
What is the process for this? Is it similar to d-dimers?
I also spoke to the doctors about various uncertainty concerns.. such as clotting again. Even though my PE was considered small, i still have that fear that I may clot soon... such as now... you know those "what-ifs"
On the plus side, i've been vigorously training back at the gym and i've gained alot of the muscle mass back that i've lost when i was first admitted to the E.R. Back to doing all around body exercises at a much lower volume. Trying to monitor and keep my body conditioned and not pushing as hard as I used to.
There are days where i could be just sore from workouts, but as most of you guys have mentioned, i've became obsessively concerned that every small little pain could be P.E.... you know that feeling, minor head aches, twinges in the chest, sore muscles all around.... etc
Do you guys still continue to live under the radar after being off therapy, as in a little less out-going, tending to play it safe by being home more often than not.. i've noticed this has probably been the biggest change since my P.E has hit.
Aside from work, I just tend to get as much rest as possible. I believe training at the gym is the only thing keeping me stress free and sane for that matter. Lol..
What is the process for this? Is it similar to d-dimers?
I also spoke to the doctors about various uncertainty concerns.. such as clotting again. Even though my PE was considered small, i still have that fear that I may clot soon... such as now... you know those "what-ifs"
On the plus side, i've been vigorously training back at the gym and i've gained alot of the muscle mass back that i've lost when i was first admitted to the E.R. Back to doing all around body exercises at a much lower volume. Trying to monitor and keep my body conditioned and not pushing as hard as I used to.
There are days where i could be just sore from workouts, but as most of you guys have mentioned, i've became obsessively concerned that every small little pain could be P.E.... you know that feeling, minor head aches, twinges in the chest, sore muscles all around.... etc
Do you guys still continue to live under the radar after being off therapy, as in a little less out-going, tending to play it safe by being home more often than not.. i've noticed this has probably been the biggest change since my P.E has hit.
Aside from work, I just tend to get as much rest as possible. I believe training at the gym is the only thing keeping me stress free and sane for that matter. Lol..
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Look at what my best friend did with my picture!
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We all have 24 hours in a day. How we spend these hours is important. Watching a little bit of a video about how sitting affects us made me aware of how much sitting and laying down I do. Gonna have to work on that.Your turn. Tell me another truth.
When I was off warfarin after my first clot, I did initially feel uneasy and worried, but with time, that got better but no, I never felt withdrawn or not outgoing once off. I just lived my life the way I had before the clots. I think it's great that you're going to the gym and staying healthy but maybe also try to ease yourself back into social situations. That will keep you distracted as well and really, it's important to your mental health to stay engaged and try to regain some normalcy.
Keep us posted on your tests and your progress.
The genetic testing is basically just blood draws. It is a LOT of blood (7-8 tubes worth for me) but otherwise nothing special. Take a snack if that kind of thing affects you. And yes, as RMB said, it takes a while to get the results back (eight weeks for me).
I don't remember any big changes in my social life after PEs or after any of my clotting incidents. I don't know that you're more or less likely to clot if you're home than if you're out with friends. In fact, I would think that staying busy (and not just sitting on the couch) would be conducive to NOT clotting, since you'll be keeping that blood moving.
I've said it before, but I'll say it again. I really do hope that you're getting help with your anxiety. You should think seriously about whether you want this level of anxiety following you around in 30 or 40 or 50 years because if you don't develop some coping mechanisms and techniques, it will be. And, it might not have to do only with clotting as other stressful things happen in your life. If you can help it, you don't want anxiety to become a habit or accept it as "normal" because it will continue to follow you if you do. This is absolutely a battle you can win, and I hope you do.
Best of luck to you! Keep us posted on how everything develops.