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.
it seems to be near universal that we're all having anxiety issues. so, im curious if anyone wants to share what they're taking and if their experiences are good or bad..
my PE seems to have uncovered a latent case of panic disorder, along with what the therapist ive seen describes as a sort of PTSD. i didnt find out until i was filling out the workbook he gave me that my mother has been having panic attacks for about 20 years now and hid it from everyone, AND that one of her brothers has panic disorder as well. to give you an idea of what a slap in the face that was to find out, my mom has been a florida state trooper in the palm beach area for about 25 years...DEFINITELY not faint of heart. the woman is tough as a bag of rusty nails, and can be just about as friendly when the situation calls for it.
anyway, about three weeks after my PE i started having horrible panic attacks and night terrors. the only way i can think of to describe it is i literally KNEW i was going to die. im cut from pretty much the same cloth as my mom, i have to be just about bleeding from the eyes to get help and i tried to tough it out. after about a week of this, i got to the point where i wished i would just so it would be over with.
after landing in the ER thinking i was having another PE, i finally broke down and saw a psychiatrist and after a couple of appointments he put me on remeron, which is a SSRI/SNRI. i also have a few .5 mg ativans for when its acute. overall, id have to say its helped quite a bit. im not cured, but i can cope, and im not going to bed wondering if im going to wake up anymore. He also has me doing some meditation and what they call postiive self talk which in my experience helps as much as the medications.
so now ive had reconstructive surgery on my ankle, a PE, and panic disorder: crippled, short of breath, and crazy! LOL
my ultimate goal is to recover from this PE (and the surgery), and hoping i wont need the medications anymore. given the genetic factors involved in mental health, thats probably not terribly realistic but we'll see.
my PE seems to have uncovered a latent case of panic disorder, along with what the therapist ive seen describes as a sort of PTSD. i didnt find out until i was filling out the workbook he gave me that my mother has been having panic attacks for about 20 years now and hid it from everyone, AND that one of her brothers has panic disorder as well. to give you an idea of what a slap in the face that was to find out, my mom has been a florida state trooper in the palm beach area for about 25 years...DEFINITELY not faint of heart. the woman is tough as a bag of rusty nails, and can be just about as friendly when the situation calls for it.
anyway, about three weeks after my PE i started having horrible panic attacks and night terrors. the only way i can think of to describe it is i literally KNEW i was going to die. im cut from pretty much the same cloth as my mom, i have to be just about bleeding from the eyes to get help and i tried to tough it out. after about a week of this, i got to the point where i wished i would just so it would be over with.
after landing in the ER thinking i was having another PE, i finally broke down and saw a psychiatrist and after a couple of appointments he put me on remeron, which is a SSRI/SNRI. i also have a few .5 mg ativans for when its acute. overall, id have to say its helped quite a bit. im not cured, but i can cope, and im not going to bed wondering if im going to wake up anymore. He also has me doing some meditation and what they call postiive self talk which in my experience helps as much as the medications.
so now ive had reconstructive surgery on my ankle, a PE, and panic disorder: crippled, short of breath, and crazy! LOL
my ultimate goal is to recover from this PE (and the surgery), and hoping i wont need the medications anymore. given the genetic factors involved in mental health, thats probably not terribly realistic but we'll see.
Anyway, long story short, I am still here and ok. I was prescribed Lorazepan in USA and they helped me enormously with anxiety, but they will not prescribe them in the UK - I can understand why as they can be addictive, but I have saved some from USA for emergencies - lol. I am not sure if Lorazepan are same as ativan, because I think I had a few of those too in the ER.
I am sorry to hear of you experiencing that horrible feeling of doom, but it is comforting to know we're not alone and that talking about it can make it less powerful the next time. x x x
Glad you've found the right medication to help! Sometimes, it takes several to find the right one, so you're "lucky" :)
Maybe it's not all genetic and you may be able to come off the meds....many people have PTSD symtpoms post PE, so that may be temporary. Also, your mom being a state trooper and in a high pressure job may be suffering similar reactions. PTSD or vicarious trauma for people like police officers, nurses, etc...is not uncommon. So, hang in there and take it a day at a time. Who knows, next year you may be coumadin free, anxiety med free, and giving sage advice to newbies on this site!!!!