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.
Sorry guys have come on for a moan.
Went for an appointment with chest doctor as still quite breathless 6 months post PE in March. Basically I think for lack of any explanation for any of the symptoms I described was blamed on being overweight!
I am probably 2-3 stone overweight (nearly 6 feet tall as well) and I know this has a bearing on the work my lungs have to do but surely this cant explain everything. I have lost a stone recently and its been really hard mostly cos I cant exercise much so this was a bit of a kick in the teeth. I am certainly not hugely overweight and did not have any problems breathing before.
If only to prove them wrong I will lose some more which I intending doing anyway but just had to have a moan.
Anyone else been treated this way?
Went for an appointment with chest doctor as still quite breathless 6 months post PE in March. Basically I think for lack of any explanation for any of the symptoms I described was blamed on being overweight!
I am probably 2-3 stone overweight (nearly 6 feet tall as well) and I know this has a bearing on the work my lungs have to do but surely this cant explain everything. I have lost a stone recently and its been really hard mostly cos I cant exercise much so this was a bit of a kick in the teeth. I am certainly not hugely overweight and did not have any problems breathing before.
If only to prove them wrong I will lose some more which I intending doing anyway but just had to have a moan.
Anyone else been treated this way?
I'm 6 months post-PE too and my specialist had very carefully and politely suggested that some of my breathlessness and chest tenderness (now only after long walk) would be be from my lack of fitness.
It a vicious circle, you aren't well, so you can't exercise. You lose your fitness/strength/ability so when you DO exercise you are more breathless!
Good luck with you recovery. I hope after saying that, your doctor had some useful advice for you! My specialist said to persevere with exercise, for me to push it a little and get a bit breathless, and recover, rather than not push it and stay in my comfort zone all the time.
I persevered. I started with 5 minutes a day one day a week on a borrowed exercise bike. And I couldn't always do it. And now I comfortably do 10 - 15mins a day. And I'm so proud of myself I did a 5km walk across the Harbour Bridge on the weekend!
Are you in the UK?
My PEs were blamed on my weight and any after effect were also blame on it. But I have seen a haematologist and he told me that my symptoms and subsequent PEs are linked with the pill.
If you are in the UK I think the recent anti -fat brigade has alot to do with your experience. I go to the doctors with a cold and its blamed on my weight!!
I would recommend swimming and walking to get back into the fitness.
Best wishes
Paula
xx
Guess we are providing them with an excuse for when they dont really have an answer!
I am working at removing that excuse then they might have to work on findimg the real answers!
Kate
I find it shocking that i can tell you are in the UK by the level of care you get!! At least it is for free but i would pay anything to find out what happened - it has been 7 years!!
You are very lucky lucky to to find this site as our American counterparts have alot more information and understanding of the condition. This site is very good for us in the UK, it hs given me so many questions to ask the GP next.
My experience of after effects of the PEs is that i get a stitch like feeling in my right side and when things get humid i have difficulty breathing. I have asked my doctor about this and she says that it will hurt and also mentioned costacondritis (I don't know what that is!! Sounds impressive though).
I tried walking at first an then swimming, i would avoid the sauna for a while though.
Good Luck.
Paula
xx
I have been diagnosed with Costo several times, but my worry is that the pain is very similar to the PE pain (pain on breathing in) and how will I distinguish between the two once I am off the warfarin. I wonder now whether it was Costo I had or PEs all along?
MInd you I have had injury to my chest and I do get stressed - also I had been trying to fit into a tiny bridesmaids dress (pressure to the chest) in Sorrento and so who knows, but I had a PE I think when I came back from Sorrento - it's so confusing. I think it's probably a bit of both.
The way they distinguish between the two is by pressing on your chest to see if it's painful. My main other worry is that I could have Pe and costo at the same time and they'll miss PE - I know they will do a d-dimer, but my d-dimer was negative before - and they only will do a CT if d-dimer is positive - I am getting myseld in a tiss x
Saw my GP yesterday who was very kind and supportive but then she is a woman!
Said much as you guys have said it is not much to do with weight although it is one of the things you have control over in your recovery from any illness.
also said the inportant thing is that I have acknowleged it and doing something about so ignore those that keep going on about it!
Have been trying out my exercise bike having brushed the dust off! Aiming to do a little more every day and think it is helping.
Havent had a full thrombophelia screen yet but if any thing comes back I will be straight there to wave it in that doctors face!
Thanks again
Kate