I also had a (bilateral) saddle PE but mine was the end of Sept 2015. I felt a heaviness on my chest like I was congested and then as the week progressed I felt like I had a rock in the middle of my chest. I didn't have chest pain until after being in the hospital a couple days and it was brief. But a month after my release from the hospital I started getting sharp stabbing chest pains. Mostly when I would turn or lean forward. I still get them 5 months out but the severity has decreased a little.

I had more pain and discomfort after my PE. I think it's a lot of things. I think it's healing and I think it's loss of conditioning. I also think psychologically, we are paying so much attention to our bodies, particularly our breathing, that we don't really know how to gauge what's normal breathing for a while. I always felt like I had some SOB but in in hindsight, I think some of that was just anxiety or just being far to focused on my breathing which actually created a sense of being SOB.

Is your pulse ox in normal range?

RMB - it could be that my pulse ox is on the low side, don't have a home kit to test in order to see a causal effect.

I still cant lay on my side (either) without significant issues

I am just curious what others' experiences are AFTER months of elapsed time.

My response was related to what I experienced the first 3 months or so AFTER my PE. By 6 months I had very little pain, just once in a while, in the same spot, the upper right part of my back. I had an infarction so that could have been from that.

I would not assume your pulse ox is low. Lot of people have these same symptoms with a completely normal pulse ox. My thought was to ask your doc to check your pulse ox just to rule out an issue with breathing.

I think how your describing it makes sense so is it an issue that your docs don't get what you mean or is it that they just don't know what to tell you?

Your chest pains sound similar to mine in the beginning. I remember thinking will things ever get better. But slowly and like a roller coaster, the chest, back and other pains start to diminish in strength and frequency. I am 9 months out after spending two weeks in the hospital with a massive saddle and MANY added complications. My pain is not more upper middle back at times and my chest has "twinges" every so often especially when I over do it and/or later in the day and evening. Looking back, it was a day to day feeling just wanting the next day to come in hopes it got better. It will get better with time. Everyone's recovery time/process is unqiue.

late to the party here...but before my diagnosis I felt short of breath and simply thought I was out of shape and over weight. Then one night I went to a concert which required a steep uphill walk to get to the venue. By the time I got to my seat, my chest felt like it was about to explode. I felt like I needed oxygen. Lots of pressure and some pain in my upper back. But as soon as I sat for a while, my breathing returned to normal. I was scared. Went to the doc the next week and after listening to my chest, the doctor figured it all had to do with the awful pollen in the air. In his defense, there was absolutely no reason, at the time, to suspect PEs. I took albuterol for a few days and felt better. But every few days, if I over did something, that pressure on my chest would occur.

I am 14 months into recovery...I came here because I need to know that I am not crazy. I still feel chest pressure/tightness almost every day - some days worse than others. It seems to be worse on humid days lately. As a result of this ordeal I have gained weight...and sometimes I feel like my SOB and pressure are related to being so out of shape now...but reading others' experiences helps me to know that my symptoms are real, regardless of the exact cause. I have had tests done to eliminate asthma and pulmonary hypertension. My family doctor swears that I should not have these symptoms anymore...but doctors at stat cares tell me that my lungs might always be "sensitive" to weather changes, allergens, and respiratory illnesses. Can anyone else attest to this??

Definitely normal. From my research the studies reported that two thirds of pe patients feel back to normal after two years. Which means a third of patients don't.

I didn't know I had the PEs at the time. We assumed I had allergies to the pollen in April. First, I noticed it was hard to take a deep breath. I likened it to the days when I was little, and I spent the entire day in the ocean. By the end of the day it was hard to take a deep breath. Then one night we were walking up a steep hill to a venue for a concert and I thought my heart was going to pop out of my chest. I was breathing so hard and there was a tightness I had never felt about. If it hadn't all calmed down within 2 or 3 minutes when we sat down in our seats, I would have told my husband to take me to the hospital, but everything went to "normal" within minutes. After my diagnosis, it's hard to say how things feel because now I think everything i feel in my chest must have something to do with the PEs and for all I know they're just little twinges from something else.