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.
I went to my doctor last Monday because I was having shortness of breath, which I have never had before. I informed the NP that my father and brother literally dropped dead from a heart attack and I was concerned because I knew symptoms in women can be different. I had also has a previous DVD, but she didn't actually concerned about that or she did not read my file. After a normal EKG and the order for a stress test, I went home with no answers. The next morning I awoke with a terrible cough. Emailed the same nurse practitioner I saw on Monday about the cough, and was told it must be viral. On Wednesday, finished my work day, walked from my office to the kitchen when massive chest pain hit. I knew the 3 symptoms were not good and was rushed to the ER by a friend (should have dialed 911, but ER is 5 min from my house.)
After another normal EKG, an x-ray was done of my lungs, which immediately prompted a CT. That showed massive clots in both lungs. I was put on Heparin and transferred via ambulance to the hospital where an eckocardiagram showed my heart was stressed. Ultrasound on all my limbs showed blood clots in both legs. The Interventional Radiologist recommended an IVC Filter because if just one more clots moved into my lungs it would have been fatal. Needless to say I chose to do the filter and look for a different family practice!
After being in the hospital for 2 days, I went home Friday evening. I actually logged on to work today and immediately knew it was a mistake. I'm seeing my Hematologist tomorrow, but after reading the other posts I am wondering how long this will take to recover from.
Any advice on on how long to take off? I have full payment for 12 weeks short-term disability. It surely will not take that long I hope!
Can anyone share recovery time it took and why please.
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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.
The recovery process can take a while. I did most stuff that I used to, but it was easy to get exhausted. And, being out in hot/cold/humid weather was really a challenge sometimes. Your body will let you know if you push yourself too hard ... that'll give you some guidance.
I had the 12 weeks disability also. I didn't use it all up, although I did rely on it to "have my back" while I was working shorter days and going to the doctors.
I will be honest... full and complete recovery can take quite a while. I wouldn't say that I felt back to normal until about six months out, although I still had bouts of increased exhaustion/pain when I pushed myself too hard up until about 11 months out. I mean, everyone is different, but I wouldn't expect to be 100% in the next month.