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 was feeling pretty good yesterday. And then I had to go to the hospital because my dad had emergency bypass...which was more driving than they want me to do and also more walking. When I got home last night, I basically was so tired I collapsed into bed. This morning wasn't too bad. By now, I am really winded and short of breath and getting clothes out of the dryer I started to get the pains back. And that is the hardest part.....the frustration, the fear, the wanted this over and getting back to normal. I guess there is also some depression involved. As you know, this is my second PE and I really thought it wouldn't happen again. So, I 'm a little thrown that I have to be on warfarin for live. I know...good to be alive and if this is the answer, then I do it. I guess it's just everything at once that is getting to me. Oh...and I used to cook Thanksgiving. Well, this year it will be a scaled down version. And basically, just my son and I since I'm not even sure if my dad will be home by then. I'm just sitting here feeling sorry for myself. And I know tomorrow morning I will be better. Thanks for letting me vent.
Melmobarrie: My "Time to hit the ER button" is when I start to feel like something is really wrong and the feelings (pain, SOB, heart-palpitations) are getting worse instead of better.
Been there 2x after the initial PE. All three times I was scared enough I was willing to impose upon others to get there. Once I was driving home and I actually called 911 on myself (b/c I was afraid I was going to pass out in my car) and the other was when I was sitting at home, alone on the couch and I kept having dizziness and heart palpitations. I felt like I was close to passing out and afraid that no one would find me until it was too late, so I called my neighbor (a retiree who is often home) and he drove me in. So, that's kind of my tipping point. Is it getting worse and is it to the point that I need someone else to take me in?
The first ER visit (after the initial one) might have been a real 2nd PE (my INR was low and my D-Dimers high, but they didn't re-scan b/c it had only been 7 days since my last one and the ER doc said the radiation wasn't worth just confirming a diagnosis they were already treating). The second trip was almost 2 months later, so they did re-scan my lungs, but they were clear, my INR was "therapeutic" and my D-dimers were normal, so they sent me home with a diagnosis of palpitations.
Both times I felt like it was worth it. The first time they discovered they needed to be more aggressive with my coumodin, and the second time it was worth it because I got the "all clear" and put my mind at ease.
Does that help any?
KS
And hate to say this but it has been 16 months, and I still get pain occassionally when I am very stressed and I still get fatigued when I overdo it. If I am out moving all day like going on a big shopping trip. By the time I get home, I'm ready to drop. The fatigue sneaks up on me. I think I'm fine and once I am finally resting or not moving as much I just get this wave of exhaustion that tells me that I am done and to go home now. This usually happens to me when I am driving home.