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.
Hi I'm from Scotland and joined to get some info and support during this tough time. I was diagnosed with pneumonia around 6 weeks ago having been SOB for some weeks and presenting with left sharp lung pain, after 2 courses of antibiotics still being very SOB I presented with an horrendous pain in my right lung - GP sent me to A&E where they were still going down the pneumonia route, as it happens I did have this in both lungs, I was admitted to go on IV antibiotics for 24 hours, consultant noticed I had a suntan and ordered a CT scan which came back with bilateral PE- was very unwell as pain was unbearable. i was prescribed Heparin and Warfarin and spent 8 days in hospital - the consultant suspected I may have had a DVT on an early Sept flight home from Turkey - I also had been taking the conraceptive pill which I stopped on diagnosis. Have been recovering at home having days when fatigue is so debiitating - was dismayed yesterday to get an appointment in for a mammogram which was out of the blue - when I phoned the hospial I was told this was a follow-up on my admittance for my PE and not to worry, well I am now demented, I am still suffering terrible anxiety from the whole PE episode and now I have a cancer doubt hanging over me. PLEASE, PLEASE when will this nightmare end and I can get back to work, some normality and feeling fit.
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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.
When I went to the doctors with sharp pain by my left lung & shortness of breath she thought pneumonia or Pulmonory embolism so after an X-ray & ddimer test she sent me to the ER where they confirmed Pe's with a ct scan. After I spent 2 nights in the hospital my sharp pain & shortness of breath was gone. I started coughing up blood a couple days later so was checked out & told that was normal as long as it wasn't a bowl full. About a month after I started having bad anxiety which gave me chest pressure.my doctor sent me to the ER to make sure. It's been a long road but I am feeling a lot better &reading post on here has really helped. Walking or taking a nice bath has been great for anxiety.
Everyone recovers differently I just try to listen to my body & rest when I need to :)
As for going for a mammogram, try not to let that worry you too much. Easier said than done, I know. After my PE's, I was sent for all sorts of tests and scans including a mammogram, to rule out cancer as an underlying cause. It's pretty routine. I always looked at it as it was better they werre checking everything they could.
Give yourself some time, you will be ok. :)
Keep an eye on your anxiety level, and seek professional help if it is occupying your mind a lot. My anxiety has been pretty low, but i have become hyper-sensitive to the feelings in my chest and leg. The first time I had chest pains after all of my other symptoms were gone, I went into overdrive analyzing the feelings. I never thought I was dying and I wasn't scared of dying, but it made me stop what I was doing and start going through my head whether or not I thought i should take action of some sort. I think this is still anxiety and can cause your body to then exaggerate your feelings.
Good luck with everything!
I had my PEs in September and have had a multitude of tests, as I had 0 risk factors. One of the tests was a mammogramm, and I'm also being scheduled for a colonoscopy. They need to rule out cancer.
However, I am not worrying about this: feel fine, other than the SOB, pains and fatigue. And, at least, they ARE doing all the tests, to be sure to be on the safe side.
Went to see about contraception today and it looks like the copper coil is the safest, the clinic took some bloods to check where I am menopause wise as being 50 my GP suspects I may be either through it or going through it, but even at that I would need protection for a further year.
Can I ask how long it has taken for your fatigue to lessen.
If the source and cause of the PE was easily identifiable in your case, I would imagine that there is very little need for additional testing.
I really think for a lot of us, it winds up being a perfect storm of sorts. BC plus dehydration or a long trip or a genetic factor we're not aware of.
Also, most PEs start in the extremities (legs usually, but arms and pelvis also) break off and travel to the lungs. So, if your leg hurts, it would make some sense that the clot originated there and part/all broke off and traveled.
My question: is the pain a signal that the lungs are still in pretty bad shape? It seems that if I exert myself, even a little bit, the pain comes back.
I know that cancer testing is normal, and most of us do not test positive, but it is necessary to make sure. Hope all of us can have some good days this week!