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.
The doctor told me the ONLY thing that will make me feel better is "time". There is no magic cure or neither can she tell me how long it will take to feel better. It is based on a number of things....and I have some of them against me.....severe asthma and heart failure already. She didn't think I was ready to go back. But she let me fall on my own face so to speak. So, I'm back to "behaving myself" and starting gradually.
I do have a handicapped sticker and do park in handicapped spots, but it is still a long way from my desk. I park close to the door of the building. But it is a large building and I'm a long way from the entrance.
I intend to start taking little walks in the complex I live in and see how that goes. And break down my chores into smaller pieces. Instead of doing everything and then collapsing.
I do have a handicapped sticker and do park in handicapped spots, but it is still a long way from my desk. I park close to the door of the building. But it is a large building and I'm a long way from the entrance.
I intend to start taking little walks in the complex I live in and see how that goes. And break down my chores into smaller pieces. Instead of doing everything and then collapsing.
How is your work reacting over all of it? I know that there isn't much that they can do, but if you need to rest and need more time off, then I'd think they'd have to give it to you.
As for the time aspect, I'm starting to become a big believer in it. Like others who have posted here, I don't think my PE's were nearly as extensive as yours, and I really needed 4 months (I'm just hitting that mark) to feel back to relatively normal. I also agree with the suggestions on ways to not feel as if the time is wasted by doing all those things you have on that "when I have time to do it" list. I started with cleaning out my junk drawers, which felt SO GOOD to get that done! (always cathartic!). Since no one wants to spend ALL DAY cleaning out junk drawers (or sock drawers, etc) I scheduled out my days just like I would have at work. From 7-8, I ate breakfast and checked e-mail, 8-8:30, walked the dog, 8:30 lovenox injection followed by 1/2 hour watching TV shows I'd always wanted to watch but never had time to (recorded on DVR), follwed by an hour or two of reading that book I'd always wanted to (read 5 or 6 of them in 3 months!), etc, etc... I felt so much more productive and didn't feel guilty or lazy at all about just staying home. Was very good for my self esteem!
So, don't be afraid to give yourself a break. Maybe those 40 days are just what you need. MAYBE... you could use that time to either shop for, or tool up to be able to do a different job? Use your "down time" to see what else is out there, and start filling out applications. Hmm... I see a "when one door closes, another one opens" opportunity for you here :-)
KS
You might have restrictions on how long you're out of work, my company does. Between PTO and FMLA I can be out about 5 months. After that my position must be eliminated or posted for people to apply for. I'm still considered an employee, I just don't get my same job back and have to apply for a new one.
Of course, when I had my clots, I was lucky enough to get the FMLA thing going on. I didn't wind up using most of it, but it was nice to have the option. I'm not sure how they could fire someone on FMLA since it supposed to protect your job during illness. That part seems illegal, but firing someone for health issues ... I'm pretty sure that happens a lot or FMLA never would have been invented.