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.

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Lungs & Respiration
/ Pulmonary Embolism Support Group

PE and Pulmonary Hypertension

arat38
arat38

Hi everyone!  I haven't been on this board in ages!  Almost two years ago I had a pulmonary embolism while I was 19 weeks pregnant.  Since then things have been pretty good (after all the initial anxiety anyway) and now I barely think about it except to take precautions in certain cases.  I do also have an anxiety disorder and a lot of times worries just pop in my head:)  Over the course of my recovery I have got increaslingly stronger and feel back to normal although sometimes I feel like I'm out of breath for a few minutes or when walking.  It never lasts long and to be honest it could mostly be in my head because its not severe or anything.  It could also quite possibly be my anxiety as other things have been quite stressful of late.  


When I had the PE my heart was also affected and I had slight right ventrical (?) heart strain.  An echo was done three weeks after and the doctor said it was good but I never had another one.  


So here's my question.  Everything seemed good but could this have caused pulmonary hypertension (not good; causes death) and I don't know it as the symptoms are very mild at first????  


I know pretty silly but any advice would be greatly appreciated


rmb
rmb
Hi, glad you're doing well. I think had there been any indication PH potential, I think you would have been monitored longer after your PE. I had heart issues after my PE too and I was monitored for a year, with regular echos, to.measure if there was continued improvement. It could have been your situation showed marked improvement at the three week mark and so need for further follow up.

With that said, I would track your SOB and see if there are any commonalities, like does it only happen if you're anxious, does it happen around your period, or when the weather changes, etc. I mention your period because hormonal changes and anemia can cause shortness of breath.

And you could always just mention it to.you doc to see if there's any reason for concern.
TossNTurn
TossNTurn
If it is causing you stress, definitely check with your doctor. I had heart follow-up for a couple years because I developed issues with low blood pressure after my PEs. We never found anything of concern and I haven't been back to my cardiologist in ages.

There's no harm in asking your doc, of course, so might as well. Even if it just puts your anxiety at ease, it'll be worth it.
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