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.
Since my (multiple) PE last December I have been a bag of worries. I did collapse twice in 2 days but wasn't even going to go in because I recovered fairly quicky and just had a sore throat and a temperature. My husband made me go in because he was worried about heart attack. I thought they were going to send me away with flu but, no, they said my blood/ oxygen level was terrrible and I had to stay in. The next day I was diagnosed with multiple PE and put onto blood thinners. I was terrified because my dad had this and he died. I was also told that night not to ever get pregnant and that I would be on it for life.
Then I began to get really ill. Sickness, diarrhea, fatigue...it was awful. I have had loads of tests and they diagnosed IBS caused by anxiety. I am a lot better now...BUT I find that when I climb fells (I am a big hiker) or even 3 flights of stairs these days my heart beats a lot faster then it used to and sometimes I feel a pressure on my chest (even at rest my pulse averages 95-100 bpm and it used to be about 68). I also do not feel as well as I used to and frequently have sore throats, inability to concentrate and lightheaded episodes. I know that my consultant was worried about pulmonaryr hypertension because he sent me for 2 echocardiagrams 6 months apart (all fine). Should I still be worried about this or am I being a worrywart again?
After 6 times of various consultants losing the tests (!!!!) they cannot find any hereditary disorders apart from one positive ANA test which they said didn't count for anything. They will be taking me off blood thinners this December exactly a year after the PE.
Then I began to get really ill. Sickness, diarrhea, fatigue...it was awful. I have had loads of tests and they diagnosed IBS caused by anxiety. I am a lot better now...BUT I find that when I climb fells (I am a big hiker) or even 3 flights of stairs these days my heart beats a lot faster then it used to and sometimes I feel a pressure on my chest (even at rest my pulse averages 95-100 bpm and it used to be about 68). I also do not feel as well as I used to and frequently have sore throats, inability to concentrate and lightheaded episodes. I know that my consultant was worried about pulmonaryr hypertension because he sent me for 2 echocardiagrams 6 months apart (all fine). Should I still be worried about this or am I being a worrywart again?
After 6 times of various consultants losing the tests (!!!!) they cannot find any hereditary disorders apart from one positive ANA test which they said didn't count for anything. They will be taking me off blood thinners this December exactly a year after the PE.
I had light-headedness shortly after my PEs, but it was because of orthostatic hypotension (BP falling too low) than anything else. I've had several echos also with no issues found at all. I'll have another one next year just to make sure. In the meantime, I try really hard to stay hydrated and take daily Vit C, potassium, magnesium, and calcium to keep the minerals my body needs.
Just as an FYI, you can still get pregnant, if that is important to you. You'd have to do Lovenox injections throughout, but it is totally do-able.
Hang in there!