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 it's blood clot awareness month I've been thinking about sending out an email to my friends and extended family to let them know about what happened to me and give them some key points so that they could recognize the symptoms of a blood clot or know how to prevent it.
Up until this point I haven't really told anyone except my immediate family, a couple of my closest friends and the people I work with (didn't have much choice there). When it was all going on at first (7 months ago) it seemed too much to deal with to tell people and I'm not really looking for a ton of sympathy or for this to be what people think of when they think of me.
I did realize though that if I ever had a friend that was affected by a blood clot and I never said anything about mine I would always wonder if the information I could have shared would have changed the outcome for them. That's the main reason I want to send out an email.
Problem is, I have no idea what to say. I don't want to give my whole detailed story and I don't want to turn people paranoid either - we all know how hard it is to be worried all the time that you could have a clot.
How do I spread awareness, making it just personal enough that it hits home, without freaking people out?
Has anyone done anything like this with their friends?
Advice is appreciated!
Up until this point I haven't really told anyone except my immediate family, a couple of my closest friends and the people I work with (didn't have much choice there). When it was all going on at first (7 months ago) it seemed too much to deal with to tell people and I'm not really looking for a ton of sympathy or for this to be what people think of when they think of me.
I did realize though that if I ever had a friend that was affected by a blood clot and I never said anything about mine I would always wonder if the information I could have shared would have changed the outcome for them. That's the main reason I want to send out an email.
Problem is, I have no idea what to say. I don't want to give my whole detailed story and I don't want to turn people paranoid either - we all know how hard it is to be worried all the time that you could have a clot.
How do I spread awareness, making it just personal enough that it hits home, without freaking people out?
Has anyone done anything like this with their friends?
Advice is appreciated!
-
Look at what my best friend did with my picture!
-
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.
I think it really is a great idea. I've been open with my family and friends and most of them know what I've gone through. But ... I have jumped into a few situations and said something. My boss having knee surgery, for example ...
I would make sure to give them the symptoms of a clot and also the most common situations that can result in one. By spreading you knowledge, you are empowering people. I can see only good coming from this.
Best wishes!
I like how TossNTurn said that by spreading your knowledge you are empowering people. So true! I was taken back not too long ago when someone responded to the news of my having had a PE by making a comment about it being something that people go through as they age. I actually felt pretty empowered as I advised them that people of any age can experience clots or a PE. I think there's a real lack of knowledge out there mixed with some dangerous misconceptions.
I totally agree!
Your idea is a great one!
Thats my way of spreading awareness. I wonder if there are more walks like this around the country? I think it's a great way to educate friends, family and spread awareness.
http://www.clotconnect.org/patients/resources/get-involved