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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Wheelchair for short term?

donnajbridges
donnajbridges
I'm about 6 weeks out from diagnosis and still struggle with pain and SOB. I haven't been able to get out much - only where there is a short walk from car to seating. I decided to swallow my pride and rent a wheelchair so that I could go to my granddaughter's choir and band concert. I made it through the 1 1/2 hour program, but I don't think I could have walked the long distance and then survived that long.
Have others of you done this? My worry is that I'll become reliant on the chair.....I know I probably need to walk more, but if I "listen to my body" it tells me not to! Should I force myself to walk those longer distances to build up my strength? Thanks for your Help.
cave76
cave76
My thoughts on this are------ think of the wheelchair as a tool. One that allowed you to go to your granddaughter's event. (If you weren't sick and your granddaughter's event was in a town 50 miles away, wouldn't you use a car (tool) to get there?)

Continue to try to walk more to build up your strength----but don't 'force' yourself' to the point that you're exhausted. Baby steps.
rmb
rmb
Hi, I'd talk to your doctor about it and see what he recommends for activity. I think it's better to start doing a little bit of walking every day so you can build your stamina up, but everyone may be different depending on their situation. I am sure that sitting at an 1 1/2 program was pretty tiring.

On the other hand, If I listened to my body, I'd never get up off the couch. So definitely see what your doc recommends.
rmb
rmb
And I agree there's no shame in using a wheelchair to help you with your grand daughter's event. Just find the balance.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I second rmb - talk to your caregiver to get their opinion. Mine were all for moving off the couch even tho it was the last thing on earth I felt like doing. I completely empathize with not letting this keep you from going to your granddaughter's event and applaud your conviction. Hopefully your energy level will start to rebound soon.
donnajbridges
donnajbridges
Thanks to all of you for your insights....you encourage me with your thoughts. I really hadn't thought about the wheelchair as a tool like a car..that makes sense.
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