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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/ Pulmonary Embolism Support Group

Worrisome.

Sarahhope0417
Sarahhope0417

Hello all. I am exactly two months out from my hospitalization due to having a bilateral pulmonary embolism. My pain subsided after the first month. About a week ago I started adding exercise back into my life. Slowly of course. I only do body weight things like sit ups and squats. A couple of days ago I started experiencing tightness in my left shoulder. I had experienced this as a symptom of my PE as well. I am paying a lot more attention to my breathing and it seems weak and shallow. I don't know if I'm just having anxiety or not. I just went to the doctor yesterday. And he listened to my lungs and took vitals and said I should be okay. I trust him especially since he is well aware of what I've been through. Is it normal to stop having pain for a while then suddenly start experiencing it again? 

notsopatient
notsopatient
The clot kind of works like a kink in a hose, so when you up your aerobic requirements your body is trying to push more blood through the constricted spot. Also the tissue in that area of your body suffered a pretty big traumatic injury. It's very normal to have pe-like pain or pain with exercise. Keep updating your doctor, pay attention to what brings on or alleviates the pain, and ease off a bit when you start feeling it. Likewise with your breathing, it will take a while to heal. It is tough to know what is healing pains and what are new symptoms - I think most have us have had return trips to the ER with inconclusive symptoms. It is hard to decide what warrants a return visit but the good news is that as you get more accustomed to your symptoms, your symptoms will also decrease.
notsopatient
notsopatient
(Er I think I 0hrased that 0oorly - the acute clot should have dissolved, but any remnants of scar tissue will narrow your 'hoses'...)
rmb
rmb
Completely normal.
Sarahhope0417
Sarahhope0417
Thanks, you guys! Takes a lot of my mind ❤
kokey560
kokey560
Agreed - i think its normal - I worked out two days ago and had pain where my infarction on my left lung was during the running part of my workout
PE_FRUSTRATED
PE_FRUSTRATED
I have the same thing. My dr said it's pretty normal with all the damage. His exact words were "the new normal."
tondalea
tondalea
How long did you wait before working out ? I was just diagnosed on Wednesday and released from the hospital on Friday. They told me that I could resume normal activity as long as it's not a contact sport . I was lifting pretty heavy weights . This week I figured I would just walk and wait till my follow up in 7 days to discuss further .
Sarahhope0417
Sarahhope0417
@Tondalea -- I didn't try until about a month after . I then quickly realized I could not do it anymore. Or at least not yet. I had to take a step back. My body wasn't ready for me to work it as hard as I use to. Everyone is different. My PE was bilateral and a saddle clot. So my body took a lot of damage. Just listen to your body and remember you are in recovery. Don't beat yourself up if you can't jump right back into things right away.
notsopatient
notsopatient
I f you feel up to it I would start with a light workout a few days a week and work up from there. Pushing too hard can set you back - the words 'bone tired' took on a much more real meaning. Pay attention to what your body is telling you.
rmb
rmb
I think when they say to resume normal activity, they are essentially saying you have no actual restrictions. But you have to really use common sense. Go slow, try walking or the stationary bike first and see what you can do, stamina-wise. After my PE several years ago, I can tell you my doc wasn't high on me lifting weights while on anticoagulants, but I didn't do heavy weights at the time, nor did I do free weights. If you are lifting really heavy free weights over your head, you might want to just really be aware and careful. Lot of people get freaked out about bleeding. I don't but I will say I'm much more mindful of what I'm doing. See what your doc says at your follow up visit.
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