Pulmonary Embolism
Discussion
Anyone got any experience of these?
I suffered one on Sunday morning, so it’s only early days, feel a bit shocked by it.
I’m frustrated and a bit angry that it wasn’t diagnosed or treated until Tuesday evening, as I’d told every doctor who saw me that I’d had knee surgery recently and was at high risk of PE.
When I first went to hospital the pain was fairly mild and it was told I’d got atelectasis, and to go home.
4 hours later I collapsed at home and was taken back to hospital by ambulance, in extreme pain and struggling to breath, but a blood test suggested I’d got an infection somewhere in my body, I was given antibiotics, and was told again to go home, despite being barely able to walk. The idea of a CT scan was dismissed.
I went to my GP after the bank holiday and was sent back to hospital where they finally did a CT scan and confirmed a a Pulmonary embolism, also pneumonia.
I suffered one on Sunday morning, so it’s only early days, feel a bit shocked by it.
I’m frustrated and a bit angry that it wasn’t diagnosed or treated until Tuesday evening, as I’d told every doctor who saw me that I’d had knee surgery recently and was at high risk of PE.
When I first went to hospital the pain was fairly mild and it was told I’d got atelectasis, and to go home.
4 hours later I collapsed at home and was taken back to hospital by ambulance, in extreme pain and struggling to breath, but a blood test suggested I’d got an infection somewhere in my body, I was given antibiotics, and was told again to go home, despite being barely able to walk. The idea of a CT scan was dismissed.
I went to my GP after the bank holiday and was sent back to hospital where they finally did a CT scan and confirmed a a Pulmonary embolism, also pneumonia.
cptsideways said:
The pain can be enough for you to voluntarily stop breathing.
I spent two hours pleading with any passing nurse to get me some pain relief, the doctor in charge of A&E wouldn’t authorise anything, eventually they bought me a ibuprofen tablet. How did you recovery go? I’m still getting pain attacks, how long do these take to go? And I’m scared to do anything that might make place any stress on my lungs so I’m tip toeing around the house at a snails pa e.
Edited by Gareth1974 on Sunday 2nd June 20:26
I suffered a massive "unprovoked" PE and right heart strain in August last year, and I'm very lucky to be typing this. When visiting the GP a few days after leaving hospital the first thing he said to me while I was still in the waiting room was "blimey mate, you were lucky". He has been less subtle since.
Shame one of his colleagues was not more diligent when I had been there two weeks before, complaining of shortness of breath and almost passing out just getting out of the shower....
I didn't have any pain at all, except from where I smacked my leg when I collapsed alone in my garden, which has left scars to remind me. I also shudder to think of things I had been doing a week before despite my breathing problems - shifting 14 railway sleepers from the street round to my garden, and re-felting my 18' x 13' garage roof!
It appears the clots had been gathering in the artery causing the breathing issues, and on the fateful morning I had an aching calf which I thought I might walk off! After all, I'd been to the doctor.... That afternoon, wallop. The D-Dimer was "excess of 5000" - I am no expert but I know that is not good!
The realisation of how serious my condition was did play with my head but it is getting better. I still get the odd flashback when I can again see the grass coming towards me (I collapsed face first onto the lawn). I couldn't come to terms with why it had happened - I am 56 but do not smoke or drink, I keep active and I am not overweight. The hospital describes me as young and fit so I couldn't understand why I copped it and not the overweight drinkers and smokers I used to work with.
In the early days though, I was certainly wary of every twinge in my chest or leg and there was a lingering fear I could have another PE and not survive. I bought a battery powered blood-oxygen monitor which gave me reassurance that I was taking sufficient oxygen at times I was worried.
It seemed almost odd to me that I'd suffered something so serious, but had no outward signs or pain.
Physically, it was a couple of months before my breathing got noticeably better and up until about 6-8 weeks ago I was still having periods of breathlessness and some discomfort in my chest. Now though - although it is almost 10 months after the event - I feel pretty much how I did before the PE. I had a PET CT scan a few weeks ago which shows no lasting damage to lungs, arteries or heart, and that news alone made me feel better!
It seems I received better attention than some; the East of England paramedics who knew their stuff were brilliant and got me to Addenbrooke's in Cambridge on blues and twos, which is when I realised that I had more than just the chest infection I'd assumed! All the hospital staff have been superb, and there was no messing from the second I arrived - they just threw everything at me that was required, tubes, oxygen, injections (lifesavers as they were referred to by the A&E consultant) CT scans and four days in a monitored bed in the Coronary Care Unit. I lost count of the number of people that were involved in looking after me and could not have wished for better treatment.
I have probably had a better "MoT" than most people. I have had regular follow-up hospital appointments (my next is in a few weeks) and will be on medication for life, but it is better than the alternative.
Happy to receive PMs to compare notes if it helps fellow sufferers. I don't know anyone else that has had a PE and I think it might have helped to have had someone to talk to about it, perhaps why I have waffled on so much here!
Shame one of his colleagues was not more diligent when I had been there two weeks before, complaining of shortness of breath and almost passing out just getting out of the shower....
I didn't have any pain at all, except from where I smacked my leg when I collapsed alone in my garden, which has left scars to remind me. I also shudder to think of things I had been doing a week before despite my breathing problems - shifting 14 railway sleepers from the street round to my garden, and re-felting my 18' x 13' garage roof!
It appears the clots had been gathering in the artery causing the breathing issues, and on the fateful morning I had an aching calf which I thought I might walk off! After all, I'd been to the doctor.... That afternoon, wallop. The D-Dimer was "excess of 5000" - I am no expert but I know that is not good!
The realisation of how serious my condition was did play with my head but it is getting better. I still get the odd flashback when I can again see the grass coming towards me (I collapsed face first onto the lawn). I couldn't come to terms with why it had happened - I am 56 but do not smoke or drink, I keep active and I am not overweight. The hospital describes me as young and fit so I couldn't understand why I copped it and not the overweight drinkers and smokers I used to work with.
In the early days though, I was certainly wary of every twinge in my chest or leg and there was a lingering fear I could have another PE and not survive. I bought a battery powered blood-oxygen monitor which gave me reassurance that I was taking sufficient oxygen at times I was worried.
It seemed almost odd to me that I'd suffered something so serious, but had no outward signs or pain.
Physically, it was a couple of months before my breathing got noticeably better and up until about 6-8 weeks ago I was still having periods of breathlessness and some discomfort in my chest. Now though - although it is almost 10 months after the event - I feel pretty much how I did before the PE. I had a PET CT scan a few weeks ago which shows no lasting damage to lungs, arteries or heart, and that news alone made me feel better!
It seems I received better attention than some; the East of England paramedics who knew their stuff were brilliant and got me to Addenbrooke's in Cambridge on blues and twos, which is when I realised that I had more than just the chest infection I'd assumed! All the hospital staff have been superb, and there was no messing from the second I arrived - they just threw everything at me that was required, tubes, oxygen, injections (lifesavers as they were referred to by the A&E consultant) CT scans and four days in a monitored bed in the Coronary Care Unit. I lost count of the number of people that were involved in looking after me and could not have wished for better treatment.
I have probably had a better "MoT" than most people. I have had regular follow-up hospital appointments (my next is in a few weeks) and will be on medication for life, but it is better than the alternative.
Happy to receive PMs to compare notes if it helps fellow sufferers. I don't know anyone else that has had a PE and I think it might have helped to have had someone to talk to about it, perhaps why I have waffled on so much here!
Edited by RB CV8 on Monday 3rd June 08:08
Yes do get it looked at and taken seriously. My dear Sister died at home of a PE 5 years ago. It's a long story, but she'd been very inactive for a few weeks prior. The galling thing is she'd been in hospital just the day before (Friday) for tests (inconclusive) and they decided to send her home for the weekend with the aim of resuming the tests on the Monday.
Peanut Gallery said:
From personal experience, get it looked into and sorted.
It is being treated now, but I’d already gone through the stage where I could have easily died before anyone did anything, despite loads of evidence that I’d got one, and me telling the multiple doctors I saw that I though I’d got one.The doctor who discharged me from A&E at 0300 Monday, whist barely able to breath and with intense chest pains told me that a CT scan I’d had 14 months previously was clear, so I should be reassured by this, and I shouldn’t risk a further scan due to the heightened risk of cancer due to the exposure to radiation!
Yes, had one in January.
I just suddenly couldn't breathe. Well I could physically draw air in but it wasn't going anywhere.
My girlfriend was with me at the time, called an ambulance and I was whipped straight into hospital and on a breathing machine.
Turns out I had a blocked artery which was fixed with a stent.
As for the panic attacks, I know exactly what you mean. Anything that puts you slightly out of breath induces the same feeling as the embolism, which is "I'm going to f
king die here and there's nothing I can do about it"
One thing that really helped was that my hospital (USA btw) offered a cardio rehab program.
3 times a week sessions over 12 weeks of doing 50 minutes exercise split between a treadmill & static bike.
They check your blood sugar, blood pressure before and you are hooked up to a wifi heart monitor.
Your BP is checked during the exercising, at the end and after you cool down to show that you're working hard enough, can get a bit out of breath and will go back to normal.
It will take time to get back to feeling normal and I still get the occasional little "oh st" feeling which will of course stress you out, raise your blood pressure and make you breathe harder 
Just try to stay calm, breathe normally and let it pass. It will eventually.
I just suddenly couldn't breathe. Well I could physically draw air in but it wasn't going anywhere.
My girlfriend was with me at the time, called an ambulance and I was whipped straight into hospital and on a breathing machine.
Turns out I had a blocked artery which was fixed with a stent.
As for the panic attacks, I know exactly what you mean. Anything that puts you slightly out of breath induces the same feeling as the embolism, which is "I'm going to f
king die here and there's nothing I can do about it"One thing that really helped was that my hospital (USA btw) offered a cardio rehab program.
3 times a week sessions over 12 weeks of doing 50 minutes exercise split between a treadmill & static bike.
They check your blood sugar, blood pressure before and you are hooked up to a wifi heart monitor.
Your BP is checked during the exercising, at the end and after you cool down to show that you're working hard enough, can get a bit out of breath and will go back to normal.
It will take time to get back to feeling normal and I still get the occasional little "oh s
t" feeling which will of course stress you out, raise your blood pressure and make you breathe harder Just try to stay calm, breathe normally and let it pass. It will eventually.
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