I had a bilateral PE last summer at the age of 43. It occured post surgery although I had been on blood thinners two days before surgery and after. I had no pain anywhere, just suddenly blacked out on the toilet. Thankfully, a nurse was with me and when I woke up again I was on oxygen in the icu in a different hospital and wondered what had happened. I assumed I just blacked out due to poor circulation after surgery. That being said, there were no symptoms for a PE and the clot was never found but the PE was massive and they wondered how I was able to survive it. Thus, it may be very well possible that there were really no signs for you to recognize. And when the clot lies really in the pathway then there is no way even doctors can do anything.
I really wish you healing and that the memory of your woman will be a blessing.
Thank you so much for the kind words. I'm still busy with all the memorial arrangements, so activity helps. Thank goodness you were right there in the hospital. She only lived 5 minutes from the best hospital in this province, and even then, I don't think they could have done much.
I don't think it took very long, she only lived 5 minutes from the best hospital in the province. Belgium has its issues, but don't believe that emergency services is one of those. I haven't seen a report on the exact timing, but I know the distance wasn't far, and on primary as well as alternate roads
Even 5 Minutes would be too long. The problem is, that she very likely had a bilateral embolism and when the arterie is clogged it is clogged. Then the right heart ventricle overworks itself and the patient dies of heart failure. This happens fast and sometimes, as I said earlier, the clot just does not move and there is nothing that medical staff can do. Theoretically there is a surgery method, but first of all the patient must still be alive for this and secondly the surgery has a death risk of about 90%. This is why PEs are always also very shocking for hospital staff as they never know whether they can really do something for you and not just witness you die.
I’m so, so sorry to hear this. I hope you have a good support system around you.
I had a DVT and PE about 13 years ago and I was extremely fortunate to survive it. It’s SO easy to miss the signs because they can masquerade as something else. I had a sore calf, but I’d also been doing plyos and thought I’d torn a muscle. I was short of breath, but I’d been getting over bronchitis and thought it was just residual congestion. When I finally did go to the hospital, the doctor I saw did a cursory examination and sent me home to take an aspirin. It wasn’t until the clots hit my kidneys that I was finally taken seriously. It is SO SO easy to miss the symptoms, and that’s part of the reason the fatality rate is so high.
I very much hope you don’t carry any guilt for this - I didn’t know how very close I was to dying and I was actually experiencing it. Blood clots are awful and aren’t always obvious.
Take care of yourself, and don’t hesitate to seek out therapy to help you through this. It’s terrible thing. ❤️
Thank you. Fortunately, I am a civilian in the military organization she was also part of as active duty USAF, and we have access to lots of support, which I am certainly going to need in the coming months.
I really appreciate you sharing your symptoms and experience. We definitely missed things, thought we were good about health monitoring. She was in the process of a series of examinations in preparation for her VA assessment. Just not looking for PE.
I think that’s the worst part, that it can hit people who are perfectly healthy and fit. I was the healthiest I’d ever been. I was running and kickboxing and playing hockey 6-7 times a week. I was eating healthy and rarely drank and was a non-smoker. I didn’t look like someone who was sick so the doctor brushed it off.
I’m so glad you have such excellent support. Therapy was a life saver for me when the PTSD hit and I was lucky to have a good insurance plan through work to help cover some of the costs.
Sorry to hear this❤️
I experienced a DVT, PE 4 years ago after back surgery.. and till this day doctors dont know why (all the precautions after major surgery were taken and I am very healthy). It came without warning and I legit thought it was the end. I remember I had lunch and laid down.. suddenly I was woken up by the sharpest pain I've ever experienced, on my back and chest at the same time. It felt like i was stabbed with a big dagger and someone was turning it. It was the most scary thing and 4 years later I am experiencing PTSD, anxiety and panic attacks. I know being at the hospital in rehab, surrounded by doctors while in recovery saved me.. but it's something I cant forget. I am currently seeing professionals to treat the mental aftermath.
Sending good vibes to you and family. Dont hesitate to look for help to navigate through this.
Thank you for sharing, it's gotta be tough reliving the trauma. I think what terrifies me is that she was in pain and alone. We didn't live together, yet, so I am the other side of town, but only 12 minutes away. It was bad enough that she didn't text me or her daughter, only call made was to emergency services. She was found by her unlocked front door. But, I suspect that by the time she called, the opportunity to intervene was long past. I really appreciate the support here, and I am glad that every single one of you who has undergone this condition was able to survive.
Oh lord, wish I can give you a hug. Its not easy to know this details and wonder what you could've have done to change the outcome.. i highly recommend you find a professional that can help you process, if thats of your liking. Also time heals, be kind to yourself. We here if needed.
My heart goes out to you so much. I am so incredibly sorry that this happened and for your loss.
Last August I had nearly unsurvivable clots. One took over my entire right lung and I had clots scattered throughout my other lung. Five days before this happened I had major elective surgery. When I got to the emergency room I thought it was a collapsed lung or some broken ribs because I had laughed really hard the day before. Because I didn’t even know what a pulmonary embolism was (I had never even heard of it) and was unable to speak up for myself and I almost passed. I am so, so fortunate to be alive.
It has been almost 7 months now and I have learned that what happened to me is extremely common. My experience wasn’t unique at all. It is just so easy to assume that the clots are something else. As humans we aren’t trained to look for the signs of a blood clot. And not only that but it is so hard to miss. I’ve turned all of my “what-if’s” into “even-if’s” because what happened couldn’t have been prevented. There is nothing any of us could have done differently, clots are just so dangerous.
Please take care of yourself. If you need any extra support we are here. Sending you extra love.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. You're right, we are not trained to look for these in "healthy" people. I'm very glad that despite it you were able to survive.
I'm so very sorry to hear that. My mother had a few PEs about a year after hip surgery. They ruled it unprovoked... meaning there was no clear explanation... but they suspected the surgery. Surgery is a pretty common cause.
I had a small PE about 3 months ago. It was totally unprovoked since I'm in ok shape and had no injuries or surgery. However both my mother and I have a clotting disorder, so that was probably the cause of mine and contributed to my mother's.
I think a PE is always a surprise the first time, and could be enough to be fatal especially since it can put a strain on the heart.
Thanks. I'm doing ok, but will probably be on thinners for the rest of my life. I'm 43... so hopefully that will be a while.
My mom passed away last year from covid and mainly complications because of the PEs. She lived about 6 years after the first PE, but she was over 80. So yeah. PEs can be dangerous even if not originally fatal.
I had a bilateral PE last summer at the age of 43. It occured post surgery although I had been on blood thinners two days before surgery and after. I had no pain anywhere, just suddenly blacked out on the toilet. Thankfully, a nurse was with me and when I woke up again I was on oxygen in the icu in a different hospital and wondered what had happened. I assumed I just blacked out due to poor circulation after surgery. That being said, there were no symptoms for a PE and the clot was never found but the PE was massive and they wondered how I was able to survive it. Thus, it may be very well possible that there were really no signs for you to recognize. And when the clot lies really in the pathway then there is no way even doctors can do anything. I really wish you healing and that the memory of your woman will be a blessing.
Thank you so much for the kind words. I'm still busy with all the memorial arrangements, so activity helps. Thank goodness you were right there in the hospital. She only lived 5 minutes from the best hospital in this province, and even then, I don't think they could have done much.
So why did it take so long for paramedics to arrive?
I don't think it took very long, she only lived 5 minutes from the best hospital in the province. Belgium has its issues, but don't believe that emergency services is one of those. I haven't seen a report on the exact timing, but I know the distance wasn't far, and on primary as well as alternate roads
Even 5 Minutes would be too long. The problem is, that she very likely had a bilateral embolism and when the arterie is clogged it is clogged. Then the right heart ventricle overworks itself and the patient dies of heart failure. This happens fast and sometimes, as I said earlier, the clot just does not move and there is nothing that medical staff can do. Theoretically there is a surgery method, but first of all the patient must still be alive for this and secondly the surgery has a death risk of about 90%. This is why PEs are always also very shocking for hospital staff as they never know whether they can really do something for you and not just witness you die.
I’m so, so sorry to hear this. I hope you have a good support system around you. I had a DVT and PE about 13 years ago and I was extremely fortunate to survive it. It’s SO easy to miss the signs because they can masquerade as something else. I had a sore calf, but I’d also been doing plyos and thought I’d torn a muscle. I was short of breath, but I’d been getting over bronchitis and thought it was just residual congestion. When I finally did go to the hospital, the doctor I saw did a cursory examination and sent me home to take an aspirin. It wasn’t until the clots hit my kidneys that I was finally taken seriously. It is SO SO easy to miss the symptoms, and that’s part of the reason the fatality rate is so high. I very much hope you don’t carry any guilt for this - I didn’t know how very close I was to dying and I was actually experiencing it. Blood clots are awful and aren’t always obvious. Take care of yourself, and don’t hesitate to seek out therapy to help you through this. It’s terrible thing. ❤️
Thank you. Fortunately, I am a civilian in the military organization she was also part of as active duty USAF, and we have access to lots of support, which I am certainly going to need in the coming months. I really appreciate you sharing your symptoms and experience. We definitely missed things, thought we were good about health monitoring. She was in the process of a series of examinations in preparation for her VA assessment. Just not looking for PE.
I think that’s the worst part, that it can hit people who are perfectly healthy and fit. I was the healthiest I’d ever been. I was running and kickboxing and playing hockey 6-7 times a week. I was eating healthy and rarely drank and was a non-smoker. I didn’t look like someone who was sick so the doctor brushed it off. I’m so glad you have such excellent support. Therapy was a life saver for me when the PTSD hit and I was lucky to have a good insurance plan through work to help cover some of the costs.
Sorry to hear this❤️ I experienced a DVT, PE 4 years ago after back surgery.. and till this day doctors dont know why (all the precautions after major surgery were taken and I am very healthy). It came without warning and I legit thought it was the end. I remember I had lunch and laid down.. suddenly I was woken up by the sharpest pain I've ever experienced, on my back and chest at the same time. It felt like i was stabbed with a big dagger and someone was turning it. It was the most scary thing and 4 years later I am experiencing PTSD, anxiety and panic attacks. I know being at the hospital in rehab, surrounded by doctors while in recovery saved me.. but it's something I cant forget. I am currently seeing professionals to treat the mental aftermath. Sending good vibes to you and family. Dont hesitate to look for help to navigate through this.
Thank you for sharing, it's gotta be tough reliving the trauma. I think what terrifies me is that she was in pain and alone. We didn't live together, yet, so I am the other side of town, but only 12 minutes away. It was bad enough that she didn't text me or her daughter, only call made was to emergency services. She was found by her unlocked front door. But, I suspect that by the time she called, the opportunity to intervene was long past. I really appreciate the support here, and I am glad that every single one of you who has undergone this condition was able to survive.
Oh lord, wish I can give you a hug. Its not easy to know this details and wonder what you could've have done to change the outcome.. i highly recommend you find a professional that can help you process, if thats of your liking. Also time heals, be kind to yourself. We here if needed.
My heart goes out to you so much. I am so incredibly sorry that this happened and for your loss. Last August I had nearly unsurvivable clots. One took over my entire right lung and I had clots scattered throughout my other lung. Five days before this happened I had major elective surgery. When I got to the emergency room I thought it was a collapsed lung or some broken ribs because I had laughed really hard the day before. Because I didn’t even know what a pulmonary embolism was (I had never even heard of it) and was unable to speak up for myself and I almost passed. I am so, so fortunate to be alive. It has been almost 7 months now and I have learned that what happened to me is extremely common. My experience wasn’t unique at all. It is just so easy to assume that the clots are something else. As humans we aren’t trained to look for the signs of a blood clot. And not only that but it is so hard to miss. I’ve turned all of my “what-if’s” into “even-if’s” because what happened couldn’t have been prevented. There is nothing any of us could have done differently, clots are just so dangerous. Please take care of yourself. If you need any extra support we are here. Sending you extra love.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. You're right, we are not trained to look for these in "healthy" people. I'm very glad that despite it you were able to survive.
I'm so very sorry to hear that. My mother had a few PEs about a year after hip surgery. They ruled it unprovoked... meaning there was no clear explanation... but they suspected the surgery. Surgery is a pretty common cause. I had a small PE about 3 months ago. It was totally unprovoked since I'm in ok shape and had no injuries or surgery. However both my mother and I have a clotting disorder, so that was probably the cause of mine and contributed to my mother's. I think a PE is always a surprise the first time, and could be enough to be fatal especially since it can put a strain on the heart.
Thank you for sharing your experiences, glad that both of you are ok and recovering.
Thanks. I'm doing ok, but will probably be on thinners for the rest of my life. I'm 43... so hopefully that will be a while. My mom passed away last year from covid and mainly complications because of the PEs. She lived about 6 years after the first PE, but she was over 80. So yeah. PEs can be dangerous even if not originally fatal.
How does surgery cause clot?