Pulmonary Embolism After Surgery

[Parrot 12]

Writing this from my hospital bed.

I was sleeved on July 6th and got discharged on July 7th with no issues except for feeling very weak. By the 9th I was feeling deathly weak with sore legs and achy upper body and coughing out mucous every now and then. I assumed I was dehydrated and coming down with a cold or something, so was trying my hardest to stay hydrated by drinking Powerade zero...waste of time. On the morning of the 11th, I woke up feeling beyond faint and noticed something funny with my breathing. At that point I decided I was gonna go to ER but first I called my surgeon on the phone and he suggested I head to ER right away. When I got to the ER I could barely walk so I was assisted with a wheelchair. Lots of tests were carried out right away and it was determined I had pulmonary embolism of the lungs. Evidently a small clot formed in the lower part of my right leg and dislodged and went to my lungs...all in the span of 4 days. I was very very very lucky. It's gonna be a long road to recovery but I'm thankful I saved own life by going to ER when I did.

Please note I did NOT have the textbook symptoms of pulmonary embolism. My biggest symptom was extreme fatigue followed by sore legs which I thought have to do with dehydration.

Hopefully this helps someone out there.

[gwbicster 257]

Oh Lord, what a nightmare. Praying for you.

[LaLa Ladybug 57]

Sure glad you went in to the ER !

[Apple1 2,572]

Praying for a fast recovery for you. Thanks for posting this as a warning to everyone to go to the ER if they aren't sure about the symptoms they are having.

[Parrot 12]

Thank you all, I'm happy and thankful to be alive.

[VooLivre2017 79]

Wow! Glad you are now ok! Thanks for sharing

[shelleee7399 24]

I was sleeved on the 7th. How long are the risks of blood clots after surgery?

[imightknow 39]

I was sleeved on the 7th. How long are the risks of blood clots after surgery?

I believe it is a few weeks to a month. Well, you'll know by then.
I've had several clots and a couple pulmonary embolisms. The first clot wasn't diagnosed for about three weeks after the surgery I had. After I had my third child, I developed a clot and pe about two months later. They said that it was too far out to have been caused by my csection.

[KateBruin 344]

I think the risk for clot is relatively low without personal or family history as long as you take frequent walks. My dad has history of blood clots so I will be walking as soon as I wake up. My lungs are already scarred to **** because of some previous illness or exposure to something so I don't want to mess around.

Just make sure you're really conscious about leg pain and any chest pain/difficulty breathing.

[rainyann 118]

Clots and pulmonary embolisms are a known complication of any surgery and anytime someone is sedentary. There are many risk factors, one of which is obesity. That is one of the reason they want you up and walking as soon and as much as possible.

I am happy to hear you realized something was wrong before too long.

[Old2NewMe 73]

So glad you went to the ER! What a scare. My doc preordered some shot for me to do at home for a few days after surgery. I shoot it in my stomach to help prevent blood clots based on my bmi and sleep apnea. Have to pick up from pharmacy today. Surgery is Tuesday

[Sosewsue61 3,185]

so glad you went to the ER in time. Good luck on recovery.

[Sweet as peaches 759]

On 7/15/2017 at 11:46 AM, Parrot said:

Writing this from my hospital bed.

I was sleeved on July 6th and got discharged on July 7th with no issues except for feeling very weak. By the 9th I was feeling deathly weak with sore legs and achy upper body and coughing out mucous every now and then. I assumed I was dehydrated and coming down with a cold or something, so was trying my hardest to stay hydrated by drinking Powerade zero...waste of time. On the morning of the 11th, I woke up feeling beyond faint and noticed something funny with my breathing. At that point I decided I was gonna go to ER but first I called my surgeon on the phone and he suggested I head to ER right away. When I got to the ER I could barely walk so I was assisted with a wheelchair. Lots of tests were carried out right away and it was determined I had pulmonary embolism of the lungs. Evidently a small clot formed in the lower part of my right leg and dislodged and went to my lungs...all in the span of 4 days. I was very very very lucky. It's gonna be a long road to recovery but I'm thankful I saved own life by going to ER when I did.

Please note I did NOT have the textbook symptoms of pulmonary embolism. My biggest symptom was extreme fatigue followed by sore legs which I thought have to do with dehydration.

Hopefully this helps someone out there.

Hi @Parrot I am so glad you didn't chalk up to just dehydration because most people would probably went to sleep and it would be a different outcome. Listening to your body is always important. My prayers are with you.

[Parrot 12]

11 hours ago, Old2NewMe said:

So glad you went to the ER! What a scare. My doc preordered some shot for me to do at home for a few days after surgery. I shoot it in my stomach to help prevent blood clots based on my bmi and sleep apnea. Have to pick up from pharmacy today. Surgery is Tuesday

They gave me some shots before and after the surgery to prevent clots but I guess my multiple surgeries including a recent abdominal Myomectomy, blood transfusion and hormonal pills were at odds with me this time.

I'm glad your doctor preordered some shots for you. Don't worry you will be fine. Good luck on your surgery...will be praying for you!