I was having chest pains last week. Worse with deep breaths, coughing and sneezing. I was continuely short of breath too, I would get winded easy. So Thursday night I went to the VA Hospital emergency area. They decided to check me in after chest x-rays.
They found in the left lung a spot. They also found localized pheumonia.
The spot was from what they called a pulminary embolism. A PE is a blood clot that traveled to the lung and got stuck there. It was most noted by a dead area of the lung from being starved of blood and oxygen.
The pheumonia is a bacteria, and it formed around the PE area, as well as in the plurial wall.
They gave me a full gammot of tests, cultures, samples, shots, dyes, scans, and diagnosis.
They couldn't find where the blood clot went, so I was placed on blood thinners and clot disolving IV fluids, as well as 3 "super anti-biotics".
My lung function has improved and my white blood count is stable, and the pain is less, so they released me to my own bed (thank god
)
I must remain on oral anti-biotics for 10 more days, and give myself shots in the stomach for blood anti-clotting for 3 more days. They require me to come back this afternoon for a heart stress test, and back for x-rays and CT scans of the lungs on July 1st.
I am so glad things worked out as they did. It could have been just as easy for the blood clot to go to the heart instead of the lung. I must take it quite easy now for the next 2 weeks, as the pheumonia can come back easily, and if it does, it comes back worse. Also, I have to be carefull of getting any cuts, as the blood thinner will cause me to bleed much worse. I feel lucky to be able to say hi to everyone here.