Your Life On The Line ~ Ask For A Second Opinion

A month ago, I was struggling with my breathing. Struggling to the extent that I would walk about 5 steps and my heart would be racing and I would start to pass out.

Things gradually got worse until one day I felt an almighty pain in my chest. Crushing is the word I will use. I actually thought I was having a heart attack...
Obviously, I went to A&E where they treated me for an asthma attack (I've had asthma since I was a child, but it hasn't bothered me as an adult, so this was odd); giving me 2 nebulisers & 6 steroids on the spot, along with blood tests and an ECG. My bloods came back clear, my ECG showed that my heart was pumping a little too fast, but they said that was 'normal' after an asthma attack and they sent me home as I started to get my colour back and look a bit better. That was the Wednesday.

Unfortunately, on the Saturday I was out with my Mr and his family (and I was REALLY struggling to even talk and breathe now!) I climbed a flight of stairs & then proceeded to collapse and pass out. Quite distressing & alarming for those around me, as well as myself.
Went to A&E, where I then proceeded to collapse again after taking a few steps, as I literally couldn't breathe. The nurse turned around and said (when I came around) that I had had a panic attack. Now, I'm no nurse but I KNEW it wasn't that!! I seemed to pass out when I couldn't breathe, when I spoke or tried to walk. It wasn't in general. As she put it down as a panic attack, I got left to wait for 3 hours...

When I finally got through, I had more blood taken, an ECG & sent straight around for a chest x-ray. Low and behold, it was none of the previous diagnoses... They told me it appeared as though I had a BLOOD CLOT IN BOTH LUNGS!!
I cried at this point.
Instantly I got injected with a blood thinner and booked in for a Monday app in hospital.
Before I left the Dr said if I had any specific problems to come right back.

Monday came; I went in for my app, by this point I was wheelchair bound, even for the loo!
I had a CT scan done on my chest. The results came in quickly & the consultant told me they were admitting me as "You have two massive blood clots either side of your lungs".
Perfect. It doesn't rain, it bloody pours!
People usually get a 'stabbing' pain in their chest/heart with a PE but I didn't feel it like that due to my IIH (see here)
Now I didn't get told this at the time, but I got kept in as apparently I really was quite unwell. They kept me in as I could have gone into cardiac arrest. Also me having a brain disability made it more tricky...

I stayed for a bit. Looked like a junkie on discharge! And came home with a supply of stomach injections and warfarin to thin my clotting blood; to make sure my clots didn't/don't get any bigger.
I was only meant to be on the injections for 3-5 days, I ended up on them for 2 weeks. The warfarin I am on for at least 6 months.

I was having to go to hosp every other day for them to keep check of my blood count, but now I'm every week; still looking like a junkie!

I have an apps with neuro & blood teams coming up. Also I have a heart scan around the corner too; as they need to check for damage on my heart. Reason being is the clots start in the calves (DVT) then travel up, go through the heart and end in the lungs (PE).

I thought my 'living' in hospital all the time was done with. But not just yet.

Could be worse though... I could be dead! If I hadn't of persisted and just left it and listened to the wrong diagnosis's the first time/times I would be dead. I wouldn't have made it to my 26th Birthday. 

This is why I have wrote this blog.

I want you all to realise/know that its ok to turn around and say 'No, you are wrong' to a Dr/Nurse if they say to you that you have one thing and you really don't agree.
We are lucky enough in the UK to have a NHS. They all work so hard, but sometimes its worth getting a second, or third opinion.
It could be YOUR LIFE ON THE LINE.

Kate

XxX