It all began at the beginning of August 2021. I had been having a cough, pain between my shoulder blades, shortness of breath, and fatigue. I assumed at the time that it was a virus since my granddaughter had just had that.
On Saturday, August 7, I became extremely short of breath while in the shower. I began to panic and hurriedly got out of the shower and threw on some clothes. I yelled for my husband, and I became very weak and dizzy and nauseous.
My husband called 9-1-1. I was so weak I could hardly keep my eyes open and had a heavy feeling in my chest. There was a room full of nurses and doctors when I arrived. They took blood right away, hooked me up to an EKG, and put me on oxygen.
After a while, the doctor came in and said I may have had a heart attack, and they were going to do a CAT scan with contrast dye. I was later told that it wasn’t a heart attack but sub-massive multiple bilateral pulmonary emboli.
I was transferred to a bigger hospital and remained there for three days. An echocardiogram showed right-sided heart strain. I was discharged on blood thinners because no cause was found.
I followed up with my PCP and pulmonologist. In terms of risk factors, I was on the contraceptive shot. My doctor said there was no proof that it contributed, but I was taken off of it immediately.
After six months, my heart strain had resolved, and I began feeling better. But no one warned me of the debilitating anxiety that would follow my recovery. God has helped me each step along the way. I will never take breathing for granted again.
If you feel “off,” get checked out. It will be one step forward, two steps back for a while. It’s also important to learn to adjust to a new normal.
