Terrified of a Lung Clot

[chl_hobbs]

Hi all,
well im at my mum's still after the GP told me i was suffering from nervous exhaustion and i should go to hers (in Devon) and rest. Ive had a few panic attacks but yesterday thought id turned a corner....until this morning.

I keep noticing that it's 'an effort' to breathe. There's no pain anywhere (apart from in my abdomen) but i cant get it out of my head that Ive got a clot somewhere which is going to my lungs... I had major surgery on my abdomen 5months ago to mend my spleen, and they told me the 'danger' period was 48hours after the op for DVT and PEs and then after 3months the risk goes back to normal....BUT i cant shake the thought that Ive got clots or a PE on my lung. Im conscious of breathing which is making me worse. My tummy is so sore (it is a lot of the time due to my scar etc) but IN MY HEAD ive been telling myself that ive got a clot in my tummy, which is travelling to my lungs..

Ive had 2 CT scans on my abdomen since the operation, numerous xrays, blood tests (including the D Dimer test to check for clots), and ultrasounds, which have all shown over the past 5months that everything is healing nicely and that im OK. But i cant stop thinking ive got a clot and im getting so panicky.

Sorry again to be on here worrying!

Charlotte

[beauty2010]

My father in law had clots on his lungs and I am pretty sure he had some pain. If you think about it rationally, it is far more likely that you are having trouble breathing because of anxiety than you have a lung clot. Also, it does not sound as if your mother is worried. Usually if you are really ill, other people (especially mothers) notice and pack you off to the doctors.
Breathing problems are classic signs of anxiety!!!!
Hang in there bud!
B

'All will be well, and all will be well, and all manner of things will be well' St Julian of Norwich.

[amandaj]

i had 2 clots on my lungs just over a year ago, the pain is so severe you would def know if had them , it was ct scan that picked them up if need to talk feel free to pm me tc
amandaxx

[Danii]

I know exactly how you feel, I've been sooo afraid of something going wrong with my lungs. My upper stomach hurts from gasping for air so much, I cant imagine how yours feels what with surgery as well.

All I can say is I have honestly sat in the emergency department, thinking i was on my last breath. Beyond all doubt I could have sworn I was going to stop breathing, every breath was a struggle. But nothing ended up happening at all, besides me being incredibly scared for a while. All my tests came back negative. A few weeks later I "knew" something was wrong with me because i hadnt been checked out in a while.


I dont know if this helps, but sometimes when I focus on a body part like my lungs if I try really hard I can move my aches and tighnesses and worries from both my lungs to just one, or from my whole stomach to just one side. Being able to "control" what I worry about helps a tiny bit.

good luck and hope your tummy heals well!