Pulmonary Embolism??

[Ihavethattoo]

Hi, this is my first time posting here!

A brief background: 23, incredibly sedentary due to depression for the past year and 10-15 a day smoker. I have had a near constant ache in my left calf for over a month without swelling and got pretty worried that it was DVT. Had it checked out and while they couldn't provide an explanation the doctor said it was unlikely to be anything sinister. I wasn't hugely convinced because I've heard of DVT only presenting as pain. 7 or 8 days ago I developed a mild cough, I didn't think anything of it but it is unusual for me, even as a smoker I have never gotten coughs without an obvious cold. 5 days ago I started to have quite bad upper back pain. It doesn't hurt when I breathe deeply, doesn't hurt when I sit still, only if I twist left or right with day to day movement but it has gradually gotten worse since it started. I also have a very slow/irregular resting heart rate, usually 40-45 bpm.

I don't know if I'm just being my usual self and imagining it, my parents think it's all in my head and I don't want to waste A&E time but I'm so scared I've had a pulmonary embolism and I feel like I'm going to drop dead at any second...

Thank you!
Conor

[axolotl]

Had it checked out and while they couldn't provide an explanation the doctor said it was unlikely to be anything sinister. I wasn't hugely convinced because I've heard of DVT only presenting as pain.

Congratulations on your medical degree. Where did you get it from? Must have been from a really prestigious institution if you are qualified to doubt the opinion of trained GPs. ;)

[LDoubleE]

40-45 bpm? What the actual feck? Yet you don't move anywhere...? You sure that's right? That's the bpm of an athlete...

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[bin tenn]

40-45 bpm? What the actual feck? Yet you don't move anywhere...? You sure that's right? That's the bpm of an athlete...

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That sounds odd to me, too. If that is accurate, see a doc. I could be wrong, as we're all different, but that kind of resting heart rate without the physical conditioning to match sounds abnormal, even a tad concerning.

Btw, LDoubleE, your profile pic is hilarious. 😄

[Fishmanpa]

40-45 bpm? What the actual feck? Yet you don't move anywhere...? You sure that's right? That's the bpm of an athlete...

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Yes... Surprising based on being a smoker and sedentary (really bad for you btw!)

Positive thoughts

[LDoubleE]

That sounds odd to me, too. If that is accurate, see a doc. I could be wrong, as we're all different, but that kind of resting heart rate without the physical conditioning to match sounds abnormal, even a tad concerning.

Btw, LDoubleE, your profile pic is hilarious. [emoji1]I agree. I don't move anywhere or exercise much myself and my resting heart rate is like 70-80. If it were around 45 I'd be losing my mind.

Also thanks I thought it was hilarious and hoped it would cheer someone up just by seeing it, even just a little [emoji16]

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[Ihavethattoo]

Congratulations on your medical degree. Where did you get it from? Must have been from a really prestigious institution if you are qualified to doubt the opinion of trained GPs. ;)

Cool, do you feel better now? My wording was off, sure. By not hugely convinced I meant worried that it might not be the case, doesn't take long to find people talking about having been diagnosed with DVT and no swelling etc.

Anyway I went to my GP today and he was confident that it wasn't a PE. Wasn't able to provide an answer on the calf/back pain unfortunately but hopefully they'll just subside.

As for the heart rate it does concern me. Right now it's 47 and I'm definitely not an athlete. Usually sits around this mark once I've been resting for an hour or so, if I'm walking or moving about it's around 60-80. Had an ECG done a couple of years ago and it was 32 and I get a lot of palpitations. So yeah, I do feel like I'm losing my mind!

[sdoxo]

Not saying it can't be true, but those numbers are pretty low. Mine is usually around 70 or so.

What does your GP say about your bpm?

[TattooArtist]

How do you know your pulse rate? Are you taking it with home equipment? How old is the equipment, whren was it calibrated, and what does the doctor say about these numbers?

[LDoubleE]

Get a 15 second timer. Get your fingers on your pulse either in your neck or wrist. Start the timer and count how many beats you feel until the timer runs out. Whatever number you get times it by 4.

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[Ihavethattoo]

The results come mainly from me manually taking with the 15 second method mentioned above, but it's shown up on recent ECGs and oximeters. The lowest I've had was 32 recorded on ECG at hospital back in 2014. I've also had an echocardiogram (super cool btw you could see all the valves and such) and worn a 24 hour tape which showed ectopic beats. Honestly, I've seen a cardiologist and pretty much mention it to every GP every time I go but no one has said much or seemed concerned about it. Apparently it can be a genetic thing, and normally I don't think I get any symptoms, at least none that I know are directly linked. What does worry me though is the fact that it's low AND irregular, lots of palps and ectopic beats. It definitely doesn't help that I have health anxiety, I'm constantly worrying and fretting over having a problem that has been missed. I'll be amazed if I make it to thirty!

[LDoubleE]

Must be a genetic thing then.. wow. To be fair if you've been to specialists and they don't seem worried, I guess you're alright and just have a low heart rate? As for the palps could be just down to anxiety constantly worrying. Also I read somewhere that if your heart beats slower you live longer. That could be a plus in your case.

Does anyone in your family have a history of slow heart rate? Or heart disease? Could be something to look out for.

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[Ihavethattoo]

I hope that's the case! No family history of heart disease luckily. This has been enough of a scare though, 9 days nicotine free and trying to cycle/walk at least 5 miles a day.

[LDoubleE]

You should be all good then. Good luck with quitting the nicotine altogether [emoji846] also exercise is good for anxiety so hopefully that will help out with relieving stress.

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