r/interestingasfuck • u/AFabulousNarwhal • 14h ago
A LOT of pulmonary embolism clots - I saved my dad's life by forcing him to the ER.
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u/njseahawk 14h ago
How did they start or what caused them to form?
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u/AFabulousNarwhal 14h ago
We don't know yet. He's incredibly fit, not the typical type of person to get a PE, let alone this substantial. His right pulmonary artery was almost 100% blocked, but he never went into cardiac arrest. Testing tomorrow!
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u/RakeScene 13h ago
What tipped you off enough to push him to seek treatment? What was going on with him?
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u/AFabulousNarwhal 8h ago
Classic heart attack symptoms. I thought for sure he was having a heart attack.
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u/njseahawk 14h ago
Holy shit, this is terrifying. I hope his recovery goes well, please let me know whenever you might have a sec. Best of luck to you all!!
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u/Bright_Ices 13h ago
Covid did this to some people, but there are other viruses that can cause it as well. I’m glad you made him go in!
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u/AFabulousNarwhal 13h ago
Yeah, I'm curious to see what the tests say tomorrow. Answers are good ❤️🩹
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u/TrannosaurusRegina 13h ago edited 13h ago
Yep; statistically, that must be the most likely cause, since most people are continually getting reinfected endlessly with no end in sight.
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u/Bright_Ices 13h ago
Yeah, idk. My aunt died from PEs several years before the pandemic. Might have been a different coronavirus, but that’s not the only virus that can cause them.
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u/TrannosaurusRegina 13h ago
I'm sorry for your loss.
A lot of viruses can do terrible things. It does seem though, that SARS-CoV-2, in particular, causes really, really uniquely bad clotting, on top of all the other damage, in a way I haven't seen with other viruses.
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u/Sure-Research-380 8h ago
I'd love to see these "statistics" that are stating COVID is the most likely cause of PEs....lmao
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u/hhaattrriicckk 7h ago
Occurrence of pulmonary embolism related to COVID-19 - PMC
Try rubbing those two braincells together occasionally, you'd be amazed what happens.
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u/edthezombie 12h ago
Mine was caused by a blood disorder...which I guess is not uncommon if you have Northern European ancestry. Hope your dad gets his answers.
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u/AFabulousNarwhal 7h ago
Oh man, that's tough. Glad you're still here. He's got the BRCA-1 gene, so cancer is one of the main concerns for him.
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u/edthezombie 5h ago
Thank you. Ya, it was quite shocking for me. I was in my early 30's at the time and was quite surprised. I had symptoms of a heart attack and they couldn't figure out what was wrong and just put me in a CT to see if they could find anything and got lucky.
I hope your Dad continues to get better! Don't know if he takes vitamins like one a days, but after mine I went through a few year period of catching every cold/flu under the sun. Highly recommend taking them to help with his immune system. I'm not at all a doctor, but I know that seemed to helped me tremendously.
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u/I_think_Im_hollow 12h ago
Northern Europeans have a blood disorder?
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u/edthezombie 5h ago
According to the Hematologist I went to, people who have Northern European ancestry have a higher chance of missing this protein which prevents the spread of a blood clot. That's how it was explained to me.
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u/buckytoothtiger 1h ago
My dad had a PE a couple years ago (not this bad) and he's also in great shape. Luckily, with some blood thinners, it went away.
I'm not sure if they ever found the cause for his either.
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u/Successful_Fault_787 13h ago
wife had one after our first baby, doc said if we waited 30 more minutes it would've been too late. bless you for taking care of your dad
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u/AFabulousNarwhal 8h ago
To answer some common questions - His initial symptoms were classic heart attack symptoms, minus the radiating arm pain. We don't know the cause yet, but he's getting testing done today now that he's out of the woods.
He had a thrombectomy through an artery in his groin that snaked a tube up to his lungs to suck out the clots - and he was 100% awake during the procedure!!
My dad is my hero, and I am grateful beyond words that he's still here today.
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u/Aborymon 14h ago
what symptoms ?
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u/AFabulousNarwhal 14h ago
Heart attack symptoms, actually! Basically straight down the list, minus pain down the arms. He was having a lot of trouble breathing, lightheaded, chest pain, headache, nausea.
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u/Bright_Ices 13h ago
Important fact for others out there: Sudden shortness of breath alone is highly predictive of a major medical event in the next day or two. Sudden can mean worsening over the course of minutes, hours, or even a few days.
If you or anyone you know is experiencing unexplained shortness of breath, go to the ER, even if it seems “not that bad.”
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u/Bargadiel 13h ago
You saved me from one of those Google searches I've always been too afraid to make myself
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u/poop-machines 10h ago
Oh shit, I had that while laid in bed. I've also been feeling sick and weird, unable to sleep, generally feeling sweaty and hot but normal temperature. Though it went away. It's been 36h.
I knew shortness of breath was something to look out for, for sepsis, but since it resolved I thought I'm okay.
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u/Invented-Here-Not 9h ago
You may have had a heart attack. Please get medical attention urgently.
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u/poop-machines 7h ago
I did, went and had a blood test this morning after I had night sweats and barely slept last night. Dehydration and ketosis, probably a virus too. ECG all good.
Thanks for the concern. Always good to get checked.
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u/Redpandaexpressed 6h ago
How annoying it is that shortness of breath is also a common symptom of a panic attack 🙄
I thought I was having an embolism one time because I couldn’t breathe and it ended up being a panic attack because I thought it was an embolism.
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u/aarrtee 14h ago
OP.... good move. and best wishes to your father.
u called it a PE
u in health care?
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u/AFabulousNarwhal 14h ago
Thank you! No I'm not, but I know enough that blood clot in lung = pulmonary embolism. Frankly, I don't know if this counts as one or multiple. All I know is his doctors are shocked that he survived.
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u/aarrtee 13h ago
V. cool
May I share a story regarding my father and his health? maybe u will enjoy it
1986... he was a recently retired ophthalmologist. He got kidney cancer. He was scared that he might catch HIV if he got a blood transfusion during the upcoming operation. He went in to the hospital so they could draw some of his blood... and store it... a few weeks b4 the operation. Just in case. He goes in and his blood pressure is too high. The people drawing blood have guidelines regarding BP and refused to do so if he had uncontrolled hypertension.
it was self induced. He was nervous. He was scared and he was making his blood pressure go sky high.
I'm a dentist. I was there with him that day. I know many relaxation techniques to help me in my profession. I ask him to trust me and go thru the steps i recommended. His BP went down. They drew his blood and stored it for him.
Month later... after surgery... he gets symptoms similar to your dad. He was an eye doc: he probably forgot a fair amount of general medicine. He went to the ER just for the helluvit. Young E.R. resident comes over and sees his name and sees that he is an M. D. He asks 'Are you related to the famous Dr. Leonard T.....??" My dad doesn't realize how sick he is and jokes "I am the famous Dr. Leonard T....!" "Unless you are referring to my son, a recent med school grad"
It seems that the ER doc was my brother's roommate in medical school. He did a thorough exam, diagnosed a PE, admitted him and saved my father's life. Dad lived another 30 years.
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u/DoctorBlazes 13h ago
He is extremely lucky, clot burden like that is very often not survivable. I hope he has an easy recovery!
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u/AFabulousNarwhal 7h ago
Yeah, the doctors made sure he understood that he's damn lucky and to send me a thank you letter haha 😅
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u/SassiesSoiledPanties 14h ago
How do they remove these? Aspiration or do they tell the patient to cough like they mean it.
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u/AFabulousNarwhal 14h ago
Haha I definitely made a few jokes about that 😂 They actually did a catheter thrombectomy through an artery in the groin. They snake a little vacuum tube, basically, up to your lungs, and then slorp it all out. Absolutely wild medical advancement. He was 100% conscious for the procedure too.
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u/Comprehensive_Cap_27 14h ago edited 14h ago
That is wild and disturbing 😱
Was probably quite the experience
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u/AFabulousNarwhal 14h ago
Right?? He was surprisingly chill for someone who just got vacuumed out while awake 🤣 I think he was most happy to be able to breathe clearly again!
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u/moneybagsukulele 3h ago
I've had this procedure done but they went through my NECK AND HEART to get to clots in my LEG and I was very much not chill about it. they had to abort the procedure because my heart was freaking out.
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u/yankykiwi 14h ago
I had a 3hour c section a couple years back. While the nurses were working on baby, my husband was trying to describe to me all the bits and pieces and cysts that were coming out. I really wish i could have had a look. 😅
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u/notANexpert1308 14h ago
How’d he describe the feeling afterwards? Was it like a major relief of pressure? Or like he could finally catch his breath?
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u/AFabulousNarwhal 14h ago
Both, honestly. His chest felt a lot better, and he could take a full breath. He said the procedure was weird feeling, but the relief far outweighed any of the discomfort he experienced.
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u/geoff1036 13h ago edited 13h ago
My dad recently went through a major clot in his leg. Luckily they caught it in a time or situation where they were able to dissolve the clot via medications instead of removal, but now he's dealing with swelling and what he suspects is water retention issues in his legs that are reducing his mobility.
He's a deskbound office worker who smokes like a chimney and drinks cocktails like a fish, and he knows that's the problem. He did say recently that he wants to stop drinking but frankly I don't think the drinking is the root of the problem, then again I'm not a doctor. I cant really rag on him too much for smoking cause I vape and smoke weed, but still, rough to see him in such harsh condition at an age where my mom and stepfather are still running half marathons and going to jujitsu classes. They can outpace me at the zoo (they're ~52, I'm 27), and they have way more energy than me.
I suppose it's a change that's happening in real time but I like to think that I'm at least honest enough with myself to do something if it's getting bad, and the dichotomy in my parents at the same age is reinforcing that.
Glad your dad is okay.
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u/Dev-Funk1010 12h ago
If I'm not mistaken drinking can increase the number of platelets in your body which in turn increased risk of blood clots.
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u/auraseer 12h ago
It's usually the opposite. Chronic alcohol use decreases the number of platelets, and also harms the liver, which is where chemical clotting factors are produced. The overall effect is that drinkers are more predisposed to bleeding, rather than clotting.
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u/geoff1036 12h ago
Hmm. I assume his doctor has taken that into account, because I trust him when he says he's been honest with his doctor, and I hope I'm right to trust him. Maybe his doctor told him to stop drinking and it wasn't as self motivated as I was led to believe. Either way, it can't be a bad thing (he says while enjoying a drink himself lol).
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u/poop-machines 10h ago
He's an addict who is noncompliant. It's much worse than you realise.
No doctor would say "you're drinking and smoking all day after a major medical event that can easily kill you, and now you're showing pulmonary symptoms or kidney/liver symptoms? Your drinking is no problem!"
They would've definitely said "you need to quit drinking and smoking. Not cut down, stop. If you can't do that, this will almost definitely kill you".
He just decided he doesn't want to stop drinking.
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u/geoff1036 10h ago
Unfortunately for me it wouldn't be the first time it has happened in my family.
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u/poop-machines 2h ago edited 2h ago
It's so sad. I don't know how he can be so careless. Is he dependent on alcohol? Does he get the shakes? He's clearly psychologically addicted but is he physically addicted too? I would imagine so.
Addicts lie to protect their addiction. Start going with him to his appointments maybe? Ask questions possibly? If I were you, I'd be proactive if you can! But first, I'd definitely try and see how much he really drinks per day and when he starts. Early start and constant drinks is a huge red flag. If he drinks fairly quickly, averaging a strong drink every few hours, then that's cause for concern. A "long Island iced tea" is more than half spirits at 20-25% and if he makes it stronger, it can be basically just drinking straight spirits. A Margherita is 25-30% generally. The issue is that addicts can use more benign sounding "cocktails" to hide their alcoholism.
You can probably only tell how much he's drinking by seeing how much his bottles empty but if he's in deep he probably has more hidden. If you've seen bottles in random places and him sometimes shaking a bit in the morning, and the bottles empty 500ml+ spirits a day, then you'll know how concerning it is. Even 250ml a day puts him in the highest category for cirrhosis.
If both ankles are swollen then cirrhosis is a major worry. Cirrhosis can also cause PE due to an imbalance of clotting function, people claiming it only thins the blood are wrong. It can do both, and people with cirrhosis are at increased risk of PE. The worry is that his issues are systemic. If it is just one, it's more likely to be cardiovascular, but this is still worrying too especially with how much he smokes.
Realistically only he can change and he's probably been warned what's at stake. Unless I'm missing something here. But yeah, I'd probably check his drinking, go with him to appointments, then have a proper talk to him and see his plans.
If you tip him off he may hide it, if he is truly an addict. Since he seemed to hide the doctors message (or he never listened, or had a doctor who he never told about his alcohol use) then it makes me wonder.
I don't want to worry you, but these are some worrying signs. I wish you both the best! Alcoholism is tough and some of us just done have it in us to quit.
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u/nasnedigonyat 11h ago
Every Dr always tells a heavy drinker to stop drinking.
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u/geoff1036 11h ago
I'm sure that's true, because every time I go to the doctor's they ask if i've "made any progress quitting marijuana" lmao
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u/Glittering-Dig112 9h ago
I never told my doctor the full truth until I was in the hospital about to die. An addict will do or say anything to continue. Just one more drink because once Im drunk Im safe from the feelings and whatever else is scaring the shit out of me and I can feel like myself again. But that isn't me, thats the drunk me trying to get me to take that drink. For me the most important thing that got me to sobriety was therapy. Talking about the things that made me drink in the first place. And now I'm out and four years sober. 💐
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u/geoff1036 9h ago
I'm glad for you, and I hope my dad can come to that kind of realization, but ultimately it's a choice he has to make for himself. I've pleaded with him in the past.
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u/Glittering-Dig112 9h ago
True. For me it took everything crashing down finally. I hope your dad chooses small chamges that he can build on. Much love.
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u/EarlyFuture4342 14h ago
This is what killed my stepdad, I'm glad you were able to get your dad to the ER quickly 💜
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u/MyDixieWreck92 13h ago
Good fucking job OP! You dad is still around to spend quality time with friends and family all because of you.
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u/Straight-Treacle-630 13h ago
Very good share. Childhood friend now mid-60s, very fit, was increasingly SOB, chest pain…suddenly got so bad she headed to the ER. Hers was ~ twice your dad’s size; had she not gone in when she did, she’d not have survived. I’m glad your dad is ok too!
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u/Training-Bank-16 3h ago edited 3h ago
Oh my gosh my partner was diagnosed with these via CT scan last week. It was such a shock! He’s only 33, the nurses & doctors were telling him he’s too young to be experiencing this kind of medical emergency. So they have him on blood thinners & many other medications. They too don’t know what caused them. His symptoms were trouble breathing, wheezing, constant coughing. But he is recovering well & doing so much better. Good to hear your father is on the mend now! I truly believe in guardian angels! 🫶
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u/LongDogDong 13h ago
Kudos to you for recognizing the symptoms and quickly seeking care for your dad. I've worked many PE arrests in the field, often with flight and critical care medics, and it is exceedingly rare that a patient survives. In fact, out of perhaps dozens of PE presentations, I cannot immediately think of one survivor. Good job.
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u/kaycon77 13h ago
You're amazing for doing that. I thought I had received a concussion when the first pe I had happened. When the second happened, I went to minor emergency and they were like, dude.. nope, go to the ER right fucking now. Scary shit. So I'm seriously proud of you for lookin' out for yer pops. 3 days in the hospital.
Blood thinners wooo s/
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u/No_Ordinary_Dove 7h ago
My mom has survived two pulmonary embolisms so far. After her first one she found out she has antiphospholipid syndrome
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u/Doofinator86 6h ago
lol does the hospital have this lung graphic station available for patients to put their clots on??
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u/GoochamusPrime 3h ago
Glad you were able to get your dad the help he needed. I just lost my mom on Sunday to a heart attack, but the silver lining was she was 10 years into her Dementia battle, which had now turned into Alzheimer's, so she didn't wittle down to nothing completely. Hope your dad makes a full recovery and you can spend more time with him! Best wishes!
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u/404UsernameNotFoun-d 3h ago
If somebody knows this I’d appreciate your answer. Would that make the lung sounds at the basis absent?
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u/SquirrelMemoryFail 1h ago
Ive had pulmonary embolisms before twice in my life. They are not fun. I told my dad for years to get checked for factor 5 Leiden disorder. He didnt and ended up with his own pulmonary embolism. Then he got checked and turns out he had the disorder to. Please ask the doctors to check your dad for that. He may end up on blood thinners for the rest of his life but its better than being dead or dealing with another clot.
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u/KeemMiddle 13h ago
I had this with ~11 instances of cardiac arrest. Same scenario of being healthy and fit. Congratulations on your dad surviving. It’s a very scary event to go through and wishing the best for him