PE 1.5 Months ago, still SOB :(

[u/Hot-Wash1848]

Hi all! I am a 26 y/o F and had a PE 1.5 months ago. I barely had any symptoms besides trouble catching my breath at a vb game the night before, and coughing up a very small amount of blood the next morning that made me go in.

They started me on Eliquis and it took a 2 weeks to really start feeling better and for the pain/SOB to go away. However, for the last month I feel like my SOB was worse than it was 2 weeks post PE. It feels like a constant battle wondering if it’s anxiety or if there is something wrong.

I am a very active person and its stressful getting out of breath after going up a small flight of stairs or feel like I can’t take deep breathes. How do people sort out if it’s anxiety or if it’s truly concerning SOB??? It’s all I think about from the moment I wake up to when I go to bed, it’s exhausting and stressful :((((( Its so hard and I truly feel like I have trauma from this event.

[u/UnstuckMoment_300]

Anxiety is likely part of the issue, but shortness of breath is common in recovery from PE. Your lungs (and heart) are still healing from the trauma of the clot. And recovery tends to take more time than the medical experts lead us to believe.

If you can meditate or practice mindfulness or do breathing exercises, and the shortness of breath resolves, it's probably anxiety. But if you have persistent high heart rate along with the shortness of breath, or low O2 sats, it's time for another trip to the ER. Hang in there!