What is a p.E clot? Is it a blod clot? I have been on birth control for ten years (i am 25 now). That sort of thing does worry me, especially because I smoke. It can be a side effect.
What are they going to do about it? Can they remove it, or give you medication to get rid of it?

Stacy in wisconsin:
i feel your pain! I think I went through the same thing. Back in 2000, I had horrible chest pains (i was on the bc pill called mircette). They finally figured out that I had pneumonia and pleurisy. But, the pain didn't go away. To make a very long story short, I had blood clots in my lungs because of bc, because I smoke, but most of all, because I have this gene called the factor five lieden. The blood clots that you are talking about, they're called plueral effusions right? That's exactly what I had. I won't go into the whole story unless you want to hear more. But I do know what you are going through and I will be more than happy to tell you anything else. Hope everything works out for you!

P.E. Is a pulmonary embolism. I myself was on ortho tri-cylcen for 10 years....It started out with a severe pain in my calf muscle. Felt like a charlie horse in your leg that just wouldn't go away. I blamed it on a pulled muscle as I had just begun to work out. Stopped working out babied it.....The pain went away....Began to work out again a week later and the pain was so horrible that it was making me sick to my stomach...Could hardly walk on it and even when not putting any weight on it.......I was in severe pain. Finally went to the doctor, which now I realize I should have done immediately, and they did an ultrasound where the found the clot behind my left knee. Common spot for them to occur. They then asked me if I had any trouble breathing and I said that I had noticed that I had been short of breath just walking stairs and walking in the house. Long story short they found that a piece of the clot behind the knee and broke off and traveled to my left lung. Now they will not be for sure that it was from my pills but they are 95% positive. They will do testing once this 6 month treatment is finished to rule that it is. I'm currently on blood thinner (coumadin). And get my blood tested every 3 days. It has been a horrible experience. But my main reason for my post is that they told me that if I hadn't come in when I did...And babied it as a pulled muscle I would have been dead within 5 weeks. It would have traveled to my heart and that would have been it. So I want others to know that are my age or younger, or around my age that this can happen and if you are having shortness of breath......Don't pass it off as something else. I never would have thought in a million years that this would have happened.

I completely agree with you. Being on birth control is a lot more dangerous than everyone thinks. Granted, I would have had a blood clot sooner or later because of this gene, but because I was on bc with estrogen, I now have scar tissue on my lung that makes it hard for me to breath everyday. Surgury is an option, but not a garuntee. You should never wait if you are having chest pains. I also was on cumadin for 6 months too. I don't know about you, but because I wasn't in the hospital when I had the blood clots, I had to have two shots a day in my stomach for 14 days to get the coumadin to work faster or something. Do you have to have the shots also? I know how you feel, I went through almost the same thing. This whole thing lasted almost 2 years with me. It is very painful, and it sticks with you for a long time. But i'll tell you one thing, it's made me a hell of a lot stronger. Good luck to you and never loose faith!

I was in the hospital for 2 weeks.......No shots in the stomach. Eeesh...Don't know how you did that. I don't mind shots at all....But giving them to yourself.....Ugh. I give you credit for that. I also had the pleurisy on top of it.................Horrible pain. Do you remember having the chest pains for quite awhile after that? That's what bothers me and where my anxiety comes in...And my doctor says it's completely normal and that I will continue to have pain for even up to a year or so. But it's hard when you feel pretty good for a few days and then can hardly stand it the next.

The shots were bad. I was 19 at the time, I made my dad inject them. Before I got put on cumadin, they found that I had 12 ounces of fluid that seeped out of my lung and settled right under it. That happened after my pneumonia. So, they thought that's what was causing my pain. I went and had a needle stuck in back so they could take the fluid out. My lung was so inflammed that while the fluid was coming out, I could slowly feel my lung dropping because it was rubbing up against my ribs. Needless to say, this did not feel good. The whole thing took about 20 minutes. When I got home, I was still in pain, it didn't help. I was devastated. It got to the point where I couldn't even walk up a flight of stairs without being completley out of breath and in pain. I had to do many breathing tests and they found I was only using 70% of my lung capacity in my left lung. Then shortly after that, they got me on blood thinner. I know I am jumping around, but it was a long two years. I even went to the mayo clinic in rochester min. For two days of testing. Do you know what my doctor said to me? I quote "breath right and pretend everything is ok, and it will go away" $4000, and that is what they told me. Can you believe that! Well, I am getting off the subject. Back to you, yes, one day I would feel ok, then the next day I was in horrible pain. It is so hard to breath sometimes. To this day, I still cannot take a deep breath in without feeling any pain. Like i've said before (i think) surgery is an option, but not a garauntee. This surgery is to remove the scar tissue on the lining of my lung, but there is a chance that it may form more scar tissue after the surgery, and i'm right back where I started. I went to therapy, and he taught me how to deal with my pain, he does relaxation therapy on me. It works most of the time, but I do get down and depressed. I think I have a right to. I have panic attacks now, I get them once a month. I have learned to deal with them also. It's funny how one thing that happens to you can affect you for the rest of your life. Believe me when I say, I hope your pain goes away, and I hope you won't have to deal with it for the rest of your life. But don't baby your pain, that was one of my mistakes. It will get better, trust me, I have been there. Best of luck to you and I will be more than happy to talk to you again. I know this sounds horrible, so don't take this the wrong way, but in three years, I have never talked to someone that has had the similiar problems that I have had. That's probably why I can't stop talking. It is so comforting to know that someone else out there has been through what I went through. Again, best of luck! ~mi

Hi stacyinwisconsin, I skipped over this post several times thinking you accidently posted on the wrong board from the subject line. This sounds awful and I feel for you. I am on birth control but have not ever had this problem nor did I know it was even possible. I'm gonna talk to my gyno at my next check-up as I don't want to go through this and from the sounds of the replies it is more common than people think. I'm recovering from panic disorder and something like this would probably have sent me through the roof with fear a month ago. If your worries continue you may want to see a cbt therapist to help teach you how to counter your worries. You definitley do not want to let it spiral into a full blown anxiety disorder! I hope you feel better soon

Ahhhhh........Paxil..........All is well. I tell you this paxil-cr has been a life saver. I'm sleeping now......All around more relaxed. Thank goodness. I agree that knowing...And not that I wish others any pain by no means.....But knowing and getting to hear from others that have been through this or that are going through this sure does help. I think what shocks me most of all is that I heard a million times before and during taking birth control pills of the side effects. Blood clots.....Yadda yadda yadda..............Kinda like the commercials that list at the end a million things that could happen to you when taking such and such...........But I never gave it a thought. I was in perfect health!!! And wham......This happens. Unbelievable. I was just telling my boyfriend this morning how it is now april and that I haven't had a painfree day since the end of january. Aches and pains.........But i've now realized because of the paxil how much I was making it worse. I have pain every day. Sometimes worse than others....But the anxiety before the paxil was causing so much more pain in the chest.......Which would bring on more anxiety thinking that my doctor visits and blood thinners weren't working....That it just kept snowballing on me. My doctor says that she has every reason to believe that once this 6 month treatment is over with that I will be off the paxil...But it surely has been a major help to get me through this that's for sure. Meshell........I ache for you and that you are still going through this. I've thought about how hard this must be on you...In fact was just discussing your situation with my boyfriend the other day. Have they given you any pain medicines to get you through the rough days? Not that you want to have to rely on those the rest of your life....But there has to be something they can do for you, can't they? If you don't mind me asking....How old are you? And are you on anything for anxiety? I think in your situation I would be just bonkers!!! Looking for permanent relief. Consider seeing more doctors. There has to be someone out there to get you finally past this nightmare.

I am currently going through this..And I have been soo scared. I was originally diagnosed on june 16th of this year...But my coumadin was sub-therapeutic and I was readmitted to the hospital on july 2nd. I have been to a hematologist (blood specialist) and was told that I have no blood disorder that could have caused this except the birth control and smoking. And I have been so scared because I am only 24. I guess that the good thing is that they have told me that this will not be a lifelong thing for me. That this is a freak "accident" I had been on ortho tricyclen for 5 years and smoking. When I was diagnosed, the insurance company had previously switched me to trinessa. And I know that this particular birth control has caused a pe before. They too were treating me for asthma and everything else under the sun, until that first day, while I was at work (in a hospital-thank god)...I felt this undescribable feeling of "doom". I felt like I was going to pass out and never wake up. And like you, this thought consumes me everyday...I too think of it as I fall asleep and it is the first thing I think of when I wake up. I am still having chest pain and some shortness of breath from time to time throughout my day, and it puts much fear into my life. And I am wondering if this is something that any of you have experienced....If you have been told that the clots are stable, the coumadin is therapeutic (although my inr has flucuated much this past month), and that despite all that, you still have some of the symptoms. Its scares me so much. My doctors have put me on a nerve pill, and have told me that some of this could be withdrawl from the nicotene and the birth control hormones. But this chest pain and shortness of breath is something that I have not had the privelege of not experiencing in a long while. Is it something that will go away with time? For any of you....How long did it last? Did it feel so unbearable at times? I would really like some feedback. I am so new to this and I would like to hear from those of you who may be able to ease some of my worries? And if anyone has any questions for me, please ask....

Hi all,

i've been on birth control for 4 years and have been feeling short of breath for the past few months. I have seen my doctor and had a chest x-ray which was normal. So i'm just wondering if a chest x-ray is used to diagnose this sort of thing, and if there was something like this wrong with my lungs would they have been able to spot it on the x-ray?

Thanks in advance,

I will and can positively tell you, from my personal, heartwrenching experience, and from a medical standpoint, that a chest xray will not show a pulmonary embolism. A ct scan, cat scan, or especially a spiral cat scan of your chest is absolutley imparative to have done in order for a pulmonary embolism to be seen. If you are in any way concerned or positive that this is what you have then, demand not request that you have it done. Remember...Tell your doctor that you want a spiral cat scan of your chest done, with contrast. The contrast is the dye they inject into your system that will see the blood clots in your lungs, if you have them. And have it done right away. I had two chest xrays that came back just fine, but it took me going to the emergency room, while at work in my own hospital, for them to do a ct scan and find the clots. And I went short of breath for many months. Please, do this right away! Good luck to you.....

First off meshell........They have found that I also have factor v leiden. And ladyj.....I wish you lived right around the block as we could sit down and chat..........As you are new to all of this. I guess the main thing I want you to know is that you have to remember that stress will cause aches and pains. Not that you should dismiss everything as anxiety...But what has helped me is pay attention to when you hurt the worst. My doctor told me that anxiety comes on most when you have time to think about it....Ie driving....At home at night watching tv.....When you go to bed.....As there is nothing to distract you to keep your mind off of it. So when you become stressed you increase the ache that you already have.....Usually in your chest area. My latest info is that I completed my 6 month treatment. As of last thursday I am off my warfarin...And in the middle of august I get tested to see if it was my birth control pills or if I would have done this on my own anyways...Given that I carry the factor v leiden gene. So talk about anxiety skyrocket!!! It's a matter of a waiting game from here until that test. Sit and wait to see if i'm going to clot.....Ugh......I don't like this part that's for sure. I'll keep you all posted.

Hi stacy...I wished that you lived around the corner too....The doctors can tell you a lot, but being able to share it with someone who knows exactly what you are going through has some comfort to it....And I am glad to find out that I am not the only one that has a more difficult time driving since this happened. I haven't been able to make my family understand, I drive, but it does get to me at times. I hope that everything works out for you. I have had all the "thrombophilia" tests done, and everything has come back negative for me...So mine was the birth control, and I hope that the same goes for you. I don't want you to clot again. Also, I think you mentioned that your doctor put you on paxil. Did you like it? That goes for all of you out here that would like to talk about this. Or talk about anything at all.....Just to keep your mind occupied....My yahoo im is the same id. I wish all of you the best of luck...Its been so hard so far to get through this, but you are giving me some comfort through it all.....Thanks again.