I have had pain in my right leg for over a month. I have been treating it like a pinched nerve -- I had the sore leg for about 2 weeks then my lower back began to spasm, which was terribly painful for a week. I went to the doctor when my back was so bad. He put me on an anti-inflammatory. That took the back pain away- but the leg pain came back.

I went to the ER with pain every time I breathed in -- not in my chest, but in my back and side. Unfortunately, the ER doc did not think of PE and sent me home with diagnosis of pulled muscle and possible shingles! (I had no rash) 4 hours later I was back in ER, gasping for air like a fish out of water in SO much pain; I had multiple bilateral pulmonary emboli. We never figured out why - none of the risk factors fit, and none of the ultrasounds found signs of a clot. I was in the hospital 2 weeks and in rehab another week. I'm a female, 48, not on estrogen. Wanted to pass along the back and side pain piece - obviously your lungs aren't just at your chest!

58 yr old female who had entire right lung removed [due to cancer] this past July, then did four rounds of chemo starting in September. Have good days and bad, which seems to be expected, but during the first week of December I ended up back in the hospital. I was getting sharp pains in my chest - almost like a knife, and was shorter of breath than usual. To make a long story short, when they finally did a CT [RIGHT BEFORE they were going to send me home] they discovered the blood clot in my left [and only] lung. I stayed in the hospital approx. 7 days with injections, then Coumadin. After leaving hospital I am taking 3 mg Coumadin daily and getting my blood "checked" every other week. It is now February and I'm still on Coumadin which seemed to work, but this past week I have been shorter of breath and getting those pains again. I get my blood checked today and guess I'll just wait for the results [it usually only takes a day]. I'm wondering if I will ALWAYS need the Coumadin - and if this medication shouldn't have been started immediately following such a major surgery as mine.

My first blood clot was in 2000 while I was on hormone therapy. I had gained weight and had a job sitting many hours a day. In 2009 I began having leg pains--especially calves. In June I had a hip replacement and was checked because of my previous blood clot. I was on meds for 6 wks, then aspirin. In August I began to have swelling of feet and ankles but was checked-I had a superficial clot. Later on I began having shortness of breath but thought I was just gaining weight. In November I had a speaking engagement and had trouble breathing. December I got out of bed and experienced terrible pain in my right leg. Collapsed onto dining room table and had a sharp pain in middle of my chest. I had a DVT and many pulmonary embolisms--including the saddleback clot. I still get charlie horses when I stretch my legs, my ankles swell occasionally. For several weeks I had a dry cough but it has disappeared. Blood tests had been run at the University hospital earlier in the year and nothing was found.

I am a 54 years old female and I was diagnosed with PE. I was having shortness of breath for four days straight. I told my daughter but she thought it was much to do about nothing. She told me to lie down and get some rest. I did but it continued, and I had that panting sound. I decided to go to the emergency room. They immediately did blood work on me and a couple of hours later, a nurse came in and said the doctor wanted to do a CT of my chest. I had a nurse with bad bedside manners. I was so scared and she blurted out you have a blood clot- do you want to go home and die? I nearly fainted from her insensitive remark. At any rate, I was placed in the hospital for observation. The Doctor put me on anti-clotting medications. No one showed me how to use the needles neither was I given clear instruction on how to use the two medications. I was released the next day. I felt like I was criminal instead of a patient. I am now seeing my own doctor and she is going to send me to a Pulmonary Specialist. The clot on my lung was small according to the emergency room doctor and it was on the lower part of my lung. If anyone is having any type of shortness of breath, pain in your legs or arms, please go to the emergency room immediately because the life you save maybe your very own.

I had knee surgery and everything felt fine. The next evening, my calf started feeling very tight with severe cramps and light chest pain all night. Thought it was after effect of anesthesia, but next day calf was extremely sore, felt like something wrapped tight around it, so I went to ER. The ultrasound done on my leg found nothing, so they did a chest scan and found two small clots in my lung. I was admitted and kept in hospital all weekend. I didn't think this could happen to me; I don't smoke or drink; I eat healthy, and exercise. I'm 52 years old, weigh 127 pounds and other than sports injuries, no health issues.