Hospital Stay That Was Serious
I have had bronchiectasis since I was a child and was diagnosed with asthma about ten years ago. My coughing and inability to breathe were getting worse. It also affected my gait. I fell going into a hospital and ended up in the ER. I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. I was in the hospital for one week. A nurse visited me and noticed that my legs and feet were swollen. She said that I needed to go to the ER. Since I was unable to walk, I had to go by ambulance. I had a scan of the legs and I had deep vein thrombosis in my right leg. I have water pills for the swelling and was told to put my feet up.
I have been home for one week and still cannot leave my home since I cannot walk right. I read that it takes three to six months for a blood clot to clear up. This could have traveled to my lung.
This shows how asthma could turn into something more serious.
Hi pbasili, and thanks for sharing your recent experience here with the community. Your story makes an excellent point - there certainly may be other medical conditions which accompany one's asthma (and other) diagnoses.
As your experience clearly demonstrates, symptoms should not automatically be attributed to one's asthma diagnosis. When unusual symptoms present and are either worsening or persist, it is always a good idea to check this out with one's physician.
How are you feeling nowadays? Have your physician(s) advised you of anything additional about the challenges you have with walking at this time? How are you managing? Do you have a support system at home?
Wishing you well,
Leon (site moderator asthma.net)
Hi. I'm so glad your blood clot was identified and you were able to start treatment -- as you said, they can quickly turn into something worse. It can take some time for the pain and swelling to decrease. For my father, it was a few weeks and it was a gradual process. However. please don't be afraid to reach out to your doctor if you feel like something isn't right or you aren't progressing. Thank you for sharing this important story with us! Keep us posted, okay? -Melissa, asthma.net team
