i have had a hard week with my lungs. i had bad acid reflux about 7 days ago...middle of the night couldnt breath. turned into a lung infection. took lots of prednisone and got a zpack antibiotic.

wasnt getting any better and went to the hospital saturday. they gave me more prednisone, breathing treatments and ran a blood test that came back that i might have a blood clot. i dont have pain any where like some symptoms show. but she said because i am so sedetary and bed ridden they can occur.

has anyone been diagnosed with them...how do you avoid them?
thank you
Lori

Hi I am so sorry for all you are going through. You are in my thoughts. I have not read much about this so my thoughts are just that my thoughts. I think you need to speak to your treating doctor asap. Also did they do testing for other reasons or conditions that may have caused this other then being bed ridden? If not I would push for that as well.
I would think that maybe there is some type of movements you are supposed to do even if you are only able to in bed. That to prevent atrophy,sores,and possibly this etc. I know with the pain and the limits you have this is easier said then done.
Sending get well thoughts to you

After battling them for over 9 years I've learned a few things that might help you - hopefully.

First, take them seriously. I've now been on blood thinners both orally (daily) and when the really bad storms hit we revert to shots that I keep at home all the time.
Secondly, there is a test called a Protime test that checks us for how thick our blood is. I have to go into the doctors office at least once a week to have mine checked. The doctor adjusts my blood thinners accordingly.

I've had clots hit my lungs but got lucky even though 4 out of 5 people usually die. I was in the hospital at the time with a body-wide septic infection so they caught mine in time. We then installed a filter/umbrella that's in the main vein that leads into the lungs. This is suppose to break up the clots the next time they hit into smaller pieces.

Blood clots are just like everything else. We learn how to live with them. For people who are less mobile or wheelchair bound all the time, the risks increase. Unless you have no choice other than being bed-bound 7/24, then you must get up and get out of that bed. It only makes a bad situation worse.

The blood flows down our legs through large veins deep inside the legs and then gets pumped back up and into our body through smaller veins that are on the outside of our legs. When you stop moving, this blood is no longer moving back and forth. That's when you get clots and that's when things can get very dangerous and fast. The less you move today, the more likely you are to stop moving or even breathing tomorrow. Blood has to be moved around. In other words we have to move it ourselves and our body.

Carefully monitored it's something anyone can live with, but only the person can decide how much they're willing to alter their lifestyle so a blood clot doesn't take our life. It might be hard hitting, but so are these darn suckers. I know, and now so do you. Best of luck, Bob.

thank you all for your thoughtful replies!

thank you Bob for sharing your battle with me. I saw a new doctor today who is admitting me to the hospital either tomorrow or Friday to give me IV diuretics and try to get some of this fluid off of me. he looked over my blood work and said i didnt have blood clots but it is a good wake up call for me to get up and move at least once and hour. Your information hit home for me.
I am getting weaker by the day from this darn RSD. I have given up a bit and theres no need to. I am too young to give up right now. So i will focus on rebuilding my strength.
Blessings!
Lori