<<edit: Ooops, I see that there was another PE thread just a couple of weeks ago. Guess it's not uncommon.>>
I was sent to the ER on Saturday morning of Labor Day weekend by my doctor who suspected a pulmonary embolism (I had just arrived home the night before after traveling 30 hrs back from Asia, and was having extreme pain in the upper and lower parts of my right lung). I saw lots of doctors throughout the day, but most of them just came in to chat and tell me how serious a pulmonary embolism was. Finally 8 hours later the radiologist was able to break free and read my CT scan to confirm the PE diagnosis. I was promptly admitted to the hospital and given all the pills, shots, and IV bags and ampules and canisters that you can imagine. The medication relieved my pain, and I spent a restful night except for being awakened at midnight, 1am, 2am, 4am, and 6am. I was able to talk my way out of the hospital the next day, promising that I would continue my regimen of antibiotics, Lovenox shots, and rat poison, I mean blood thinner. For the next week or so I felt lousy...exhausted, chest discomfort, and weak...but after that I started to feel okay again. By now I'm still on Coumadin (for 6 months) but I feel just fine. I'm exercising and feel no ill effects from the PE episode.
Three points I want to make about this episode.
First, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism DO occur, and not just to the fat, out-of-shape other guy. I'm 50 and in good shape. I play basketball and tennis twice a week and was climbing volcanoes in Sumatra the week before this happened. So when you fly, take precautions. Stay hydrated, get up and walk around at least once an hour, take an aspirin before flying (talk to your MD if aspirin is a problem for you), and consider wearing compression socks/stockings on a long flight. Statistics (from the 60's, so maybe not so accurate) say that 1 in 6 will die from PE if untreated...not very good odds when you think of the low cost of prevention.
Second, I just got the statement from the hospital for my one day there. The bill (no doctors, just the hospital itself) was for $22K and change. After I paid my $150 co-pay, Blue Cross gets a $19K negotiated discount, and the final bill to the insurance company is $3300. Okay, fine, I'm glad that I was treated at a clean, reasonably efficient facility, but what about the guy next to me who doesn't have insurance? Why should it cost me (via Blue Cross) $3500 while it costs the uninsured guy $22,000 (his house or his kid's education)? And that's without the fees from the doctors! Talk about a system that's out of whack! Why would we set up a system that charges most to those who can least afford it?
Third, after realizing that I almost got hit by a Mack truck, I am enjoying the smell of green grass, the sound of giggling kids, and the joy of my son's Little League games a little bit more than I did a month ago. I'm going to watch my daughter graduate from college this weekend. Life is good!
I was sent to the ER on Saturday morning of Labor Day weekend by my doctor who suspected a pulmonary embolism (I had just arrived home the night before after traveling 30 hrs back from Asia, and was having extreme pain in the upper and lower parts of my right lung). I saw lots of doctors throughout the day, but most of them just came in to chat and tell me how serious a pulmonary embolism was. Finally 8 hours later the radiologist was able to break free and read my CT scan to confirm the PE diagnosis. I was promptly admitted to the hospital and given all the pills, shots, and IV bags and ampules and canisters that you can imagine. The medication relieved my pain, and I spent a restful night except for being awakened at midnight, 1am, 2am, 4am, and 6am. I was able to talk my way out of the hospital the next day, promising that I would continue my regimen of antibiotics, Lovenox shots, and rat poison, I mean blood thinner. For the next week or so I felt lousy...exhausted, chest discomfort, and weak...but after that I started to feel okay again. By now I'm still on Coumadin (for 6 months) but I feel just fine. I'm exercising and feel no ill effects from the PE episode.
Three points I want to make about this episode.
First, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism DO occur, and not just to the fat, out-of-shape other guy. I'm 50 and in good shape. I play basketball and tennis twice a week and was climbing volcanoes in Sumatra the week before this happened. So when you fly, take precautions. Stay hydrated, get up and walk around at least once an hour, take an aspirin before flying (talk to your MD if aspirin is a problem for you), and consider wearing compression socks/stockings on a long flight. Statistics (from the 60's, so maybe not so accurate) say that 1 in 6 will die from PE if untreated...not very good odds when you think of the low cost of prevention.
Second, I just got the statement from the hospital for my one day there. The bill (no doctors, just the hospital itself) was for $22K and change. After I paid my $150 co-pay, Blue Cross gets a $19K negotiated discount, and the final bill to the insurance company is $3300. Okay, fine, I'm glad that I was treated at a clean, reasonably efficient facility, but what about the guy next to me who doesn't have insurance? Why should it cost me (via Blue Cross) $3500 while it costs the uninsured guy $22,000 (his house or his kid's education)? And that's without the fees from the doctors! Talk about a system that's out of whack! Why would we set up a system that charges most to those who can least afford it?
Third, after realizing that I almost got hit by a Mack truck, I am enjoying the smell of green grass, the sound of giggling kids, and the joy of my son's Little League games a little bit more than I did a month ago. I'm going to watch my daughter graduate from college this weekend. Life is good!
