If you follow me on Instagram you may already know I was in the hospital last week but I wanted to give an update and a note about what’s been going on.
Since January I had been experiencing shortness of breath when I walked up the stairs, sometimes when giving a lecture or when talking Jellybean on a walk. In March I went to my doctor about it and he dismissed it as anxiety and panic attacks. When I pushed back, he said it was allergies. Turns out I’ve been walking around with a pulmonary embolism (PE).
Not only was my PE large, it was throwing off smaller clots and the big one was putting a strain on my heart. After erratic breathing, a sky high pulse all the time and almost passing out I ended up in the ER. I had a procedure done to attempt to break down the clots and take some of the stress off my heart and I was in the ICU, but I am home and on the road to recovery.
I’ve been told lots of people die with the clot I had and that terrifies me, so I’ve decided I am taking this month to truly let my body recover. I’m home and okay but my body was so starved for oxygen and working in overdrive for months, it deserves the rest. My pulse is slowly getting into a normal range, my blood thinners are working on the clot and I’m slowly trying to regain my strength. I’m too tired to even knit, so clearly, I’m still recovering.
I have lots of support, love and time and I am thankful for all the well wishes. I just wanted to drop a note to say I’ll be back once I’m feeling strong enough. Promise 💛
Yards of Happiness 
You need a new doctor! Seriously. I’m so grateful you knew your body and pushed back on this person’s dismissive diagnoses.
It’s the best news to know you got the proper treatment and are healing and will be okay. Of all the many wonderful people blogging these days, I have to say your posts are my favorites because of your spirit and outlook, not to mention knitting prowess. You have many admirers and fans, all of whom are sending their very best, so I hope you feel that lift as you recuperate. Wishing you joy in the small things right now.
Yes to a new doc! A close friend recently had the same thing happen and it was so scary. Please know how much you mean to people you’ve never met face to face, and how so many of us cheer for you, send you well wishes and love learning from your exuberant posts. Take good care, Dana. We love you and wish you well. 💕
I absolutely agree about the new doctor. So glad they caught this. Take time, take care and we’ll see you on the other side. Sending prayers and healing vibes.
I am glad you are on the road to recovery. You are truly blessed to be here to tell your story. Get another doctor! Thank God you pushed back. Rest, rest, rest, and have visions of new patterns dance in your head.
Hi Dana. Sending positive, healing vibes. I hope all will be well soon. 🌼
Classic case of dismissing women’s complaints, and especially those of women of color. Glad it’s finally being dealt with. We’ll all be fine without you, even though we’ll miss you. It’s important to remember that the world can go on without you for a while, so you can get on with putting yourself back together. Thank goodness for dogs.
I’m grateful that you’re getting treatment now and that you’re able to rest. I agree with Carol that you need a new doctor, but it’s much harder to find a doctor who will listen than it should be. Take care of yourself and take heart from all of us who are sending you our best wishes and healing thoughts.
I am so glad that you found the cause of your symptoms and that you knew enough to push for a correct diagnosis. Please let your doctor know what the end result was so he or she can learn from their dismissal of your symptoms. It may be time for another doctor all together, but with insurance issues that is not always easy. At least clear the air and let them know of your dissatisfaction. Take all the time you need to recover and give jellybean a hug.
Sending you peace, love, and healing thoughts. ❤
Thank goodness you are on the mend! Glad you are taking the necessary time to recover. We’ll be here to read more when you are back.
So sorry, Dana, for what you’ve been going through. Very scary. I hope you take it slow and easy, even after you start feeling better. You are a light in this world, and we can’t afford to lose you. Love, from another stranger who feels like you’re a friend
I am so thankful that you were able to get the right care in time! Rest up and be well. And when you’re up to it, yes — find a new primary care doctor.
Sending all the best wishes to you in tour recovery. Please take the time you need….your fans will be here when you come back!
Please take care of yourself and get well soon.
Sending you good vibes for your healing and a speedy recovery. The knitting can wait. Take care.
OMG, Dana, I really feel for you! Your story is SO familiar to me. Did your doctor do a venous Doppler exam looking for deep venous thrombosis?
Did you first wonder if you caught the COVID virus?
I unknowingly suffered PEs about 10 years ago; I could barely move from one room to another without shortness of breath. It was about a week after I’d had a colonoscopy. I was in the hospital for 9 days getting heparin shots in my belly for the PEs. They said my lungs looked like a Christmas tree, all lit up with so many emboli. The docs did discover I’d had a DVT behind my left knee. That leg is still slightly edematous after all this time. I still get short of breath, and so, was wary of the pandemic this past year.
Wow, that is scary. I hate it when doctors just blow off symptoms. You were smart to keep pushing.
Dear Dana,
Blessings for a good and comfortable rest and recovery. Thank goodness you were persistent with your doctor! What a lesson—for the doctor, especially. I’m so glad you got the proper treatment.
Best wishes to you.
Oh. My. Stars! You’re so fortunate to still be with us. Obviously, you need to rest and recover. It looks like Jellybean has got you covered.
I agree with everyone else who’s said you need to look for a new doctor. I know how hard that can be with insurance issues and with the fact that the medical profession is experiencing record high burnout.
I hope you recover enough to enjoy some knitting soon, but in the meanwhile, quality time with Jellybean looks like an amazing alternative.
I feel bad about clicking “like” when I’m really wanting to click “that’s outrageous and I’m so sorry that this happened to you!!” There really should be a button like that. I hope that you recover quickly and that you get great follow-up care. My son had pulmonary embolisms and is now on a blood thinner. It was so scary when this happened, but he made it and it hasn’t happened again. I hope that you have the same story.
I have been struggling with shortness of breath, dizziness, blue lips, and other symptoms for some time (I have an autoimmune disease that kind of complicated things) and after having to push back, change doctors, and go through testing to rule out all of the usual things to finally get a diagnosis and hopefully appropriate treatment, I am just outraged at how dismissive doctors can be of what are actually really serious symptoms. Hugs to you!!
Oh no! I am glad you kept speaking up until you got the right response. I am happy to hear you are letting yourself rest.
Take care of yourself! Glad you were able to insist on and get proper care.
Thank goodness you’re on the mend! Take all the time you need, and know that we are all sending good wishes for your speedy and complete recovery. We love you, Dana!
I am so happy that you are home and getting better!
My husband was short of breath walking up a flight of stairs 2.5 years ago and thank goodness his dr said get to the ER now. I think he would have been pushed off if this happened in the time of Covid. He had two sub-massive PEs and on his lung scans all the clots looked like stars.
I am certain your darling husband was scared to death for you.
All the best!
Your hubby had the same kind of PE clusters I did. Same doctor advice: ER ASAP.
I join others in their responses and gladness that you pushed till you were able to get treatment. Please take care of yourself, and let yourself be taken care of also! We’ll be here when you are ready to write again, but please take all the time you need.
Sending you healing mojo. You are a bright light in this world Dana! Rest and time to heal physically and emotionally with a steady infusion of jellybean and your darling husband’s love, along with the love and healing prayers and wishes of your beautiful family as well as all who know you, will hold you up! Then fire that careless, un-enlightened dangerous person masquerading as a doctor!
Rest, heal and enjoy the burgeoning spring. Your blog has brought me joy throughout the pandemic, with your beautiful smile and lovely sweaters. I especially like your color palette, and Jellybean never fails to make me smile. I hope that your strength returns quickly and that you feel the love reflected back from your devoted readers.
Everything miss Tina said so well. Rest, heal, replenish your strength and energy stores. So glad you are held so well by so many.
Please take good care of yourself! I’m disappointed they didn’t do a chest X-ray for you at the start due to Covid. I was similarly short of breath last year and went to Urgent Care for a wrist injury. When I mentioned I was short of breath, a chest X-ray showed a tumor the size of a baseball down by the right side of my heart. Turns out I had a thymoma, a malignant tumor of the thymus gland. I had surgery to remove it and 6 wks of radiation therapy. Too bad my heart still races and I am short of breath 😕
I am so glad you were (finally) properly treated. Please find another doctor! I usually go to female doctors. I really believe they take us women more seriously. I hope you are back knitting soon. Your posts do make me smile. 🙂
Take care of yourself! We will be here waiting to enjoy your colorful outlook on life when you are feeling better.
I’m glad you are getting the rest you need! Jellybean will keep you company! Knitting will be there when you are ready!!!! 🤗🌻
That is so frightening. I’m glad you are on the mend. I bet Jellybean is beyond relieved to be sitting with you! Unfortunately doctors often dismiss women’s complaints. I’m putting you in my prayers- God bless.
Peggy R.
Take all the time you need to heal, we will all be here when you’re ready to share your talents with us.
Take time to rest. The world can wait!
Rest and enjoy snuggles with Jellybean. We’ll wait and lift you in prayer for a full recovery
So so sorry you had to go through this but glad you got a proper diagnosis, even if belatedly. Doctors need to be more diligent, for sure! Be well and thinking of you.
So scary!! You are right to take a rest. I have experienced a racing heart and shortness of breath in the past and my Dr. sent me for a scan immediately checking for an embolism. Turned out it was a false alarm for me but you should have received the same treatment. Take care and get better soon!
I’m so relieved you are okay. That must have been so scary to be in the ICU. Take care and be extra kind and good to yourself. Like someone else here said, the rest of the world can wait. I’m keeping you in my thoughts, and I look forward to your return to knitting (and blogging). Sending love.
Speedy recovery.
Take care of yourself!
On Mon, May 10, 2021 at 6:30 AM Yards of Happiness wrote:
> IamDWJ posted: ” If you follow me on Instagram you may already know I was > in the hospital last week but I wanted to give an update and a note about > what’s been going on. Since January I had been experiencing shortness of > breath when I walked up the stairs, someti” >
Oh, no! What a nasty surprise. Be sure to take the time you need to fully heal. We’ll miss you in the short term, but want you back in good health in the long term.
Wow…your story and mine are one in the same. In November, I found I couldn’t make it through my usual daily walk without feeling winded. But I kept brushing it off, with reasons the same as you. I had no risk factors either. Ive always taken good care of myself. But I ended up in the ER where a CT scan showed multiple PE on both lungs. I’ve been on blood thinners since, and it’s working. (🤞) But I’m scared to death to go off of them. My dr says I can stay on them for the rest of my life. She also advised me to see a hematologist, which I’m doing now. So far, nothing is showing up on bloodwork.
I can totally relate to how you are feeling, both physically and emotionally. My hospital stay did change my life though. I now see how precious life is and something that could’ve been taken away in an instant. I’m grateful for each day. I’m Praying for both of us!
So glad they FINALLY figured out the cause and were able to treat you effectively. Being dismissed by your doctor is not OK. Soak up all the love and good wishes coming your way and all the TLC Jelly Beans and the hubby have to offer. Take good care and be well!
Thank goodness you persisted and got treatment! I agree with so many of the above comments – get a new doctor!
Best wishes for a fast recovery.
How scary. Glad you are starting to get your strength back.
This comment section is looking weird, i can only see the top half of what I am writing so pardon the typos, please. So sorry about this. Ditto everyone’s thoughts and prayers for your recovery. Hope you have a good cardiologist. Was any attention given to your diet? So much thinking about this these days,and may be a way to get off meds,if they are being prescribed for you. So glad you have all these well-wishers and family support as state of mind is so important. Glad you are taking it easy. You do take on an awful lot! Mostly, glad you are better,.
I’m so glad you’re okay!
Thank God, you pushed back knowing something more was happening. Very happy your being treated and are resting your body. I will keep you in my prayers and we will see your pretty smile and knitting when your up to the task of creating again.
Sending you MILES of well wishes. Take care of YOU ❤️🧡💛💚💜
I’m knitting my daughters rainbow sweaters and I always think of you and Jellybean in those beautiful Steven West sweaters. Your color choices made that pattern really sing
You are such a delightful person, Dana, and I want to thank you for posting this personal news.
We know our bodies, don’t we? Thank God you persisted in getting the answers and the care you so deserve.
You mean so much to so many. Please rest and recover. I will keep you in my prayers.
Love and prayers. I’m so thankful that you are back home and healing. It is so scary and infuriating to think that you could have died.
OH lord have mercy. What grace and favor from the Lord. You have to be your own advocacy, You have to remember you’re only one in many patients and some don’t care. Grateful you are still here to bless your community with your presence. I always enjoy whenever you’re on a social media platform. Have such a warm, humble spirit. Praying for God’s continual healing of your body, nothing missing, nothing broken. Take it easy and rest, because family needs you first and your community are behind you and will be around. Read Isaiah 41:10, 1Peter 2:24
I’m just getting around to reading my emails so hadn’t heard this. Please do take the time needed to recover. I enjoy your knitting updates and look forward to reading them again when you have your strength back’ Take care.
I missed you on MDK and came to find out how you are~ distressed to hear what you have been through, which sounds very scary, but grateful that you are on the mend and able to let us know! Rest, rest~ take your time. Sleep is healing. We will be here when you are ready for us!
I hope you are continuing to feel better every day and your energy for knitting has returned! Wishing you increasingly brighter days ahead.