Pulmonary embolism is an emergency, right?

[Tarberta]

My Mum has a had a swollen leg and chest pain for the last couple of days. She’s high risk for blood clots. A very recent blood test showed she possibly has a blood clot and the chest pain indicates a P.E.
They told her the respiratory ward would ring when there’s a bed so she can go in for a CT scan. She’s been waiting since 2pm (now 7pm) and heard nothing. I’m so worried about her. Is this a normal waiting time for something like this?

She’s on her own so I need to advocate if I can. I don’t live nearby so feel a bit helpless.

She needs to be evaluated immediately.

I don't know what the waiting time would be but that does sound like a long time - if I were you I'd ring and ask them how much longer she is going to have to wait.

She needs investigations.

But lots of hospitals are really struggling at the moment due to covid. I have several friends who are ED consultants and two of them closed their hospitals front door today to ambulances temporarily.

It's not great but it is the end of result of underfunding the NHS systematically for 10 years, pissing of a whole tranche of the nursing workforce with Brexit and then getting hit by a global pandemic.

I'd tell her to go to A&E. It's not an ideal time to be there, but if she's currently in pain then she needs to be there in case she deteriorates.

A friend died from a PE, he deteriorated so quickly he wasn't able to call for help. I hope that your mum is fine and doesn't deteriorate at all, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

If she has chest pain call an ambulance / go to A &E . Hope she is ok OP

Has she been put on blood thinners? Or if already on them, has her dose been increased from preventative to treatment? If so, these will stop the clot from getting bigger. Many stable people witha PE are treated out of hospital.

This is so worrying. She’s just texted and said she’s been on the phone to 111 and the duty doc’s ringing her back.
Am I right in thinking I could ring the respiratory ward and see if she’s been forgotten about?

She has an ache in her chest and she is breathless but thought it was her asthma. Not coughing.

My grandmother dropped dead on her way back from the bathroom from a P.E.
I had a dvt in my groin in 2016 and was sent by ambulance straight from the doctors surgery. I had a doppler scan to find out exactly where the clot was. Then I had blood thinning injections given to me.
Get her to go to a & e.

The thing is, if they don’t have a bed for her then one isn’t going to get magicked up for her. They’re not keeping her hanging on for shits and giggles - they said they’d call when they have a bed, ergo since they haven’t called they must not have had a bed opened up yet.

If you’re really concerned she could go to A&E but all that would really accomplish is that she’d be hanging around there waiting for a bed to open up in the same ward. It may be more comforting to her to be under the care of medical staff while she waits in case she deteriorates but it wouldn’t solve the main issue and probably wouldn’t enable her to skip the queue.

I wouldnt bother calling the ward. If the doctor arranges for her to go to hospital she can be treated in a&e. She can always call an ambulance. I hope she gets it sorted out soon.

Take her to A&E or phone her an ambulance.
I had a pe last year and it was taken very seriously.

I'm a nurse in acute medicine. Take her straight to ED please. She needs monitoring and being there will ensure no one forgot about her.

She was on blood thinners because of AF , but she seemed to think she’d had to come off them. That can’t be right though can it? I hope she doesn’t have to go to A and E. she was there for so long a few weeks ago.

Wtf yes it's life threatening, she needs to go to a&e ASAP

I am shocked. I've never known anyone to be told to wait at home with a suspected PE. She could drop dead at any minute.

She needs to be in hospital. She has pain, swollen leg, breathless and an irregular heart beat.

Dear lordy. Stopped her blood thinner? Straight there she goes.... Long wait or not... Tell her to take a book.

Tell her to go straight to A&E. A GP told my mum that her chest pains and dizziness were just a symptom of anxiety, and she died a couple of hours later as a result of a pulmonary embolism. It can be rapidly fatal; she can't hang around waiting for someone to get back to her. I hope she's okay.

Has she stopped taking her blood thinners without asking her doctor? I wonder if she’s been evaluated as if she’s on blood thinners so less risk of PE? PE is an emergency and she seems to be seen. Could you call the respiratory ward?

Take her to A&E immediately. This is a really serious condition and she needs medical help pronto.

In the meantime, give her aspirin.

I can’t believe it either. Unless she isn’t telling me the full story. She has swollen leg, breathlessness, chest pain and blood test results showing? So why haven’t they got her in yet?

@Thenose I’m so sorry about your Mum. I just feel like you’ve got to keep pushing and pushing to get care when they’re elderly.

Has she told them she's off the blood thinners? Usually you are put on them for suspected DVT or PE while tests can be arranged.

I would suggest A & E. Repeatedly if needs be until she gets somewhere!