Was that a pulmonary embolism?
Good day,
last night I (28 years old, non-smoker, overweight) had a frightening incident. I was lying in bed, sleeping and dreaming. And somehow I burped in my sleep. Some of what came up seems to have gone into my windpipe, because I immediately woke up, coughed, and had trouble breathing. At first, I was really panicked and gasping for air. After a few seconds it got better and I could breathe normally. I only had a slightly scratchy throat from the stomach fluid that came up. And a disgusting taste in my mouth. But after I had something to drink, that went away quickly.
I have had this happen before, probably four or five times in the last few years. Always in my sleep. Usually when I have eaten a lot during the day (especially spicy foods) or have drunk a lot of cola. But usually I notice it right away, wake up and drink something quickly, and then it's over. But I have never had this shortness of breath before. I really felt like I wasn't getting any air for a few seconds. It was only after the third breath or so that it was better.
But what worries me now (because I am a bit of a hypochondriac): what if that wasn't just a burp? But a pulmonary embolism? Because I remember having a cramp in my calf yesterday evening.
Is that typical? Are there cases of pulmonary embolisms like this? Or do they present differently?
