What is Pulmonary Embolus?

I got the fact that I had (positive talk) cancer. Understood the need for chemo. Experienced the side effects both physically and mentally, trying to be all things to all people and realised yet again 'Sarvs you are NOT superwoman, bring it down girlfriend'.
The week after my 5th FEC regime I was hospitalised again. It's a sad day when the nursing staff recognise you up at Ward 64 - my 3rd home after oncology daystay unit and the bleeding room (blood lab).
After experiencing severe fatigue (where getting out of bed was impossible most days), dizzy spells, nausea, severe headaches I put it down to chemo side effects. I have a very high pain tolerance (apart from the blimin needles) so I played things down in my head and only when I had terrible stabbing chest pains that reduced me to tears did I get on the blower and called Acute Oncology who informed me to get to hospital, like yesturday!
Lucky the pain reduced me to tears actually because after a sh***y ride to hospital, an x-ray to eliminate a chest infection and a CT scan to detect clots I found out after being admitted to Ward 64 I have PULMONARY EMBOLUS in my right lung so I needed to be jabbed in the stomach with Clexane (blood thinner) immediately and every 12 hours for the next 2 weeks.
I don't do things by halves that's for bloody sure I thought as the nurse jabbed me.
A pulmonary embolus occurs when part of the blood clot somewhere else in the body breaks off and travels to the lungs. It could come from a deep vein thrombosis in the leg or pelvis. The floating piece of clot blocks the blood supply to the lungs. A large one can cause breathing difficulties, fainting spells (hello sound familiar?!) and can even be fatal.
Again not to be outdone Dr Tim from the Haematology Unit said 'you are functioning on about a quarter of your right lung with the rest of it blocked; so your clot is very large'. Wow that is some freaky stuff?!!
I am self medicating once a day now for the next 6 months to thin the clot. Grab the flab and jab (into the stomach), fortunately I have rolls of the flab, so no problemo!
Naturally one asks why clots occur and I was given a number of reasons. The thrombosis specialist said 'people with cancer who have had major surgery are likely to have blood clots'. I guess that's me.
The side effects of the treatment are nose bleeds, bleeding in urine or bowel motions, severe nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea or abdominal pain, severe headache or internal bleeding.

I am still going through the mill but there is light as I go through it, just a bit dim at the moment but it gets brighter as I continue to kick cancer!