Staying Hopeful With CTEPH Diagnosis

The Pulmonary Hypertension Association’s (PHA’s) The Right Heart blog brings you a story about Joyce Sandberg, who lives with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Joyce’s story began a few years ago when she was in her early 70s. She kept up an active lifestyle and rode an adult tricycle every day. She started to notice that she felt short of breath even before beginning her daily ride. After visiting a pulmonologist, Joyce was diagnosed with COPD, but her symptoms remained.

Joyce’s doctor sent her to the emergency room after seeing her swollen ankles. Doctors discovered a saddle embolism on each lung, and additional testing confirmed CTEPH.

But that’s not the end of the story. At 78, Joyce has taken on the challenges of CTEPH with gusto and optimism. Read her story in The Right Heart blog.

PHA thanks Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for sponsoring the PHA CTEPH and Pulmonary Embolism Outreach and Support Program. To learn more about CTEPH, go to PHAssociation.org/CTEPH.