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pain at times, so I did not bother; then, I have a past history of PE and I might have been aware then, when she started being short of breath; I sought doctor’s advice for her; /the doctor was aware of my past history of PE and linked it to my mother’s trouble: she was admitted immediately to the emergency ward.” For others [27] “when you get a swollen leg, you immediately think of it” [DVT or PE? 77]. A woman from the first family [26] entered the hospital for an episode of PE following previous episodes of DVT; she linked these episodes to her mother’s past history of DVT. But the woman’s brother, also treated for a past history of DVT, says: “I am not aware of phlebitis symptoms, not at all, it’s true that if we were aware, may be that would help. If we were told about a calf pain, like me, maybe we would seek for assistance, maybe…” [26-1 brother]. In such circumstances of a potentially life-threatening episode, a strong willingness to rely on the health care system is put forward: “what else is there to do if the physician does a good job?” [26-1]. Potential belief of self-helplessness is strengthened by the fact that the whole story of the emergency process (diagnosis and treatment of VTE) is usually explained to family members after recovery from the patient’s acute episode. The perception of a potentially fatal, although avoided, issue is delayed: “hospital stay was very short… I did not realize” [26-2 son] says the son from the first family. This can minimize the episode’s severity, as for the young sister of the 18-year-old patient from the second family [27], who compared with her own hospital stays: “well, she went to hospital and came back, she was put on injections… well I have been several times to hospital (fractures and plaster casts) since I was young, so…” [27-S-sister]. This was not previously the case.6
6 Past history of mothers and grandmothers is deeply rooted in the family knowledge: “I am aware of mum’s phlebitis, I was told many times, I am 57 and I was told many times” [151]. “That was a real mess because you had to be bed ridden, immobilized to avoid that “its reach the heart, danger was there” [151] and hospital stay were prolonged with a recovery period that altered the whole family life.