Pulmonary embolism how long does pain last

Most people who experience pulmonary embolism are hospitalized for at least a few days, but experts now believe that some people, if their clinical condition is stable enough, can be treated at home. Guidelines published by the American Society of Hematology in conditionally recommend home treatment over hospitalization for people with uncomplicated pulmonary embolism. People in the hospital with pulmonary embolism are almost always given anticoagulant medications blood thinners first to treat the condition.

They may also require oxygen therapy, intravenous fluids, and pain medication for a day or two until the condition is stabilized. As soon as you are able to get up and walk without excessive dyspnea shortness of breath or pain, it is important to do so. Moving around as early as possible after anticoagulant drugs have been started can help to prevent further blood clotting. When your blood oxygen levels are adequate and your symptoms are under control, it will be time to go home.

This means, in addition to taking care of yourself by eating regularly and getting plenty of sleep, you have to take your medications just as prescribed and walk as much as you can. The primary things you need to focus on include:. Your healthcare provider may add additional measures to help you recover or prevent further problems.

These may include, for instance, home oxygen therapy or prescription compression stockings to help prevent deep vein thrombosis. Most people who have pulmonary embolism feel like it struck them out of the blue—and that is true for many people. One minute you feel fine; the next you may be gasping for breath and having chest pain. The healthcare provider is ordinarily less surprised upon making a diagnosis of pulmonary embolism.

In most cases, people with pulmonary embolism have risk factors. Having certain conditions can make you more likely to develop pulmonary embolism. Managing these risk factors is an important part of preventing another embolism. Some of these risk factors require lifestyle changes; others may require taking lifelong anticoagulant therapy. Your healthcare provider will probably have an excellent idea of which risk factors may have contributed to your pulmonary embolism and will be able to give you specific advice on preventing future events.

While you may feel alone in your efforts to manage pulmonary embolism, there are actually many thousands of people each year who go through this experience. Your hospital may be able to refer you to local support groups of people who have had this problem. There are also useful online support groups for people coping with pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis. Your recovery will come in stages. Once you start anticoagulants, which prevent future blood clots , you should begin to feel better within a few days.

A full recovery, though, usually takes several weeks to months as your body absorbs the blood clot. Depending on your career, you may be able to return to work within a few weeks. However, if you are prescribed blood thinners , you need to avoid getting hurt, so you may not be able to return to a job in which there is a significant risk of being injured.

Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. American Society of Hematology guidelines for management of venous thromboembolism: treatment of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

Blood Adv. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. My hospital stay was only 3 days and I followed the regimen prescribed which brought my INR up to a level 3 which was optimal, but my leg was still painfully swollen, often waking me up at night and leaving me in tears. I saw my GP who prescribed steroids an a pain killer. They took me off the warafin and put me back on lovenox which I currently have a month supply for.

In urgent care they wanted me to follow-up with my GP but in my follow up after my hospital stay she seemed to pay little attention to the DVT and PE and more focused on my diabetes which is being managed successfully. In reading this blog I realize I should contact the doctor about the tingling and mild numbness in my left foot. I wanted to wait to see if the lovenox would help with that like it has with the swelling and subsequently the pain.

Hi Nia! Thank you so much for being here and for sharing your story. First, I am so glad you are here after that storm and you made it home. I understand your frustrations completely and I think you sum up what a lot of people here felt and still do!

Let me assure you, you are most definitely not alone. I think you are right in deciding to be more persistent with your medical staff and let them know about your foot as well as what you are still experiencing. At the time, I was devastated and did not know what I was going to do, but looking back, it was the only way I was ever going to heal.

I also think it depends on what you do and how flexible your employer can be with your work. Do you have the ability to apply for short-term leave?

That is what someone else suggest here once. I could not, but others have. I will be thinking of you in this respect, I know how you feel and I understand your concern because it happened to me! Employers do not understand this and even if they do, it is a complicated and scary situation to be in. I think going with a hematologist is also a good route so maybe he or she can find the root reason of your clots — like if you were to have a clotting disorder, which might explain the clots.

Definitely see a hematologist. I hope they get in touch with you or you can get in touch with them. I do know recovery and the pain gets better with time, but it is a long road, yes.

I am a year-old female that had just started taking Ortho-Tricyclen Lo birth control pills that I got from a free clinic. I have never had a sip of alcohol or ever smoked, no drugs, and have pretty much been healthy as a horse my whole life besides my allergies in spring-time and asthma when I was younger.

On April 3rd, I felt a little tightness in my chest, like it was hard to get a full, deep breathe of air. It was a little painful, but it lasted for maybe 2 hours and then went away, so I thought nothing of it.

The next day, I felt fine, but then my symptoms returned, and got even worse. So after a bit of discussing with my father, we went to the ER. They did the EKG once again, normal , a blood test and it came back positive, so they issued me a CT-scan. Sure enough, they found two small blood clots, one in each lung. I was prescribed Lovenox injections and Warfarin, and stopped the Lovenox on the 11th once my INR was in the range.

I got so worried about it that I actually went back to the ER and got checked just in case, but they said that I was alright and that it was all a part of the recovery process….

Is there any saying when my breathing will be back to normal? Or at least where the shortness of breathe gets better? Also forgot to say that I had only been taking the birth control pills for 19 days when all of this happened, and that my doctor s said that because of my good health practically perfect vitals every time they checked on me, whether it was my blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, oxygen saturation, and anything else , and because it was so soon after those pills, my PE was most likely due to my BCP.

It was advised, and as a huge and major DUH that I have discontinued taking the pills. Just as another note, I started off on 5mg of Warfarin. My primary care doctor bumped my dosage to 7. I am so glad you are here and sharing your story with all of us. What you are feeling right now is very normal, I assure you and I know exactly how you are feeling right about now. It is a hard and lonely place to be in, but I assure you, you are not alone because we have been there too! I was very much afraid to be alone after me PE and after I was discharged from the hospital and you are right, it does mess with your head.

I became afraid that something would happen to me while my husband was at work and no one would be able to help me because I could not get to the phone in time.

I spent the days and nights awake, worrying, in the beginning so you are not alone in that. This is a very traumatic experience — that many, sadly, do not survive — and that really does mess with your head. From what I know, the shortness of breath and pain you are feeling now is all still very normal. From there, things did get better little by little.

Or, I could walk up the stairs a little easier or take a shower without getting out of breath. As I look back on those days from where I am now almost two years out it is amazing how much better I feel now. The progress is slow in many cases, but it does happen. Being young and it otherwise good health, I think it will also help you. Did they also check you for clotting disorders?

I only ask because I was on birth control and they originally blamed my clot on that. I was I am 31 now. A hematologist that was called in found I actually had a clotting disorder as well, which combined with the birth control, contributed to my clot. Just a though, if you can get further testing do. I am really grateful you shared your story.

There are many younger people here who are going through this. It is so important that people of all ages share their stories. Hello Stephanie Rose, you are definitely not alone in this. When I do feel well I tend to return to normal activity and obviously over do it…then I crash and need lots of sleep to recover.

I found my shortness of breath would return and panic once the exhaustion set in. So my advice is take it slow, baby steps in exercise or even just trying to get out and about in short bursts only. Lots of rest and keep your doctor informed about any changes.

I felt a sudden return of chest pain and exhaustion a few weeks ago and then my shortness of breath returned along with heart palpitations. I was referred to a respiratory specialist-thinking I had some lung damage….

My Iron dropped to 13 normal range being 50, and my hemoglobin dropped to , normal My GP said the patients usually become symptomatic around the h mark, which explained all my symptoms. Is anyone taking it? Only downside is, that there is no reversal drug like there is for Warfrin. Stephanie I wish you all the best in your recovery. There will be good days, great days even but it takes time.. My doctor gave me some advice…take each day one at a time.

Listen to your body, do a lot of self positive talk, encouragement and set little goals each day until you feel you can add more and more on your schedule. Rest each day and when you are feeling anxious, have a plan to calm you and distract you. I hope you can find something helpful for yourself. The anxiousness settles especially when you begin to feel better. All the best to you and everyone reading x. I have learned the baby steps thing all too well today, unfortunately.

My mind said that I could return to school, if not just for a little while until I went back home. Even being out of the house and around other people was just so mentally and physically draining. Doctor said Advil, someone on another forum said Tylenol. I just need to relax at home. Whatever my mind says, I need to listen to my body.

Hi Stephanie Rose. Thanks for stopping back in, and I am sorry to hear your return to school did not go very well. I hope you are feeling better now. I will keep you in my thoughts. You are VERY right about listening to your body. Suzana, you give me hope when you say you felt much better after 3 months.

I was taken to hospital 11 days ago, with bilateral PEs, returned home on day 6. I still feel very tired and low, frustrated that I cannot get on with my life. I drove my car for 2 miles this morning. I managed ok but felt like my brain was too tired.

So I came home for a good cry. Hello just a follow up on things that have helped ease my mind…especially when alone.. Buying an oximetre monitor. It has been good for him to see when my oxygen levels drop. I only used it for a few weeks and honestly it was for mental clarity. I stopped using it now so as not to become fixated on it. It has now been 3 months since my diagnosis.

How lucky am I to be here!! I have had so many tests and still have a few to go — but we may be making progress. I am convinced something is not quite right. I have had various episodes of breathing difficulties and chest pain since , but after visiting or being taken by ambulance to hospital a few times — nothing has been found and it was just put down to a virus. I went to see a spinal surgeon a month ago and the MRI looked good but he referred me to a neurologist who I saw yesterday and he just wants one more MRI to check for any small cysts on my spine!

I am starting to feel much stronger and am back at work full time — but I still have a constant cough and have chest pain and breathing difficulty on exercise — even just walking around a lot — with occasional dizziness. My GP has referred me to a cardiologist and my appt is on 28 April. I have had a echocardiogram 3 days before my PE was diagnosed by VQ scan. My respiratory consultant assured me it was fine BUT he received a letter from my GP this week informing him I have been referred to his colleague — the cardiologist.

He said a pe can cause this and the chest pain etc may be because of this — but also this could possibly have caused the pe. I am interested to see what the cardiologist says now.

If all is okay — I will have to accept that all of my smptoms are post PE and will improve in time. The recovery is ongoing and I know still early days but soooo frustrating — I am impatient and just want to get back to normal!!!

Hi Nicola! It is great to hear from you and thank you for sharing all of this with us. You raise some very interesting aspects and effects of a PE that I was not aware of nor had I considered before you brought them up. I am also interested in what the cardiologist had to say about the hole in your being a result of or the cause of the PE. If you get a chance, do drop back in and let us know. I am glad to hear you are back to work full-time and starting to feel better. I think the parts of recovery you describe about still feeling pains and shortness of breath after exercise are all a normal part of recovery.

At least it was for me and several others here. Thank you for also sharing how you have become an advocate for your health by continuing to search for answers.

That is so important because sometimes we are the only advocate for ourselves. About to start week 5 tomorrow. I have had a little bit of a relapse in my recovery: we have had terrible weather lately high winds and hot temperatures that have aggravated my allergies to no end.

I woke up with the initial allergy symptoms on Thursday, but also had another INR check that morning. Turns out that after two weeks since my last checkup, my INR dropped from a 2. Not going to do a two week break again for a while until I know I am stabilized. I go back in on Wednesday for my next checkup, so hopefully it has gone back up with my double dosage. Well I went back this morning and it only went up to 1.

So he bumped up my dosage yet again to 7. I can relate to you! I had a very hard time stabilizing my INR on warfarin. I was able to after about a year total and taking a doctor-prescribed vitamin K supplement was the one thing that worked for me.

It balanced my system and now I go about weeks between draws. Discussing alternatives to your treatment, including other medications may be something to bring up if you continue to struggle. I will also say it can take a long time to regulate on warfarin and that is a normal thing. Thinking of you!

Stephanie Rose Just read ur post. I also had the problem of my inr dropping. A word of advice I was told if my inr fell below 2 to see doc once a week n just for protection to use Lovenox to keep blood thin so there will not be a new clot. I had my 2nd PE n my inr was not manage right n then months later had another. I feel if I would have known to take to weekly reads n Lovenox until back in target rage I would have been protected from my recent one. Hi Stephanie Rose!

Thanks for letting us know how you are. I went back to work full-time about a month post-PE and I could not do it. I think what you are experiencing is very normal and it does get better with time, although it does not feel like it and it seems like it does take forever.

I hope your check-up went well. As you know, diet, stress and hydration can change it too. I am thinking of you and hoping you continue on the path to recovery and start to feel better very soon. Hang in there, we are right there with you! Thanks for the kind words, it helps a little bit. I was just at the doctor and told her I just had problems breathing and I was so tired. I thought It was from my fibro. Come to find out I have two blood clots in my leg and 10 in my lungs!

All from hurting my back in may. Bulged disk and injured my psiatic nerve. Got two iepidural injections 2 weeks after. My leg started hurting really bad and just could not breathe.

I have no history in my family of clots. They are running blood tests to see whats going on. I just feel like I am never going to get better. I just feel useless. Hi Rhonda and welcome! Ten blood clots in your lungs?! I am so glad you got help and are here to talk about it. How scary! Please do not for one second think you are useless.

You are not and that is why we have this community here — because you are also not alone! Recovery is long, yes, but it is also different for everyone and while I may take two years to recover, you may take less or someone else may take more. You are also recovering from an injury at this point, which changes the dynamic. You may find once you heal from that, you also recover at a quicker speed from the PE. It all depends. Please do not give up. This is a guideline because so many people are not told what to expect and do not think it will take long.

It can, it may. It is something to be aware of. I am wishing you well and also that you find answers, which may help your feelings of uselessness. Take care and keep in touch!

Hi Sara, when you say it could take two years to get better, surely you mean getting back to the fitness pre PEs? Hello Rhonda.

You are definitely not alone and definitely not useless!! You must listen to your body and rest. I had my bilateral PE in January and began recovering fairly well around March. I began to walk without much pain or breathlessness. What I have found though, is thst any respiratory illness does knock you about much more and takes longer to recover from. Last yests showed that all looked great internally.

My specialist ENT said that the anxiety or hypersensitivity is temporary and as you regain fitness and the lungs have had adaquate time to heal, that you should feel much much better.

I wish you a smooth recovery. Stephanie Rose, regarding your post about the sensation of not being able to breathe properly and feeling like your throat is swollen…I thought I may mention the following. I firstly had chest xray, blood tests, thyroid and throat ultrasound, anacid medication, antibiotics and after all came back clear…was referred to a respiratory specialist and then an ENT.

The radiologist who has done all my VQ scans in hospital said that there are no side affects. The GP said there may be a side affect to the contrast dye. The ENT finally confirmed my thought. About a week after each VQ scan test I began to feel a swelling, tighness in the chest and anxiety coming on. It would go on and off for weeks. He confirmed that I was having a mild allergic reaction to the contrast dye.

I almost passed out from anxiety when he performed a test with the camera going down my nose and throat using a local anesthetic spray. That feeling tripled. To my surprise, I saw on the screen that my airways were open, clear and healthy.

He said that some patients have an instant severe reaction but it is very rare. The theory is that because the symptoms are the same as having a PE, it is difficult to distinguish the difference betwen the two causes. I hope you are feeling much better these days! Question for everyone living outside of Australia…is anyone taking the new Rivaroxaban drug Xarelto? Alcohol and anti inflammatories do affect it though. Just curious about the different medications. This is so good to hear these things.

I am actually released in to hear these stories. My story started out on June 10th with a superficial clot in my upper left leg above my knee running towards my thigh that was extremely painful.

So my husband took me to the ER at the advice of our neighbour who is an RN to get answers. An ultrasound found the DVT and the tech asked if I was short or breath and I was but I thought it was anxiety from the pain so they did a CT of the chest with contrast and found the PE in my left lung. I did start the first week with Lorenzo injections and warfarin I was able to go home right away.

But I still feel tired, chest pain, and short of breath alot. My blood pressure is higher lately too. Hello Amy and welcome! We are glad to have you here. Thank you for sharing your story!! Oh my gosh, I cannot believe what you were told at the Urgent Care — how scary!

I am so glad you went to the ER and took your health into your own hands. That is so, so scary that the Urgent Care just assumed it was superficial and did not even send you to the ER for follow-up.

It is also very important to share for others who may be in the same situation — thank you. You are not being a whiner whatsoever. I remember where I was at four weeks into my recovery, and I could not do much of anything, but lay on the couch.

I could not even breathe on my own because I was on oxygen. There are many people here to help and share experiences with so I hope you will not be a stranger. Again, welcome and thank you for sharing your story! Feeling really exhausted, was looking at going back to work in September, feel now this could be some time away. I feel constantly in pain, admittedly not in as much pain as during my week in ICU. I am also so exhausted and feel frightend all the time.

Any little bit of exercise makes my body so out of breath. Can somebody please tell me when my life will feel normal again. This happend to me on the 2nd July Thank you. I know exactly where you are and at 2 months, it was still very, very hard.

Everything hurt and I thought my life would never, ever get any better. I would say I started to see improvement in how I was feeling and normal activities that I was able to do at about 6 months. Keeping in mind everyone is different and we all recover at different rates. It is a long, long process, but you will start to see small improvements that will accumulate and then turn into bigger, more permanent improvements. You are not alone in your feelings.

I remember them and I will never forget. Thinking of you this evening. Keep in touch! Delighted I found this site. I had a bi lateral PE July, The doctors scratch their heads and know nothing.

Even going to see the doctor leaves me exhausted. Sorry about my rant. I am so glad someone else is exhausted, sweaty and has a pounding heart after little exertion. This is frustrating and anxiety inducing. Your GP will understand. Thank you for sharing, Lesley and welcome!

You are right, this is a long process with many twists and turns, ups and downs, good days and bad. Thank you for validating what I know many others here are feeling. Take care and I am wishing you well in your recovery. Hello everyone. I was wondering if I can get some serious input from you guys on here. I have found my recovery to be stagnant at this point in time.

I still suffer from intense pain in my right leg. I do not have any swelling, but I do have color changes and intense pain. My pain level is high enough to keep me awake at night if I do not take prescription pain meds. If I walk more than a half a mile a day, sit in a chair without my legs elevated for more than 4 hours, or simply walk too fast, my leg is in intense pain for two days afterwards.

Also, the left side of my chest is in constant pain. People with APS are at a greater risk for developing Pulmonary Hypertension and other vascular related problems. So, for all of the rest of you guys who do not have this condition, please do not be alarmed by my post.

I also have Factor 2, or Prothrombin Mutation Heterozygous on top of that. I have not been the same since I had these clots. I have not been able to return to work either. I had a fairly sizeable savings account when this happened to me, so I have been living off of that for the past two years. I do have good days where I feel like I can go back to truck driving again, but then the pain sets in and I am freaking out again.

He keeps on arguing with me that damage to the veins of the leg does not cause the type of pain that I have. He says that only damage to the arteries would cause loss of mobility and pain. He also states that the lungs feel no pain and that my lung pain is probably not due to the PE. He will not send me out for any lung tests…but the funny thing about that is he is a Pulmonologist. It seems like even pain management doctors do not understand the pain that Post Thrombotic Syndrome causes.

I was diagnosed with PTS by a vascular surgeon three months ago. I have chronic clots in my leg and my Popliteal vein has hardened, it has what is called ecogenic walls, Post Phlebitic Changes.

The vascular surgeon says that surgery cannot repair the damage. Surgery will not get rid of the pain…he referred me to a pain management doc that dismissed my pain. I have other medical issues: High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, High Cholesterol, Fatty Liver, and possibly other things that they are sending me to a Rheumatologist to get sorted out. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read my story!

Hi Jeremy. Thank you so much for sharing your story with me and all of us here at BCRN. Recovery, as you know, is a long, slow, painful process and I am not a doctor, but it sounds like you are still going through recovery.

Although I am not a doctor, I do not think you are making up your pain or that is is unrelated to what happened to you. Given what you have disclosed about your other medical issues — so me of which I do share with you — it sounds like there is definitely something autoimmune going on within your body. My doctor, who is a hematologist specializing in APS, feels that a lot of my pain is not necessarily due to the residual clot, but it actually an autoimmune component. In some way, my body is attacking itself and maybe even causing me pain, problems and discomfort.

I understand and I believe you and what you are going through. I was in the hospital for 4 days, the first week after discharge, I could only last min of doing anything before I needed to sit down and catch my breath.

Thankfully I had a lot of help from friends and family the first couple weeks. This whole experience has been quite difficult…. Hi Jackie. Thank you for sharing your story and welcome to BCRN! I really appreciate all you have shared with us because you never know when you story may help someone else going through a similar situation, as you know. I am so sorry to hear about the passing of your mother, and I am also really glad you went to get help when you did, knowing her history.

I am grateful you are still here. You are not alone in what you describe during your recovery. I could not do anything for several months after I was discharged form the hospital. Little by little, though, it did get better. I am wishing you the best in your recovery and your eventual return to work.

Thank you for what you do and will do everyday as a nurse to take care of others in their time of need. Take care! I am a recurrent DVT patient for more then 7 years. But aleast after giving birth of beautiful twin boys I did rest from that pain for about 4 and now it started 2 back. I was on treatment with wafferen tablets and clexine ml injection, strict bedrest for a month in September I got sockings but they are very tied to wear it everyday.

I found your blog this morning while searching for information about how long I needed to stay on Xarelto after a PE. I suffered from on the 4th of July this year after hosting a family get together.

I tried to ignore the symptoms because I had so much to do that day. Finally, after the fireworks, I admitted to myself the chest pain I had may need to be looked at. It felt like Pleurisy and I was also on an antibiotic that I thought may have upset my stomach too. I was post op and recovering from minor foot surgery a week prior to the PE.

My doctor poo poos any information on the internet but it saved my life. I have to stand most of the day in surgery and most days and I feel totally exhausted when I get home. A couple of days this week I came home and laid on the couch most of the evening. I usually work 10 hour days but yesterday I was there 12 hours. I joined a gym thinking I would feel better if I exercised and it helps a little. I had a small clot on my left lung and was released from the hospital after 2 days. That made me think I should bounce back sooner and it did in some ways.

My heart goes out to those of you who had saddle embolisms or more than one. I want to be off of this medication so bad! I believe it has saved my life but the side effects are no picnic. I may look into going to shorter days now that I see there may be a physical reason to ask for it. I think everyone looks at me and expects me to return to normal faster than I actually can at work.

I also read that some of you had issues with your thyroid after a nuclear scan. My doctor put me on Synthroid a few weeks ago after my blood work came back indicating low T4 levels. Anyway, thanks so much for sharing… Jennifer. Hello Jennifer and welcome! Thank you so much for being here and for sharing your story with us.

I am so glad you sought help when you did — and glad you are here to talk about it! Other, newer blood-thinning medications are also available. In situations when a PE has become life threatening, clot-busting medications called thrombolytics may be given prior to blood-thinning medications. These strong medications work to dissolve blood clots. Some people, including those at a higher risk for another serious blood clot, may need to continue taking it for a longer period of time.

These can begin anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months after your PE. During these appointments, your doctor will evaluate how your recovery is progressing. Blood tests are used to help your doctor gauge how well your medications are working and how well your body is tolerating them.

Three months after your PE diagnosis, your doctor will consider whether you need to continue on with blood-thinning medications. These can include things like:. During this time, listen to what your body is telling you.

If a certain activity leaves you feeling short of breath or in pain, stop doing it and rest until you feel better. In some cases, it may be possible to return to work within weeks. Physical activity is often encouraged after a PE, as it can improve both circulation and lung function.

It may be a good idea to start out with low-intensity activities, such as walking or yoga. As you recover, you can slowly begin increasing the intensity of your activities. During your follow-up appointments, ask your doctor for exercise recommendations. Based on the progression of your recovery, they can help give you an idea of what level of physical activity is appropriate.

There are a couple of reasons for this. First, your body needs time to heal and recover. Take some time every couple of hours to get up and walk around for a few minutes. Here are some potentially serious complications that are important to keep an eye out for as you recover from a PE.

Increased bleeding is a side effect of blood-thinning medications. This can be serious, so seek medical attention right away if you notice any of the following while on blood thinners:. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, nearly 1 in 3 people who have a venous blood clot, like deep vein thrombosis DVT or PE, will experience another in the next 10 years.

In some people who have had a PE, scar tissue can form in nearby arteries, causing them to become narrower. This can lead to a condition called pulmonary hypertension. The American Lung Association recommends making an appointment with your doctor to be tested for pulmonary hypertension if you still have trouble with breathing 6 months after your PE.

If not, PE can become life threatening.