Many patients with DVT wear these types of stockings for months or years after a clot in their leg. If they feel good to you when you wear them, I would imagine it would be fine to wear them more often. It may depend on whether you had/have a DVT as well as the PEs.

For me, I had lower blood pressure after my PEs (this is uncommon, more people get high BP) and the stockings helped keep my blood moving and helped me feel better.

The cruise sounds great, but definitely take it as easy as you can. Pushing yourself too hard in these early recovery days can backfire and you'll wind up more exhausted than you were. Try to get as much rest as you can ... at least with a cruise you'll be close to family and you might be able to get a little babying and still enjoy yourself. You might consider avoiding any really strenuous shore excursions ... now is definitely the time to take it easy, although I think you can do that and still have a fantastic trip.

Thanks for your input. It was assumed that my PE resulted from DVT, but never tested, since I had recently returned from a 3 day car trip. My attack came after a massage, pedicure with deep tissue massage, and Zumba class, in which I thought I had a "stitch" in my side. How many of these things contributed? My BP was also extremely low in the hospital. I was very dehydrated, and they needed to bring in a rapid infuser to get fluids in faster. My continued low BP was a concern and one of the reasons they would not release me from the hospital. What do you think the cause would be?

Sounds like a perfect storm of possible causes. Car trip and dehydration might have caused a clot, while the massage might have broken it off and sent it to your lungs. It's hard to say what *exactly* caused your clot, but it sounds like you had several possible causes that might just have combined to create a clot.

Not all of us find out why we clotted. I've clotted three times and still don't know exactly why I clot. You, at least, have some clear causes, so you can avoid those problems in the future.

I don't know if the anti-embolism stockings would help with just being up and walking around. They keep blood from pooling in your legs and clotting. If you already have a clot in your leg, they help keep blood moving, instead of getting stuck behind it (causing swelling).

Really, it just boils down to whether the stockings feel good for you... they might and they might not. You'll just have to try it out.

Thanks, TossNTurn! This is a great forum of information for a very scary time. It's wonderful to have this group and know I'm not alone.

I must say that in my experience, I highly recommend using the stockings daily. I got the knee high type with the open toe, and I began to feel better almost immediately after wearing them. My situation is a little different than yours, as I was first diagnosed with DVT before finding out about the PE. They never have figured out what caused it, but I suspect that like you it had a lot to do with dehydration and too much sitting.

By the way, love your dog in the photo. We currently have a bichon and he looks almost identical to your furry friend.