All my doctors said 6 months to a year on coumadin, that's how long it takes to re-absorb the clots into the body. It took my dad 9 months for his to be absorbed.

Thank you, no one ever talked about reabsorbing.

I'm trying to figure out what Heparin, Lovenox, and Coumadin actually do. My doc told me none are clot busters, but that each will keep me from developing what I understand to be "new" clots.

That's news to me that my body still has clot absorbing to do, I thought the Coumadin was only to keep from getting fresh ones, but evidently mine were not completely "absorbed," and so were the basis for regrowing the previous clots. Is that your understanding?

Blood thinners simply allow your blood to move around the clots while your body heals, and the clots are absorbed/dissolved. And yes, generally speaking, you're protected from forming new clots while on them. Clot busters on the other hand, do just that... break up the clot almost immediately. My PE's were massive enough that that is what I required, but it's a risky treatment and typically reserved as a life saving measure. Within two weeks of diagnosis, all my clots were gone except one tiny one that they feel broke off from the original and moved to a different part of one lung. This was all in March of this year. My last CT in July was totally clear. I am still on coumadin until at least this coming February when I will go off for more testing.

My question is though, you said you CT was clear in April. So, are they sure these aren't new clots? Could the scan have been mis-read maybe?

From what I've been told, the coumadin/warfarin doesn't actually thin the blood, it is an anti-coagulant. The numbers they give during an INR are how long it takes for your blood to clot. If you have several small clots, they can cluster together and cause even more problems, hence the anti clotting agent. Good luck, I wish you the best. :)

The way it was explained to me was that all of the medications you mentioned prevent your blood from forming new clots, or adhering to the old ones. They're called blood thinners, but as Geier noted, they don't really "thin" the blood, they prevent it from clotting. I was also told that this allows your body to mobilize it's natural response system to blood clots to either break them down (dissolve them) or seal them off. It takes a long time for your body to heal, because it involves not only breaking down or sealing off the clots, but also sometimes growing new blood vessels to go around the affected areas. You can grow new tissue in your lungs (it's epithelium, like your skin, and can essentially renew its self to a certain extent). But it needs time, lots of it, to heal. The standard line right now is to keep patients on an anticoagulant for at least 6 months, regardless.

Hope that helps!
KS

Yes I did, I did 6 months of coumadine, had symptoms that had be taken to the hospital. I had chrondronitis(inflammation of the chest and rib area, and lung). Had CT scan original clots gone they said. My internist and I felt confidant I could go off the coumadin. About a week and a half later more symptoms this time with pain upon breathing and stabbing pain in the ribs, back to the hospital , blood test revealed the enzyme that indicated a clot off to the CT scan bam, guess what lady they said you blew another clot , you have one in your right lung your being admitted again, another 3 day6s in the hospital. Now I've been told I very possibly have a hereditary clotting problem. My mother had blood clots. I've been checked for two of theses, the result were negative, but my internist said there are three others but to test they have to take me off the coumadine, just too dangerous. i to0old her and what would you do if one is positive, well nothing. So I refuse to go off it for nothing. I have to take coumadine the rest of my life now, along with cortison because I also have addison';'s disease too. One Dr. said if the clots get bigger or I keep getting them, one day one will l be big enough to instantly kill me. His statement has had me literally on edge now. I've been told by all my Dr.s it's a miracle I'm alive at all. and that was before the second clot. They are working on getting my own machine to test myself at home for my INR and then with a coumadine clinic to adjust accordingly, and do this weekly. Which is comforting to me to know what i stand at. I also put myself on a vitamin designed for PE survivors, made by a PE survivor, it's called Clotamin. I found it inexpensive and does not have vit. k in it and he adjusted it to people who have blood clotting disorders with less Vit. C etc. just a basic but better than nothing I thought. Just started it so will see if it helps my energy level. i find I have been so tired lately. I just can't do what I used to at all. I am 51 and feel 80at times or a lot I should say.I am having hard time accepting this. I know I need to try to change my attitude or something,i don't want to live each day in fear. I'm looking for ways to cope with my anxieties. Hope this helps, how are you coping? I know a lot of others have to take coumadine for the rest of their lives too. I wonder how they cope? Have a good holiday:)

I had symptoms creep back during a trial off the Warfarin, about a year out. I went back on, and shortly thereafter got some less-than-favorable news from the blood lab.

One way or another, after DVT/PE the vessels are not the same. Once cannot walk away from it like walking away from pneumonia. In most cases the clots are never completely gone, but instead leave fibrinous scar material. The thrombo-resistant smooth form and linings become rough and tortuous despite the body's best effort to seal off the damage with endothelium. If there were any predisposing factors, genetic or acquired, those remain in force. Even if following a protocol of Warfarin for 6 months, or 2 years, the risk of a repeat occurrence remains. Given how much easier it has become to monitor INR, it is ever more practical to stay on the treatment as long as needed, including for life.

Compared to some other things that can be years-long or chronic, it is not so bad.

More2be, what you're saying makes sense to me, but I'm wondering where you might have heard that.

I thnk many of us have concerns about reoccurrance, so hearing about how they occur and why is interesting.