Pulmonary Embolism Support Group

By far the most common form of pulmonary embolism is a thromboembolism, which occurs when a blood clot, generally a venous thrombus, becomes dislodged from its site of formation and embolizes to the arterial blood supply of one of the lungs. Symptoms may include difficulty breathing, pain during breathing, and more rarely circulatory instability and death.

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Repeat PE?

Jill1109
Jill1109
OK, I'm sure there has been discussed somewhere and I tried to search for it but gave up.

Have any of you had a repeat PE while therapeutic on your Coumadin? If so what was the treatment you received?

I think I am just having one of those panic periods of time that we all have. It has been 10 months since my diagnosis, I have been on warfarin since (only once was it not therapeutic many months ago). I have not been good about my diet, exercise, and have slipped back into some old bad habits. I have gained about 7 pounds. I am approaching the one year anniversary of the trip that started the chain of events that lead to my PE, so I am 75% sure what I am feeling is just anxiety, but of course my mind goes right to "Oh my God this is happening again"...

Any advice?

Thanks :)
rmb
rmb
It is unusual to clot while therapeutic, and those that do usually have a genetic clotting disorder. They often are then assigned a higher INR range, or they're their put on lovenox or something similar.

If even ONE person here says they had a PE while therapeutic, what is that really going to prove to you? If you really believe it's anxiety, and it sounds like you do, then why not go with the obvious vs turning up stones for some remote possibility?

Look, I'd never tell anyone it's impossible that what you're feeling is not a clot. But only you really know your body . I'm five years out and still occasionally have a moment where I think, hmmm, do I have a PE? It's a very fleeting moment, and I'm able to rationalize it out very quickly. That comes with time and really just working on the anxiety so I am better equipped to handle those moments.
Jean1014
Jean1014
It's been a year and a half for me and I cannot tell you how many times I was convinced I had another clot. And that is while on warfarin! I am almost always in range, if anything I tend to go a little high. There have been days that I was so sure I was going to rushed to the hospital, I would actually make preperations for that. And if I ever told you what those were, you would get a really good laugh. LOL

Anxiety can really get a grip on you, that is for sure. I continue to struggle with it. On those days though that I start to panic, I just keep reminding myself that I am on warfarin. That even if I DID clot, I am already on the treatment for it. I repeat that to myself as many times as I need to until I have calmed down and the rational side takes over again. Really I just tell myself whatever I need to.

I look at it this way too... and who knows if I am accurate or not, but it helps me. While it is rare to clor while on warfarin, if I did, chances are it wouldn't be as massive or life threatening as the original ones. For some reason, that makes total sense to me in my head. :o) If I were to show up at the hospital and they found my INR to be in range, who knows if they would even check for another clot, so as not to have to do another CT. Really, what would be the point?

Sometimes i think it would make me feel better to have all the answers, I think it is in part human nature. But then I realize that sometimes, you need to just try and let go.
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