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.
I had massive bilateral PEs in September with, as yet, no known cause. I still have a few tests to go through to rule out cancer, but am confident that I do not have cancer.
I am a little confused as the internist at the hospital said I was likely to be a lifer on Coumadin, but my GP seems to think that 6 months to a year would be enough. The research I've done is as confusing, where some specialists recommend life-long treatment for idiopathic PEs while others think that one clotting incident is not enough to warrant prolonged treatments.
Any thoughts on this?
I am a little confused as the internist at the hospital said I was likely to be a lifer on Coumadin, but my GP seems to think that 6 months to a year would be enough. The research I've done is as confusing, where some specialists recommend life-long treatment for idiopathic PEs while others think that one clotting incident is not enough to warrant prolonged treatments.
Any thoughts on this?
From talking with all of my doctors being on Coumadin depends on the patient. For me, I've been told I will be on it for 9 months. Of course, this will be furthered dependent on the tests that I will be going through in the next few months. I did have a blood test in the hospital to determine if there was any genetic reason I got the clots. This test will be repeated in April.
I'm thankful to God for helping me through this......I am thankful that I am o.k. It is scary to go through it and then dealing with recovery. I feel that whatever I have to do to recover, I will do it. Take care. God Bless.