Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsThe Road to RecoveryPreventing Future ProblemsOther SupportFrequently Asked QuestionsNext in Pulmonary Embolism GuideHow Long Before a Pulmonary Embolism Turns Fatal
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
The Road to Recovery
Preventing Future Problems
Other Support
Frequently Asked Questions
Next in Pulmonary Embolism Guide
If you have been diagnosed with apulmonary embolism, you have already been through quite a lot. You have likely experienced some disturbing (possibly life-threatening) symptoms; you have probably been rushed throughdiagnostic testing; and, once the diagnosis was made, you were probably immediatelyplaced on therapy.
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Now that your condition has been stabilized, it is time for you take stock of what has happened, why it might have happened, what you can do to help yourself recover fully, and what you should do to prevent a recurrent pulmonary embolism.
Recovering from pulmonary embolism will take some work, both on your healthcare provider’s part and on yours.
The First Few Days
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.
People in the hospital with pulmonary embolism are almost always givenanticoagulant 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 excessivedyspnea(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.
After the Acute Illness
Laura Porter / Verywell
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 therapyor prescription compression stockings to help preventdeep 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 adiagnosis 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 theserisk factorsis an important part of preventing another embolism. Diseases and conditions that can increase your risk include:Blood disorders that affect clottingCertain cancersCOVID-19Heart diseasePrevious surgeryProlonged immobility, such as bed rest
Having certain conditions can make you more likely to develop pulmonary embolism. Managing theserisk factorsis an important part of preventing another embolism. Diseases and conditions that can increase your risk include:
Some ofthese risk factorsrequire 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 can 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. Two of the better known are Clotcare and Stop the Clot.
Frequently Asked QuestionsYour recovery will come in stages. Once you start anticoagulants, whichprevent 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. Up to 4% of those who suffer a pulmonary embolism have long-term damage to the lungs, which requires ongoing treatment.Depending on your career, you may be able to return to work within a few weeks. However, if you are prescribedblood 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.
Your recovery will come in stages. Once you start anticoagulants, whichprevent 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. Up to 4% of those who suffer a pulmonary embolism have long-term damage to the lungs, which requires ongoing treatment.
Depending on your career, you may be able to return to work within a few weeks. However, if you are prescribedblood 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.
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Ortel TL, Neumann I, Ageno W, et al.American Society of Hematology 2020 guidelines for management of venous thromboembolism: treatment of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.Blood Adv. 2020 Oct 13;4(19):4693-4738. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2020001830.National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.Venous thromboembolismCleveland Clinic.Pulmonary embolism: Who is at risk.MedlinePlus.Pulmonary embolism.ClotCare.ClotCare online resourceNational Blood Clot Alliance.Stop the clotWaldron B, Moll S.A patient’s guide to recovery after deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism.Circulation. 2014;129(17). doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.113.006285Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.Blood thinner pills: Your guide to using them safely.Additional ReadingJiménez D, de Miguel-Díez J, Guijarro R, et al. Trends in the management and outcomes of acute pulmonary embolism: Analysis from the RIETE registry.J Am Coll Cardiol2016; 67:162. DOI:10.1016/j.jacc.2015.10.060Kearon C, Akl EA, Comerota AJ, et al. Antithrombotic therapy for VTE disease: Antithrombotic therapy and prevention of thrombosis, 9th ed: American College of Chest Physicians evidence-based clinical practice guidelines.Chest2012; 141:e419S. DOI:10.1378/chest.11-2301Stein PD, Matta F, Hughes PG, et al. Home treatment of pulmonary embolism in the era of novel oral anticoagulants.Am J Med2016; 129:974. DOI:10.1016/j.amjmed.2016.03.035
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Ortel TL, Neumann I, Ageno W, et al.American Society of Hematology 2020 guidelines for management of venous thromboembolism: treatment of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.Blood Adv. 2020 Oct 13;4(19):4693-4738. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2020001830.National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.Venous thromboembolismCleveland Clinic.Pulmonary embolism: Who is at risk.MedlinePlus.Pulmonary embolism.ClotCare.ClotCare online resourceNational Blood Clot Alliance.Stop the clotWaldron B, Moll S.A patient’s guide to recovery after deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism.Circulation. 2014;129(17). doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.113.006285Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.Blood thinner pills: Your guide to using them safely.Additional ReadingJiménez D, de Miguel-Díez J, Guijarro R, et al. Trends in the management and outcomes of acute pulmonary embolism: Analysis from the RIETE registry.J Am Coll Cardiol2016; 67:162. DOI:10.1016/j.jacc.2015.10.060Kearon C, Akl EA, Comerota AJ, et al. Antithrombotic therapy for VTE disease: Antithrombotic therapy and prevention of thrombosis, 9th ed: American College of Chest Physicians evidence-based clinical practice guidelines.Chest2012; 141:e419S. DOI:10.1378/chest.11-2301Stein PD, Matta F, Hughes PG, et al. Home treatment of pulmonary embolism in the era of novel oral anticoagulants.Am J Med2016; 129:974. DOI:10.1016/j.amjmed.2016.03.035
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Ortel TL, Neumann I, Ageno W, et al.American Society of Hematology 2020 guidelines for management of venous thromboembolism: treatment of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.Blood Adv. 2020 Oct 13;4(19):4693-4738. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2020001830.National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.Venous thromboembolismCleveland Clinic.Pulmonary embolism: Who is at risk.MedlinePlus.Pulmonary embolism.ClotCare.ClotCare online resourceNational Blood Clot Alliance.Stop the clotWaldron B, Moll S.A patient’s guide to recovery after deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism.Circulation. 2014;129(17). doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.113.006285Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.Blood thinner pills: Your guide to using them safely.
Ortel TL, Neumann I, Ageno W, et al.American Society of Hematology 2020 guidelines for management of venous thromboembolism: treatment of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.Blood Adv. 2020 Oct 13;4(19):4693-4738. doi: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2020001830.
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.Venous thromboembolism
Cleveland Clinic.Pulmonary embolism: Who is at risk.
MedlinePlus.Pulmonary embolism.
ClotCare.ClotCare online resource
National Blood Clot Alliance.Stop the clot
Waldron B, Moll S.A patient’s guide to recovery after deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism.Circulation. 2014;129(17). doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.113.006285
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.Blood thinner pills: Your guide to using them safely.
Jiménez D, de Miguel-Díez J, Guijarro R, et al. Trends in the management and outcomes of acute pulmonary embolism: Analysis from the RIETE registry.J Am Coll Cardiol2016; 67:162. DOI:10.1016/j.jacc.2015.10.060Kearon C, Akl EA, Comerota AJ, et al. Antithrombotic therapy for VTE disease: Antithrombotic therapy and prevention of thrombosis, 9th ed: American College of Chest Physicians evidence-based clinical practice guidelines.Chest2012; 141:e419S. DOI:10.1378/chest.11-2301Stein PD, Matta F, Hughes PG, et al. Home treatment of pulmonary embolism in the era of novel oral anticoagulants.Am J Med2016; 129:974. DOI:10.1016/j.amjmed.2016.03.035
Jiménez D, de Miguel-Díez J, Guijarro R, et al. Trends in the management and outcomes of acute pulmonary embolism: Analysis from the RIETE registry.J Am Coll Cardiol2016; 67:162. DOI:10.1016/j.jacc.2015.10.060
Kearon C, Akl EA, Comerota AJ, et al. Antithrombotic therapy for VTE disease: Antithrombotic therapy and prevention of thrombosis, 9th ed: American College of Chest Physicians evidence-based clinical practice guidelines.Chest2012; 141:e419S. DOI:10.1378/chest.11-2301
Stein PD, Matta F, Hughes PG, et al. Home treatment of pulmonary embolism in the era of novel oral anticoagulants.Am J Med2016; 129:974. DOI:10.1016/j.amjmed.2016.03.035
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