Most people can walk and do light housework right away after a pulmonary embolism, but you may get tired easily or feel short of breath. Your doctor probably will give you specific exercises to do for several weeks or months to help boost your strength and breathing.
You should not exercise until you have been seen by a medical doctor,” Schuster warns. Once the blood clot has cleared and you've received clearance from a healthcare professional, then you can gradually start to increase your physical activity.
After a PE, it's important to try to go about your daily activities when possible. During this time, listen to what your body is telling you. If a certain activity leaves you feeling short of breath or in pain, stop doing it and rest until you feel better.
For most people, walking or taking care of some housework are fine right after you find out you have DVT. It's also OK right after a pulmonary embolism. Your doctor may prescribe a blood thinner -- they may call it an anticoagulant -- and compression stockings. Those help blood flow in your legs.
Blood thinners are often prescribed for the first few months after a pulmonary embolism, and it's generally considered safe to exercise while on this medication. However, a healthcare professional may suggest you avoid vigorous activity or contact sports due to risk of bleeding.
This included a lack of risk factors for PE as well as the nature and onset of the pain, which was preceded by a recent productive cough and described as tightness worse when lying flat and better when sitting up and leaning forwards.
Conclusions: Early walking exercise is safe in patients with acute DVT and may help to reduce acute symptoms. Exercise training does not increase leg symptoms acutely in patients with a previous DVT and may help to prevent or improve the postthrombotic syndrome.
Risk factors for pulmonary embolism include: Genetic conditions that increase the risk of blood clot formation. Family history of blood clotting disorders. Surgery or injury (especially to the legs) or orthopedic surgery.
The recovery time for a blood clot in the lungs, or pulmonary embolism, can vary. People may need to stay in the hospital and take medications to prevent further clots for 3 months or more.
Pulmonary embolism chest pain
You may experience pain that especially gets worse when you breathe, cough, or move. Pain does not decrease with rest and only worsens with activity. There is no stretching or massaging the pain away.
For years, if you had a DVT, your doctor would order bed rest. This was thought to lower the risk of a clot traveling through your bloodstream to your lungs. But recent research suggests that bed rest doesn't help people with DVT and that it may be fine for you to get up and move around.
Seek emergency care if you experience: Cough that produces bloody sputum. A fast heartbeat. Lightheadedness.
Main symptoms of a pulmonary embolism include chest pain that may be any of the following: Under the breastbone or on one side. Sharp or stabbing. Burning, aching, or a dull, heavy sensation.
Chest pain.
You may feel like you're having a heart attack. The pain is often sharp and felt when you breathe in deeply. The pain can stop you from being able to take a deep breath. You also may feel it when you cough, bend or lean over.
Symptoms from a pulmonary embolism, like shortness of breath or mild pain or pressure in your chest, can linger 6 weeks or more.
Blood thinners.
These blood-thinning medicines called anticoagulants prevent existing clots from getting bigger and new clots from forming while your body works to break up the clots. Heparin is a frequently used anticoagulant that can be given through a vein or injected under the skin.
If you have PE, your blood oxygen level will be lower than normal. A pulse oximeter ddevice is usually clipped onto your finger and measures the blood oxygen saturation level using red and infrared light through the tissue in your finger. A blood oxygen saturation level less than 90 percent is abnormal.
Up to one-third of patients with a pulmonary embolism (PE) will die of cardiac arrest before the dangerous clot is identified in a hospital or emergency department. A big reason for the high mortality rate is that the symptoms of PE are typically non-specific until it progresses to an emergency situation.
DON'T stand or sit in one spot for a long time. DON'T wear clothing that restricts blood flow in your legs. DON'T smoke. DON'T participate in contact sports when taking blood thinners because you're at risk of bleeding from trauma.
Women who are pregnant or taking birth control, elderly people, and people who smoke are at especially high risk, says Dr. Tonnessen. “Not exercising or moving around on occasion can lead to a more extensive blood clot.”
You may notice the pain is worse when you are walking or standing for periods of time. People sometimes mistake the pain for a pulled muscle or another muscle injury. But pain from a DVT blood clot will tend to get worse and not better with time or rest. Pain is another warning sign of a DVT blood clot.
The Good News: It's Easy to Lower Your DVT and PE Risk
But you can also help lower your risk by taking one step: Hydrate! Getting more fluids thins your blood and strengthens the muscles that support your veins. What's the best way to hydrate? Drinking more water.
In most cases, the hope is your body will eventually dissolve the clot on its own. If it doesn't, more drastic measures may need to be taken. Clot dissolvers called thrombolytics are a medication reserved for life-threatening situations because they can cause sudden and severe bleeding.
Half the people who have pulmonary embolism have no symptoms. If you do have symptoms, they can include shortness of breath, chest pain or coughing up blood. Symptoms of a blood clot include warmth, swelling, pain, tenderness and redness of the leg.