Pulmonary Emboli or blood clots in the lung...?

Question

I had 9 pulmonary emboli in my right lung almost a year ago. I took coumadin (blood thinners) for six months. How long do they take to break down and dissolve?

Answer 1

Hey Anneboz,

I too suffered massive clots in 2004 at the age of 22. I was told that they would never dissolve, but that they would be kept from getting bigger with the Heparin and then the Coumadin.

I had a lung scan last year because of difficulty breathing, and there they were on the screen...my big clots!

Why did you get clots? I got mine because we discovered I had a hypercoagable blood disorder called Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome. Another thing that may cause clots is use of Birth Control, sedentary life, illness, or surgery.

If you have a blood disorder, they SHOULD NOT have taken you off Coumadin! I got a second PE just three months after my first, and that was on high dose Coumadin.

Oh, I also wanted to mention that my clots caused permanent lung damage. Be careful, and NEVER be afraid to take a trip to the ER if you have symptoms of a DVT, or have trouble breathing.

Take care, and God Bless,
Chris

P.S. A good website about clots is at the bottom. Look on the left of the screen, and click on pulmonary embolism.

Answer 2

the time they take to break down and dissolve depends on each particular case but it usually take a little more than six months