Mum in hospital with pulmonary embolism- any good news stories to ease my worry?? :-)

[MyRedSwan]

First time poster, mum (74) is in ICU with pulmonary embolism. Out of my mind worried. Has anyone had similar and been okay? They are starting on blood thinners and seeing how she goes. Petrified of losing her. She was fit and well until a couple of months ago when had emergency surgery on her small bowel, and now this :-( Thanks in advance!

Yes, mine had a very large one with a DVT. Blood thinners for life, and a period of taking it easy. It took a couple of months to be better, but she never got back to how she was before. Luckily she accepted a cleaner and chiropodist, having been independent before.
Unfortunately she died of something unrelated a year later.

Thank you. So sorry about your mum

When my dad was in his late 70's and very frail with an assortment of health conditions he had a PE with a massive DVT. He came through it and lived for years afterwards. Being on blood thinners was a pain especially in the early stages when he had to go back and forth to the hospital clinic, but it was very efficiently managed in the community for him even through the ups and downs of dosage due to his many other issues.

I don’t have experience of it in later life but how recently was the surgery? Abdominal surgery is a risk factor (for a couple of weeks after). I had one in my late 30s, post c-section. 6 months of treatment (warfarin) and I’m fine 10 years on. It was a weird year, and I did feel quite unwell for some of it, but I can’t say it has had much if any ongoing effect.

I had a PE (and DVT) about 13 years ago. I was ‘only’ 50, so a bit of a shock.

Anyway, I’m still here, alive and kicking. The hospital were very good, and I only needed oxygen for a couple of days and blood thinners for 6 months, fortunately. There were lots of scans, I remember. I was actually back at work FT within a couple of months.

All best wishes to you and your mother

Thanks all. I managed to see her today and she was teary and scared but the blood thinners seemed to be having some impact so far. Its terrifying just waiting to see how she does, but hoping every minute and hour that passes safely is a good thing.

Thanks again

My DF has had 3 and lives to tell the tale!

My sister had several last year - late 60s - on blood thinners for life, but otherwise fine now

Dm has had two, one in her twenties another in her sixties, she is late 70s now. It's bad it's serious, but plenty of people recover.
Try not to worry too much.

My mum was 73 and admitted to hospital with suspected Covid because she was struggling to breathe back in 2020. None of us could see her and it was right at the start of the pandemic so none of us knew what was ahead. She was in the area of ICU reserved for Covid patients and we had to wait for news once daily because they were so busy and my father forgot to take her charger for her phone. Finally after almost a week - she didn’t have Covid, she had a cluster of pulmonary embolisms - no one knew how or why. She managed not to get Covid - on a Covid ward! - and came home about six days later. She was on blood thinners for some time to come. She’s 78 this year and as strong as an ox, had a new hip last year and was home in two days. She’ll outlast us all. And obviously none of us have forgiven her for getting a condition with Covid-like symptoms when the virus was at its deadliest! As my dad says: “Silly bloody woman got bloody blood clots at the worst possible time!!” (We use humour to deal with fear in my family). Wishing your mother all the best, she is in the right place, getting the treatment she needs and there is light at the end of the tunnel. Sending love. ❤️

Thank you everyone. And so sorry you've experienced this too. Its such a jarring mix of very serious and treatable, which feels disconcerting.
Trying to stay strong and not worry too much. Just have to have faith the blood thinners and time do their job :-)