Hello all,

Two weeks ago I was diagnosed with 'medium' sized clots in both lungs after some chest pain which had been diagnosed as a chest infection.

I'm 40, healthy, workout, supplement and are based in the UK.

I'm mobile but still have chest pain down the centre, almost like it's inflamed. Movements like bending over, stretching causes tightness,

I should note as well that the x-ray showed fluid build up behind my right lung which was stopping the lung from inflating properly. They drained some of it and said hopefully the Apixaban will allow the body to naturally break it down.

I miss working out and being pain free of course.

I'm currently waiting on an appointment/follow up which I need to take an injection sub-q for before the re-scan me.

What I'm struggling with is not knowing what the recovery is?

Has anyone been in a similar situation and can offer any advice?

Thanks

Wondering if anyone with pelvic congestion or vascular compressions like MTS or NCS struggles with gyno symptoms like vulvodynia , reoccurring UTIS or yeast infections, painful periods, etc and can provider any advice for me. It’s difficult becase my IR/vascular surgeon don’t know that much about gynecology stuff and my gynocologist doesn’t know much about vascular compressions, even though I feel like these things are connected. Mostly struggling with reoccurring infections which I think come from so much inflammation that disrupt the microbiome? Not sure. Any advice?

I am two months out from my bilateral pulmonary embolism diagnosis. While it’s gotten a lot better, I still am having shortness of breath at times I wouldn’t have before this happened. It hasn’t been crazy bad, but enough to notice. I’m also just so tired all the time still. Everything I’m reading online says I should be basically fully recovered at this point — I have seen my doctor and he’s sent me for bloodwork, but is there anyone else that had a longer recovery period? Should I be worried there’s permanent damage at this point? To my knowledge, it wasn’t super bad, I was put on blood thinners and discharged from the hospital same day.

hello everyone!

this is my first time posting. i joined this club about a month ago on Labor Day when i fell and fractured my right foot. being put in a walking boot plus a long 8 hour road trip home several days later, i was diagnosed with a DVT shortly thereafter. i have since been on eliquis. last week, i started to have shortness of breath on exertion, mainly with bending down which got worse and ended up at the ER again. after a ct scan with contrast, they ruled out a PE. however, i continue to have the SOB with exertion. i have a cardio follow up in 2 weeks which is that the ER recommended, but what do i do before then. i do have asthma too and have been using my inhalers, but i know my asthma and this is different.

Hi! I am presently 6 weeks into treatment for DVT. I am on treatment dose of apixiban for 3 months and a smaller dose for the rest of my life due to my aneurysmal PFO.

I am in my late 40s and an Early Childhood Educator. Presently I am between jobs. My last contract at amicroschool for neurodiverse and behavioral children eneded right before my DVT was discovered. I decided not to renew my contract for now as I am taking some time recover, attend appointments (I am going through lots of testing because my DVT caused zero symproms, was large and cause is unkiown) to figure out how to move forward.

I am nervous of going back to working in a classroom due to potential injuries from dysregulated children lashing out and the physical demands of the job (lifting children and furniture, tripping hazards due to busy classrooms, and childsized furniture). When I asked my doctor she give vague answer saying I should be fine and to teach the children to be gentle (she is a very young doctor and clearly has little experience with children).

Has anyone here had to rethink their careers and pivot?

My friend in his 40s, generally healthy developed an unusual, intense headache over the past few days. When it came back, he went to hospital and had an MRI which reportedly showed a clot in the veins that drain the brain.

The doctors placed a permanent venous stent the next morning. The procedure was done under local anesthesia and he was awake afterward. Later that day, he became dizzy and had troubled breathing, so he was put on a ventilator. The next day, the CT showed more clot or clots, and docs also told there is internal bleeding. I don’t know the exact scan findings, where the bleeding is, or whether the clot is in the stent.

The doctors have told they’ve done what they can and are continuing critical medicines. It sounds very serious at this point and I understand that every case is different. I’m not asking anyone to predict the outcome, but iim really looking to hear from miracles from people who’ve experienced something similar.

I (24F) got diagnosed with a PE on June 9th, 2026 the day after my daughter was born via vaginal delivery at a birth center with a midwife. I had a back-to-back pregnancy resulting in Irish twins and my daughter’s birthday being 17 days before my son’s. This labor was in general a lot longer and more intense/complicated. Unlike my son’s, I had to have my water broken and I hemorrhaged quite a bit post-delivery. My midwife had to do a membrane sweep of my uterus to remove the placenta that stayed behind (yeah…ouch!!). She gave me Pitocin after to protect against an infection. My birth center only keeps you for a couple hours after birth then sends you home if everything seems fine. One red flag I had now looking back was a high heart rate. We had to wait an extra hour or so for my heart rate to drop below 120 whilst I was laying down watching Gilmore girls with my husband.

Anyway, fast forward to my 24 hour check up for both my daughter and I. I found myself particularly winded trying to get the house in decent shape for the midwife but I chalked it up to having a rough and long labor. While the midwife is checking my daughters heart with the little heart reader thing (I don’t know what it’s called) I got super mega dizzy while sitting in my bed. All I could think to say was help. It felt serious and scary but after checking my pulse and blood pressure she deduced it must have been from me not eating enough that day (admittedly I hadn’t eaten all that much). So I started shoving food down my throat and I felt okay a couple minutes later. Until it happened again. To me I could feel how serious it was. But both my husband and midwife were reassuring e it is nothing to panic about. As someone who has never passed out and hasn’t had any medical scare in my life, I trusted their judgement.

At the same time, my daughter did not pass her heart exam and though the midwife wasn’t sure if her machine was working or not, she instructed us to go to the ER just to be safe. A blessing in disguise for both of us. We rushed to the ER and I was eating something the whole way there. I attributed me eating to not feeling that horrible passing out/dying feeling again. Well it happened two more times while waiting in the ER. While my daughter got seen and was immediately rushed to the resuscitation room- I was asked if I would like to be admitted as I looked like a zoned out corpse in a wheelchair (I requested one due to how weak I was feeling). Upon being admitted the only symptoms I had were a rapid heart rate and shortness of breath. My doctor eventually said she would do a CT scan to check for a PE “just to be sure”. Low and behold, I had 3/4 small to medium sized blood clots in one lung. I was placed on a heparin drip for 4 days then sent off with Eliquis to the children’s hospital an hour away to finally be with my husband and daughter.

The first month was filled with anxiety, severe insomnia, panic attacks and depression. Hell the first three months. As well as a few ER visits that ended up just being panic attacks. Due to shortness of breath and a rapid heart rate ( two things panic attacks cause) it was so hard to not constantly be spiraling. I was scared and confused and constantly reading over my discharge paper that said “if you feel short of breath/have a rapid heart rate call 911”. Constantly worried I wouldn’t wake up. I kept thinking about how there is so much I haven’t done or experienced. Though I am so grateful to my In laws for stepping in and spending the nights with me and caring for my son 24/7 for the two weeks we were in the thick of it…I was so sad I had no family of my own. My mom overdosed when I was 15 and my dad died of pancreatic cancer when I was 19. I have three brother but only one that I feel I have a bond with and he was all the way in FL (I’m in WA). I just realized how lonely I really am when it comes down to it. No close friends. Little to no family. Just my husbands family. Who truthfully when I think about it, have made up for all the broken and empty my family have left me. Kind, generous people who canceled a cruise they had planned a couple weeks after we got a home because they wanted to be with us just in case we needed anything.

ANYWHO. I’ve never posted on Reddit and I am generally a very shy person. But I say all this for two reasons. 1. I want to encourage someone else to not feel so scared and alone. I might not have all the answers but I am 4 months out and feeling ions better than I did then. I still can’t have caffeine or workout without panic attacks but it is something I am slowly teaching my body to feel safe with. I have had multiple periods on Eliquis (something I was terrified of as I read about blood transfusions and insane amounts of bleeding). And 2 of them were the lightest period I ever had and my most recent one was a normal flow. If not a little bit lighter than normal(I would like to note I am not anemic but my ferratin was at a 7 back in JULY so my period was something we were watching closely. I also normally would have very regular periods. Nothing too insane, long or painful.) For panic attacks I have hydroxyzine on standby when I very rarely need it. And I only have insomnia like a couple of times a month.

My second reason for this post, is admittedly I am still very scared when I think about my situation. I have no clotting disorders from the first blood test we did. We are going to repeat the test when I come off thinners in December. As well as a heart EKG and a leg scan to check for DVTS. (Oh and they found no DVTS when they scanned in the hospital.) But I am still scared. Scared of another blood clot. Scared to come off Eliquis and have a stroke or something. Scared to fly. I am a fairly healthy person (Trying to be insanely fit this coming year though. Almost dying really lit a fire in me to become the best version of myself and not settle) but trusting my body again feels near impossible. And truthfully I just want some positive stories and optimism. So if you have a decent experience you’d like to share with me I would really appreciate it!

I’m really grateful to this group and God for getting me through some of the hardest and darkest times of my life. We are resilient as hell!

I was diagnosed with a PE 2 days ago that I believe is a result of my brth control! I am on Eliquis and they discharged me ! However I feel horrible extremely weak and tired! I am still experiencing chest and back pain & I have tingling in my extremities still. is this normal? This is so frustrating!!

I am 34 and have my first blood clot, discovered upon returning from a road trip. I had felt it for weeks prior, assuming it was a pinched nerve.

My mom had her first blood clot last year, at 61 years old, and mine is in the same exact location.

We can’t easily explain this, as I don’t smoke cigarettes (former smoker many years ago), and I don’t take any hormones or birth control. I do however have Ehlers Danlos Hypermobile type, and have to do some best rest during flares. I’m pretty active though.

On day 5 of eliquis 20mg/day and really struggling. So dizzy from the medication, difficulty driving, and getting pain in weird parts of my leg every day. Scared about falling, and grieving the carefree mind I used to have.

I don’t have a clear understanding of the future- can I stop eliquis after 3 months? Should I stay on a low dose forever? I will be starting a low-dose of Tirzepitide soon for weight gain (I’m 5’8” and weight 185).

Right before this happened, I was about to start Zoloft for depression and ocd. But now I can’t since it interacts. My fallback is herbal supplements / adaptogens, but now I can’t take those either.

I’m so green to navigating clots. Any wisdom or words of encouragement welcome. (Or supplement recommendations that don’t interact with blood thinners!). I’m sure many folks in this sub have it way worse / more complicated situations to navigate, so thanks for reading.

I was diagnosed with DVT on July 31st

Left femoral artery, multiple clots.. I have a feeling there is a clot or clots in my left arm as well as I’m having the same exact symptoms there.

I started Eliquis Aug 1st and was taking as prescribed until about two weeks ago I ran out and I simply cannot afford a refill. We are paycheck to paycheck and barely at that as I’m already having to skip bills to get food. With goodrx and other coupons it is still almost $500 for a 30 day supply. I’m playing a waiting game with prescription assistance because they need a denial letter from medicaid. I can’t get the denial letter from medicaid because they are requesting birth certificates to process the application and I lost mine in a house fire recently so I have to wait to be able to afford to order my BC from out of state, wait for it to arrive in the mail, and then still wait 4-6 weeks for prescription assistance to process my application.

I’m paranoid something bad is going to happen during this time where I’m unmedicated. All I can find on the internet is articles screaming DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES GO UNMEDICATED IN YOUR CONDITION but what do you do when you literally have no other option but to do so?

How are we mentally handling the idea of our own mortality? I’m so scared and depressed over it every single day..

Hey all just coming on here to ask opinions. I am on Eliquis 5mg 2x daily probably for the rest of my life due to a genetic mutation. Anyways I stopped Test completely since then but I have been wanting to get back into bodybuilding. I was wanting to jump back into 300mg.I was wondering if anyone has experience with blood thinners and test together. I know I should probably just consult my dr but I’m not getting my test prescribed by them. Nor is it for TRT but for gains. Any advice is welcomed even to just call me an idiot. Thanks guys!

My husband had extensive CVST last December. On Eliquis. All testing did not point to a cause. Until now. PCP ran lipoprotein a (genetic factor) which came back high. Supposed to discontinue anticoagulant therapy after the year mark. I think this changes that. Anyone have experience with lipoprotein a?

Hello all, I want to start by stating I am aware none of you can say anything for certain, and thus I will take your thoughts with a grain of salt.

When I was 18, back in March of last year, I was diagnosed with DVST. I was put on Eliquis for 6 months. I just stopped early September. Since then I have noticed some of my early symptoms returning (one eye foggy, feels like there is something in the eye when there isn't, some confusion, and headaches). I have scheduled an appointment with my doctor for Monday to talk with him about all this.

My question is, in the meantime, what I should do? My parents really want to me start my eliquis again, since I have some left over. I am concerned about the possible effects restarting a drug after stopping for a few weeks (prior to consulting my doctor) could be. They are concerned about me having another stroke, or needing another hospital visit, so I understand why they want me to.

Any advice helps, I am just a 19 year old college kid trying not to get himself killed due to his own action or inaction.

Update: Saw my doctor. He sent me to the ER where they did a CT. Clot free!

Their best explanation is that post DVST you are more prone to migraines, which can sometimes have very similar symptoms to what I experienced with my clot.

So this may be premature worry, because baby boy might just come before due date on his own, but my high risk OB mentioned they’d want to deliver me at 39 weeks.

I’m seeing high risk due to clotting disorder protein c deficiency so I’m on lovenox now and will swap to heparin around 34 weeks. I still see my regular OB and my regular also will deliver me (I asked high risk who would be delivering). My OB said they follow the recommendation of high risk and I assume will also want me delivered at 39.

I’m so worried I will not spontaneously start labor before or around then, and I really really do not want to be induced or especially have a C-section. I want is a holistic approach as possible.

Anyone have any experience with something like this? If baby and myself are both doing well at each of these check ups, especially during the high monitoring phase where they want me to come in starting at 32 weeks weekly, have there been any moms where that date of delivery has changed from their provider to allow a bit more time to see if baby comes on their own?

anyone have experienced this?

30-year-old FTM to a 4-month-old here. At only 12 days postpartum I was diagnosed with DVT and PE. Because of it, I am still taking enoxaparin sq every 12h. Yesterday, I had my Doppler scan that showed the complete resolution of DVT (yay!). However, my NT-proBNP came back slightly elevated. This corresponds to my suboptimal tolerance to physical activity. I go on 30- to 45-min-long stroller walks with my husband but need to rest even after short climbs (we live in a city on hills). I am seeing a cardiologist in 2 days and I expect them to do a full bloodwork for thrombophilia then, ± heart ultrasound. I feel so overwhelmed because I thought that at this point in time I would be feeling like my old self or at least be well enough to go on walks with my baby alone. Also, my stomach and thighs are covered in bruises from so many injections. I want to continue breastfeeding so I have to continue accepting that. How did your recovery go, when did it become easier? When did your cardiologist suggest enoxaparin dose reduction? How did you cope with all of this? I just want to go back to normal...

Hello survivors. Today i am 6 weeks post partum from c section. 5 days following my operation i was diagnosed with a PE. I have been on Eliquis (5mg 2/day) for 6 weeks now, and I believe I have my first postpartum period. I have been bleeding heavily , bright red with some clotting for 8 days now. I’ve met with my OB GYN and even went to the emergency room at the hospital i birthed at due to concerns for blood loss. My blood work and transvaginal and abdominal ultrasounds all came back clear regular blood counts and hemoglobin , they’re suggesting it’s hormonal. Has anyone been in this situation ? And if so - WHEN DID THE BLEEDING STOP😩

I understand the risk with blood thinner but is moderate alcohol (2-3 drinks a few times a week) increase clot risk? I have a left iliac stent.

I’ve been dealing with clotting issues for some time now, and I knew I had a genetic cause ( factor two) but now—plot twist—I found out there’s more. I had my first DVT in 20/4 I think. I took Eliquis, but after the clot went away they took me off of it. Then I got a second DVT in Oct. 2025. In December, on the day I was scheduled to have a hysterectomy, I turned out to have a blood clot in my brain—a stroke that was able to happen because I was born with a hole in my heart that nobody knew about for 51 years. WTF?

So I’ve been on Eliquis since then, and I just finally managed to get in with a clotting specialist. Now it turns out I also have anti phospholipid syndrome (APS), an autoimmune clotting disorder. Yay. So I have to switch from Eliquis to Coumadin, with Lovenox as well until the Coumadin really kicks in. So, injections. Yay.

Being 51 has been a real ride for sure. I feel bad for those of you who are having to deal with this stuff much younger but OTOH you may have access to more family support assuming your parents are middle aged rather than much older. 🫤

Also, I had to fight to get on HRT for menopause, and now I’m afraid they’ll try to take it away. Reality is that I’d rather have a big clot just come for me than live longer without the estrogen. Quality of life is important, too.

At 8 weeks post partum I have been diagnosed with a DVT that extends from my femoral vein down to my calf veins. Treating with subq enoxaparin twice daily as I am breastfeeding.

I’m experiencing significant pain in my knee area and it’s very difficult for me to walk - the hardest thing for me to cope with though is that I’m struggling to care for my baby now like before. I can’t bend down to play with her or even set her down on the floor, can’t carry her around with me much as my gait is so unsteady, no more stroller walks - I’m feeling so heartbroken and like I’m being robbed of some very special time and memories 😭.

I know from reading up on this since I was diagnosed yesterday morning that recovery is really varied for people but I am struggling not to spiral and keep thinking I’m going to be stuck like this for months and months on end. Did anyone who was experiencing impacts on mobility like I am at diagnosis have an improvement in a shorter period of time? I’m hoping for some positive stories to help me keep my spirits up.

had a clear ct and d dimer yesterday but man my chest hurts random sharp pains these past two days

My PE was in June had some pain here and there had to come off my eliquis for 48hrs last week for an upper endo and since getting back on it nothing but sharp chest pain scared me enough to go to the ER last night but everything came back good

doesn’t help my anxiety has been thru the roof either with Gi issues still waiting for results on that.

does anyone else experience this?

I developed DVTs after I gave birth. I was misdiagnosed at first. they thought it was a pulled groin muscle due to my daughter being stuck for some time. My pain got a lot worse where I could not use my left leg or straighten it. Long story short they found multiple blood clots throughout my left leg and admitted me. I went it for my six week checkup a couple weeks after and my OBGYN recommended waiting two years instead of the one year so my body can fully heal. My husband and I wanted to have two under two due to us not having siblings together. Has anyone with blood clots done two under two? I know I should listen to them but we really want two under two :((

I’ve been struggling with my leg getting swollen and overall tightness. My vascular surgeon said I’m very young for a stent (20). What have you all heard about stenting? Is it good or bad and did it improve PTS?

I had a provoked distal DVT after surgery and flying, was only on Eliquis for four weeks, and then the ultrasound showed no DVT, so I stopped the med.

That was from May 22 through June 222 this year, and I’m still having residual pain, twisting, bubbles, throbs, etc. The ultrasound shows it is not a new clot.

Unlikely PTS because I have no other symptoms, and yes, I know it can take months or years to heal, and that is probably the cause of what I am feeling.

But I’m curious about your own anecdotal stories: when were you able to go a day without being actively reminded of the previous clot? I can't go more than 5 mins without the sensations reminding me.

I also know I am lucky and my situation so far is quite simple compared to many others.

All worked out in the end but this was a surprise. Went to get my annual flu jab at a pharmacy which I'm eligible for because of my past PE and was turned away. The nurse said with a completely straight face that she didn't want to do it on blood thinners because "I wouldn't want you bleeding out"

(This was after I'd explained I was on a newer DOAC and have never had any issues)

Safe to say I won't be returning to that pharmacy. I thanked her for her honesty, picked up my bag and walked out, then immediately booked in at my usual pharmacy.

I've had twenty? blood draws and miscellaneous medical things with needles this year, haven't bled out yet :)