Laura
Can't help on the "permanancy" issue. Developed my first clot in lower left leg following ankle surgery in 1995, boy was I surprised. Swelling and pain continued for well over the 6 months of coumadin therapy. No one explained that I would forever be at risk for more clots... Next one magically appeared as a number of Pulmonary Embolisms after a weekend of car driving (7-8 hours a day and lots of sitting in a conference also)in June 2000... did not show up for 5 more days, but put me in the hospital and back on coumadin for another 6 months. Then had emergency gall bladder surgery 6 months later... June 2001, did all the clot prevention stuff, compression stockings, heparing injections, pneumatic leggings and ambulatory same day as surgery. Lo and behold 11 days post surgery another 2 clots, this time in the right leg (calf and thigh) and within 2 days had moved to my lungs AGAIN. So now it is lifetime coumadin and they inserted a vena cava filter in October 2001 to prevent leg clots from making it to the lungs anymore. My leg swelling had finally gone down, but it did persist for about 18 months on and off coumadin. Now going in for surgery January 2002, have to stop the coumadin, do lovenox injections for 3 days AND be admitted the day before surgery to go on IV Heparin.... then the post-surgery process starts over again, waiting for the safe time to restart the anti-coagulants and make sure that it is safe for me to go home... I think it will be about 10 days but have not been able to get a confirmation on that.... Be patient, I think the swelling will eventually go down and the pain decrease. Just make sure you follow your doctors orders.