Does shortness of breath come and go with a pulmonary embolism?

Yes!: One of the biggest misunderstanding about a pulmonary embolism, even among certain physicians, is that the natural history of most pulmonary embolism events is an ebb and flow of symptoms including shortness of breath. Sometimes the presentation is on of sudden shortness of breath and passing out but that is the less common way most pe present clinically.

Possible: For instance, large embolus and resolves and breathing improves over a few days to weeks. Sometimes there are serial small emboli with varying impact and symptoms. Or small sentinel embolus, followed by lethal large one.Variable!

Since some of the: Vessels that take blood to the lungs (for the blood to get more oxygen and release wastes) are blocked, the body is getting less oxygen. Whenever the body's oxygen demand increases, since there is less capacity availability in pe the body compensates by increasing the drive to breathe. We do not notice it usually, but even getting out of bed or walking a little bit requires more oxygen.