Some answers, more questions

[KeithT]

Well I can comment at length on DVTs and PEs. It sure is weird how ERs cannot seem to find DVTs. The first one I had I got sent home from the ER. The doc gave me some mumbo-jumbo and he was totally wrong. I gradually more or less recovered from that one over time, but I'm positive I experienced a series of PEs in that time frame. I was riding bikes in that era and occasionally I would get this extreme breathlessness and I could barely turn the pedals over and I was a top cyclist. Probably lucky I didn't keel over during one of those episodes.

Well, a few yrs after that, 2010, I had another pronounced swelling in my calf and I went to a vascular doctor who again sent me home. I persisted and went back the next day and an ultrasound was done around the groin area. The results seemed to be alarming to them because they had me head immediately to the ER and all sorts of tests were done including an MRI of the lungs. I had a significant DVT and PE. I stayed in the hospital 4 days and was put on the blood thinner Coumadin. I felt OK but the PE caused some of the blood pressures in my heart to be off. Took about a yr for previous fitness levels to come back. I went off of Coumadin. Big mistake because I was a ticking time bomb.

In 2014 a DVT and PE reared its ugly head again. I was rowing during that time. This one was worse - a lot of leg pain. I had to make several trips to the ER to get the "docs" to understand what I was experiencing. I had different doctors this time who could not get their act together. Finally a young doc from India came on the scene who put me on Xarelto. I still see him and I still take 20mg every day. It is a lifelong prescription. I passed all of the typical tests for a tendency for DVTs. But studies have been done that show that bigger endurance athletes can be prone to DVTs. Dehydration is somewhat of a factor. Plus I have a low RHR, being in the 30s until age 60. Again, it took about a year to get back to previous fitness levels.

Hopefully, recounting my experiences can help a bit with anyone having a DVT or who thinks they may be. JimG

Wow, thanks so much for giving this info. I still have no idea why I got them and I see Dr. Friday to tell me how long I will be on Blood Thinner (Eliquis) - if he knows. I haven't worked out at all other than walking some and I am not sure what guidance he will give me there. You said it took a tear for fitness levels to return but were you/are you allowed to train at max effort? If so, how long before you could do that? I am glad you survived all that you went thru - some scary stuff.

[KeithT]

shit. really sorry to hear this Keith and you have all my best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery.

well done on going to get checked. as Stu mentioned...it's easy to just keep your head down and assume it'll go away and I'm really glad you've now discovered there's an issue and you/the medical experts can start the process of addressing the issue. I'm sure it's frustrating from an athlete perspective but you'll be able to recover the fitness and strength once you're ready to train again.

i'm a total newb on DVT (other than knowing you can get them from planes). do you have any idea what caused this and how long you've been dealing with it?

Don't have any idea yet what caused them. They can be from an injury (which I don't recall doing anything) or a illness/condition, being still too long....or some times they don't really now. Lot's more Dr. visits and hopefully more clarity.

[KeithT]

Thanks for all the replies and well wishes - I love our little community. I see Dr. Friday and then I am sure more visits/tests from there. I am hoping to get the greenlight to do some light exercise (other than walking) but we will see. I will update post as I find more things out.

[DavidA]

So, you all have heard/read about my struggles over the past 6 months or more. Well, I may have some answers, but more things to find out....this is not good news. I never told you that I went to an urgent care about a month ago with a swollen and achy lower leg despite not injuring it that I could recall. They sent me to an emergency room to have a ultrasound to look for a possible DVT blood clot. No DVT found so that was good. They told me to follow up with my Dr. if I continued to have swelling/pain. Well, I did have pain still and went to Dr. this past Friday and he decided I needed to be scanned again and .... I had DVTs in my lower left leg behind the knee. I was told to go to ER and get started on anti-coagulants. I did so, and when there they wanted to make sure no blood clots had moved to my lungs so they scanned my lungs and unfortunately I had small blood clots there too. They did not have to do invasive treatment and I am just on blood thinners. I have no idea how long these clots may have been around or why I would get them. I will be having a lot of follow up Dr. visits and scans and will see a Hematologists. I have been told just light exercise (walking) for a bit until I see more Dr.s, so no hard rows in immediate future. I will be anxious to see what this is all about and if it impacts my future training. I know I will be on blood thinners for a few months at least and not sure what that will do to training either. I know training is not important at this point as DVTs can be fatal. So, anyway, I have some answers to recent struggles but many more questions now about my health and reasons for these clots.

Very sorry to hear about your health issues.
As Jim (cyclingman1) wrote, he has a lot of experience, unfortunately, with DVTs/PEs, and shows that they shouldn't effect your continued erging.
I have similar issues - first DVT came out of nowhere. I have nothing that would lead anyone to think I was susceptible to such things. I have had 4 DVTs now - the last one while I was on daily coumadin. I also had a large number of PEs. I thought I was having rib pain from a cracked rib, but it wouldn't go away. My wife finally made me go the ER to get checked - they thought maybe the had the pictures wrong, because I was sitting there comfortably with a pulse in the upper 50s, and they guy who was the source of the pictures should have been dead from all the PEs. Because of all my erging my heart was strong enough to keep pushing enough blood around. Now I am on xarelto, and haven't had anymore DVTs or PE for a few years already.

[KeithT]

So, you all have heard/read about my struggles over the past 6 months or more. Well, I may have some answers, but more things to find out....this is not good news. I never told you that I went to an urgent care about a month ago with a swollen and achy lower leg despite not injuring it that I could recall. They sent me to an emergency room to have a ultrasound to look for a possible DVT blood clot. No DVT found so that was good. They told me to follow up with my Dr. if I continued to have swelling/pain. Well, I did have pain still and went to Dr. this past Friday and he decided I needed to be scanned again and .... I had DVTs in my lower left leg behind the knee. I was told to go to ER and get started on anti-coagulants. I did so, and when there they wanted to make sure no blood clots had moved to my lungs so they scanned my lungs and unfortunately I had small blood clots there too. They did not have to do invasive treatment and I am just on blood thinners. I have no idea how long these clots may have been around or why I would get them. I will be having a lot of follow up Dr. visits and scans and will see a Hematologists. I have been told just light exercise (walking) for a bit until I see more Dr.s, so no hard rows in immediate future. I will be anxious to see what this is all about and if it impacts my future training. I know I will be on blood thinners for a few months at least and not sure what that will do to training either. I know training is not important at this point as DVTs can be fatal. So, anyway, I have some answers to recent struggles but many more questions now about my health and reasons for these clots.

Very sorry to hear about your health issues.
As Jim (cyclingman1) wrote, he has a lot of experience, unfortunately, with DVTs/PEs, and shows that they shouldn't effect your continued erging.
I have similar issues - first DVT came out of nowhere. I have nothing that would lead anyone to think I was susceptible to such things. I have had 4 DVTs now - the last one while I was on daily coumadin. I also had a large number of PEs. I thought I was having rib pain from a cracked rib, but it wouldn't go away. My wife finally made me go the ER to get checked - they thought maybe the had the pictures wrong, because I was sitting there comfortably with a pulse in the upper 50s, and they guy who was the source of the pictures should have been dead from all the PEs. Because of all my erging my heart was strong enough to keep pushing enough blood around. Now I am on xarelto, and haven't had anymore DVTs or PE for a few years already.

Thank you - this is encouraging. I have been on Eliquis and will be for at least a few months - possibly forever. I have a Dr. Appt today to hopefully get some more info. and see about working out - what can I do and when. Sounds like you had no real reason to get them either which is just so puzzling.

[DavidA]

Sounds like you had no real reason to get them either which is just so puzzling.

Correct. Light weight, never smoked, never drank, always exercised and kept in good shape, no family history, no injury, ...
Doctors did every blood test known to mankind - all came up negative, so they gave up trying to figure it out.
Got the last DVT and PEs while on coumadin, that was at the correct level! Even had a negative D-dimer at the time!

[Cyclingman1]

You said it took a tear for fitness levels to return but were you/are you allowed to train at max effort? If so, how long before you could do that?

It really did not take all that long for me to feel OK after my episodes. I pretty much resumed cycling and rowing, although I was off about 10% or so. I gradually got fitter. I will reiterate that I had absolutely no reason to get a DVT. Lifelong exerciser. No blood factors conducive for DVTs. Like I said, it has been suggested that very heavy endurance exercise can be a factor, which I am back to doing although not at the level I was ten years ago. I'm positive that Xarelto will be a lifelong necessity for me. Can't take the chance of another DVT.

I was never given any advice about exercise after the DVTs. I probably would have ignored it anyway. I'm not wired to take it easy with anything. For full disclosure my back disc issues set me back for the better part of a year beginning in 2019. I did take it easy then - forced to. But I'm back somewhat. I managed to get back close to 7:00 last yr. Undoubtedly will never make it.

Good luck with it all.

[max_ratcliffe]

Sorry to see this Keith,

Good luck with making a rapid recovery.

[Dangerscouse]

Sorry to see this Keith,

Good luck with making a rapid recovery.

Hello Max. Where have you been? Refereeing taking up all of your time? Good to see you back mate

[KeithT]

Small update. I get more blood tests done tomorrow, still no reason for clots. I was given the go ahead to resume training, was told to ease back into it and no super intense training for the time being. So, I did a 30 minute row Saturday and will do some light weights today and an easy 10K tomorrow. I am happy I am allowed to train some.

[Sakly]

I am happy I am allowed to train some.

Even if no green light for "go hard", I believe this is very good news

[Dangerscouse]

Small update. I get more blood tests done tomorrow, still no reason for clots. I was given the go ahead to resume training, was told to ease back into it and no super intense training for the time being. So, I did a 30 minute row Saturday and will do some light weights today and an easy 10K tomorrow. I am happy I am allowed to train some.

That's great news mate. Not being able to train at all would have been very hard to handle.

[winniewinser]

Good news! .....slowly slowly Keith