ATHLETE RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT BLOOD CLOTS

Here is a link to the ClotBuster web blog. Roland Varga has been raising awareness about blood clots in the Ohio area through competing in Triathlons. His webpage can be found at: http://clot-buster-triathlete.blogspot.com/ You can also order Stop-the-Clot wrist bands and Jerseys from him.

The July Athlete of the Month on his webpage is a Medically Retired Army Captain. Rather then summarize her story I'll late you read it: http://clot-buster-triathlete.blogspot.com/2008/07/july-athlete-of-month.html

Regards,
Tom

Hello,
My name is Paul and I was recently dx'd with dvt/pe after 5 episodes of pleurisy in 2 years and an emergency trip to the ER on 1/18/2010 with a swollen leg. I was found to vae an 18" clot in my femoral vein and 25 emboli in my lungs.

So now, as an athlete, I am wondering what I can do to avoid post-thrombotic complications in my leg. I am an avid winter mountaineer in the White Mtns. of NH and the Adirondacks of NY, have climbed Mt. Rainier and Denali; I X-C ski throughout the winter and sea kayak and hike and camp in the Spring-Fall seasons. I have a 2nd degree black belt in Kodokan Judo.

So now I am wondering if I will be on Warfarin for the rest of my life and whether I will be able to return to some of these vigorous activites.

I welcome advice from anyone who can comprehend how distrubing this is to me and who may offer some practical suggestions on how to use my physical discipline to rehab my leg.

Thank you.

Paul F-M

Hi Paul,
Welcome to LADVT, yes as an athlete this is entirely something you never train for, I know what you mean. What to do to not have PTS? Well, I failed all together in that department, my leg is, I would say at 60% of what it used to be, I have been back on the bike(MTB) last year(first time since my DVT in 2007) and I spent all the summer rehabbing on flat trails, because I know I had lost all of my climbing muscles.I have been wearing my compression sock since day one, did start walking and swimming when I could, did everything my Dr (hematologist) and sport Dr told me to do...
I really think it 's not what you do or not do, it all depends what damage was done to the veins and vein valves by the clot. Many here and on other sites will say, I went back to doing what I was doing in the first year, or I can't do anything I use to .
Thing to keep in mind, I'm alive and WALKING!!
Some can't.
I don't want to be captain bring down but, like in my case, I know I will never be able to ride like I use to, many places I won't be able to go , but it does not mean I will stop ridding my Mountain Bike. NEVER!!!!
I wish I had the 100% true secret recipe so you do not have to be like me.
I honestly do. What I'm saying is nobody reacts the same to this ******* sickness.

Paul, I had my emergency trip to the ER about a week after you did. My clot was from thigh to ankle. It was the result of being in a wheelchair for 8 weeks after a really, really bad cycling accident last December.

They told me I would be wearing compression socks and taking Wayfarin for at least 6 months. I am still wearing the sock on that leg and taking Wayfarin.

My symptoms have disappeared. I got out of the 8 day hospital stay from the dvt on Feb 8 and started serious rehab. I had been totally non weight bearing on my left side, but they changed it to partial. After 3 trips to the rehab facility, they told me I was motivated enough to do it on my own. On February 19, I was allowed to put full weight on the injured side.

On April 17, I got back on the bike. I had been riding around 100 miles a week before the injury. My first ride was 15 minutes out and 15 back. Last Saturday, June 5, I went 25 miles.

The docs seem to be in favor of exercise. My regular doc knows me well and told me I could ride when I thought my body was up to it. I have to be careful because of the Wayfarin is all. I don't wear the compression socks when I ride or when I work out.

I should have kept track, but didn't. The swelling in my leg was never great; it was completely gone sometime in April. After 4 months of compression socks and Wayfarin, my leg is the same size as my other one and is at about 80-85% strengthwise, but that was from the accident. I don't have any issues riding.

DVT wise, I'm probably one of the really lucky ones at this stage. I got the dvt because they pretty much rebuilt my pelvis/hip socket area and I wasn't allowed to put any weight on it for a long time.

You should find out what your doctors say you can do and start doing it. You're used to training discomfort and will probably have to be careful not to overdo it. But you can work through the discomfort and it might help you avoid the dreaded post dvt syndrome.

Good luck!

John

This is what my hematologist told ME ...

Wear your compression socks all the time(except to sleep, let your leg breath), SPECIALLY when riding, it will help with the blood circulation. Yes, I have PTS and my leg does swell and hurt after a day of work, but it is a lot worst when I don't wear it,(yes, I did forget to put it on on occasions) that's how I know...