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Brian Hagan - Deep Vein Thrombosis

I was pretty shocked 2 days ago when I found out I have Deep Vein Thrombosis in my right calf.  I woke up Tuesday 25-April with a pain in my calf after my dog spent the night sleeping on it.  I wrote it off as typical tendon or muscle ache that I usually have, because I have imbalances and lack in the strength and flexibility area.

I rode with team Stanbaugh down to Boone North Carolina from Southeast Michigan on Wednesday 26-April (9.5 hours) and participated in the EN Blue Ridge Camp.  The pain was present in my calf all weekend, although during the riding it did not feel too bad.  It felt the worse when I woke up in the morning or after sitting at dinner for an extended time.

When I got back to work on Monday I was able to schedule an appointment with a sports medicine doctor right away.  I later learned that when he heard my symptons (swollen calf with some constant pain), he suspected I had a blood clot.  He did some tests and suggested I did not have any calf muscle issues and that I should go to the emergency room to have them do an ultrasound immediately.  I went to the ER and within a couple of hours I found out I have DVT in my right calf.

There is a slight risk of this clot moving from my leg to my lungs (pulmonary embolism (PE)).  This could cause lung or other organ damage and could also cause heart failure.  The first 2 weeks are pretty critical, because the clot needs to harden and connect to the vein.  It is recommended to not exercise and take it easy (especially the first 2 weeks).  Also, I am on Eliquis, which is a blood thinning medication that I will be on for 3 months.  This also causes some risks, because if I get cut, it will take a long time for blood to clot.  Also, there would be some serious complications if I need emergency surgery. 

I am a pretty healthy person.  I eat a mainly plant based whole food diet.  I am 5' 10'' and 158 lbs, so I am not over weight.  My cholesterol is around 165 (tested in January).  I do not fall into any of the categories to be a probable candidate, but the bottom line is that I have a clot.

My doctor has recommended that I not "exercise" for 2 to 3 month.  I was planning on doing IM Mont-Tremblant 20-August.  2 to 3 months of not training seems pretty rough, but the alternative makes me believe that I should rest and wait this thing out.  I will most likely try and defer to Louisville and spend the next couple of months collecting SAUs.

Have any of you had any experience with DVT?  I would love to hear some thoughts from the team!

Thanks!  
Brian

Comments

  • Brian,  Not a doc but do not take this lightly.  Years ago Heather had rotator cuff surgery, we we went to the surgeon for a follow up visit a week later, Heather mentioned a sore back from sleeping in a chair (duh right) no reaction from the doc,  and then she said her calf was sore the day before, That Doc jumped up , said you just bought yourself a trip to ER , picked up the phone , called it in, and told me to bring her immediately.  I did, a blood clot in her lung, left her at the hospital , called us in sick (we were working that afternoon) and went home to get her things for the couple day stay... I ended up having to give her shots in the stomach (blood thinner) since one of her arms were not working... So very seriously scary... Be smart and careful!  Heal up you have big things in your future :-)
  • I have experience with DVT via my ex wife.  I am not a doctor. See a specialist as soon as possible.

    DVT can be caused, and often is, by thrombophilia, a condition where your blood will basically clot better and faster than the average human.  If this is the final diagnosis, the treatment will consist of blood thinners primarily.

    (sometimes hypercoagulability or a prothrombotic state) is an abnormality of blood coagulation that increases the risk of thrombosis (blood clots in blood vessels).

    Thrombifilia causes problems in pregnancies when blood volume can double and the patient becomes ever more immobilized.  To complicate matters more, when blood thinners are used and the pregnancy results in a Cesarean, the patient can then bleed to death, therefore all has to be performed/monitored by a specialist.

    As Tim says, do not take it lightly but know, this is a well researched and manageable condition if diagnosed early by a reputable specialist.

    Let us know how the progress updates come out.

    SS 
  • I would take this very seriously. My wife had an operations 4 years ago and it turned she had a PE. Luckily I was working from home that day when she collapsed and had a heart failure. This was caused by a medical error upon a leg surgery.

    It scares to think what could had happened if I wasnt working from home that day..

    Now she needs to inject herself everytime we are traveling (air or car) for more than 2 hours.
  • Just FYI...  I found this interesting article today.  It kind of helps with the "why me" question I keep asking myself.

    @tim cronk - Yes, I will take this very seriously and make sure I am ready to start preparations this fall.  I am glad Heather is OK.

    @Shaughn Simmons @Francis Picard - Thanks you so much for the words of caution.  I never heard of this before, and now I am finding out about so many peoples lives have been affected by this.

    It's been two weeks now since I first felt the symptoms.  My calf no longer hurts and is only slightly swollen, but I know the clot is still there.  My next Dr. appointment is next week (17-MAY), and I do not plan on doing any riding / running unless he says it is OK.  I can do upper body strength training, so I will do that and some easy swimming with no push off until then.  My yard looks great!  :)

    Thanks again guys!
  • @Brian Hagan rest up and as the others said, take it seriously. Before I figured out I had a torn calf muscle, everyone was very quick to make sure it wasn't a blood clot. You know it's something that can be taken care of and as you said, enjoy spending some good time with family, friends...doing fun non-Ironman stuff. It's amazing what you can do on a Saturday if you don't have to train for half the day...you may find it liberating!  Keep us posted on how you are doing....all the best.
  • Brian, please take this seriously.  A person I knew had the same issue and sadly put off addressing it until it was too late.  The time away from triathlon in life's entirety is nothing compared to not being around for those you love and whom love you.  Thinking of you.
  • @Brian Hagan  thank you for posting the article. That was actually one of the first questions that came through my head - risk factors, etc. Nice job playing it smart.  Tough but clearly you have the big picture in focus. We missed you out there today!
  • Has your doctor drawn your blood and sent out for genetic clotting disorder? Your at the right age for it to rear it's head. This needs to be done BEFORE you come off the Eliquis. Does anyone in your family have clotting disorder?
    Rest up. Behave!
  • @Jacklyn Moore yes.  They drew my blood in the emergency room after they found the clot.  My blood came back normal (for clotting).  I asked my parents, and they do not know of anyone in my family that has had a blood clot.

    I've done a bit of research with Dr. Google and I've been on a few online forums.  Most of the literature on the medical sites focuses on patients that are overweight and inactive (or pregnant).  I found a few forums on endurance athletes with DVT including the article I posted above.  There seems to be a connection with a low resting heart rate and dehydration in endurance athletes getting DVT.  This article (attachment) is the best resource I've seen for returning to running.

    Thanks so much @Dawn Cass @Danielle Santucci @Jenn Edwards @Jacklyn Moore for posting!  Jen, I will be back on the Sunday "Take No Prisoners Ride" as soon as the doc says its OK.  Until then, my wife and mother in law have my bike locked down.

    The good news is, all of the symptoms are no longer present (swelling, pain).  My yard has moved into neighborhood respectability status, and I'm taking care items on the "to do" list that I've put off for years.

    My next doctor appointment is this Wednesday, so I am looking forward to see what they say.

  • Brian, several weeks have passed....how goes it Pal ?

  • @Eric Burney Thanks for asking! Everything is going as planned, and I am healing great.  Its been 6 weeks since I felt the symptoms and 5 weeks since I started taking the anti-coagulation medication "Eliquis".  I can still barely feel it in my calf, but I am very confident that it has formed to the vein and the medication is doing its job to break it down and make it go away.

    Based off of the article attached to my previous post (and discussion with my doctor), I started easing back into things after 4 weeks of being treated.  Last week I had a little over 500 TSS over 7 hours of Swim/Bike/Run. I only had 10 minutes of Z4 intensity, the rest was all Z1,2 with a little bit of 3.  

    I am traveling for work this week and plan to get in some aerobic paced runs.  Next week I will be good to start building.  I've got 6 weeks until I get into race prep for Louisville, so I've got plenty of time.
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