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DVT/Coumadin & Riding?

2K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  scoutcat 
#1 ·
I recently was diagnosed with DVT (AKA a blood clot in my calf). How an active 37 year old gets a blood clot is beyond me, but I have one and am in taking injections and Coumadin to break it up and get my leg back to normal size.

I won't know for 3 to 5 months if I have to stay on blood thinners or not. My fear is that this will REALLY cramp my racing/riding. Blood thinners will make cuts/scrapes a little harder to heal/stop bleeding and a hard fall COULD potentially cause internal bleeding. I really hope to NOT have to stay on it

My question is this- There HAS to be racers out there who have to take blood thinners. How do you cope? Is is possible to race/ride without issues? What are some of your Docs saying? My Doc hasn't been to open right now and prefers the "lets cross that bridge when we cross it" attitude right now. AND it's hard to explain to a Doc that does NOT ride/race how important doing this **** is to you. Anyone have any similar experiences?

Thanks. If nothing else I needed to vent more.

j
 
#2 ·
37 is rather young for a blood clot. Did you have a bad fall on that leg? Have they check you for an autoimmune disorder? There is a variant of lupus that attacks the anti-body that prevents your platelets from sticking together. I hope you don't have anything like that going on.

I know it's hard not to ride. But consider the alternative. If you have a nasty fall, the chances of an internal bleed is much higher on the blood thinners. Always ask yourself how long you want to ride for? 10 more years? Is a couple of months out of that 10 years really going to kill you. No, but a bad fall might. I'm sure at 37 they aren't going to leave you on blood thinners. Have they put in a screen to prevent future emboi?
 
#4 ·
Not Checked...

They have not checked for for that stuff. Over the course of the summer I take a good many falls. The leg started swelling, about a week or so after a 24 hour solo. I tend to get leg swelling (in both legs) after an event like that, but it usually clears up in a day or two. This time it was just the right leg.

Before I went to the Docs I was feeling great. Had been doing a series of 30- 40 mile mountain bike rides. I rode with it for about a month before my wife convinced me to go to the docs. Right now I'm taking Lovenox injections (2 a day in stomach) and Coumadin nightly. I wish I understoon more about how long the actual clot will be there. What in the body helps get rid of the clot). I don't mind the blood thinners if it's for a few months. As long as I know I'm not gonna have a PE I'm fine with riding the rail trail and road for a couple months. But come April. I do NOT want to be on this sh*t!

Thanks for your input.
 
#5 ·
as long as you have a DVT you probably shouldt ride. once there is no evidence of the DVT then you can ride again. a minor cut isnt going to be serious, but if you took a hard fall then blood thinners could present a problem its probably a risk you need to decide yourself. personally, i'd still ride on coumadin as long as i didnt have a DVT... but i might also wear a full face helmet and be a little more careful. lots of things can cause clots: compression of vessels, a torn vessel, and some systemic illnesses. unless you have a hypercoagulable state after the dvt dissolves then you wont be continued on the coumadin... good luck with this.
 
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