Blood Clots, DVT, and the Future Pussification of My Skiing

[123ski]

I don’t know much yet.

Haven’t talked to a real doctor.

Crushed my foot and broke two metatarsals last week.

Developed a DVT this week.

Ortho thought I was crazy about cramp in calf but I insisted on ultrasound.

Found 1 or maybe 2 DVTs in my calf.

My PCP is out of town, but his PA put me on some blood thinning pills and scheduled me to come in in a few days.

36 yo very active, everyone seems shocked. Laying here in bed hoping it doesn’t turn into a PE. Wishing I could talk to a doctor.

Exercise apparently helps, but my foot is in a cast. Not sure what else I can do in the meantime to avoid more clotting and avoid a PE


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[schindlerpiste]

https://www.iodine.com/compare/couma...lto-vs-aspirin

Don't know much about Xarelto, but always thought that Heparin was the gold standard to prevent DVT and PE. Just needs to be monitored, which in NBD.

[123ski]

https://www.iodine.com/compare/couma...lto-vs-aspirin

Don't know much about Xarelto, but always thought that Heparin was the gold standard to prevent DVT and PE. Just needs to be monitored, which in NBD.

I just found this:

A consensus guideline published in 2016 recommends using dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban, or edoxaban over vitamin K antagonists for the first three months of therapy in patients with DVT or PE and no cancer.

https://www.aafp.org/afp/2017/1015/p532.html


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[detrusor]

It’s a provoked dvt, when you’re healed and active you should be able to get off the anticoagulants


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[old goat]

I don’t know much yet.

Haven’t talked to a real doctor.

Crushed my foot and broke two metatarsals last week.

Developed a DVT this week.

Ortho thought I was crazy about cramp in calf but I insisted on ultrasound.

Found 1 or maybe 2 DVTs in my calf.

My PCP is out of town, but his PA put me on some blood thinning pills and scheduled me to come in in a few days.

36 yo very active, everyone seems shocked. Laying here in bed hoping it doesn’t turn into a PE. Wishing I could talk to a doctor.

Exercise apparently helps, but my foot is in a cast. Not sure what else I can do in the meantime to avoid more clotting and avoid a PE


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PA did the right thing. The only thing I would add is to stay hydrated (no need to go crazy about it.) I assume you're already elevating the leg. That's about it. With a clot apparently limited to the calf and now on anticoagulation your odds of avoiding further complication are very good. Nothing for anyone to be shocked about here--it's not rare.

Schindlerpiste--in the past the advantage of heparin for dvt was rapid onset, as opposed to the multiple days it take for warfarin to be effective. The newer anticoagulant pills work within hours.

[The Tortoise]

It’s a provoked dvt, when you’re healed and active you should be able to get off the anticoagulants


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This.

I had two small PEs following bilateral knee trauma. Slid into a snowmaking tower at full speed

After the initial treatment of a subcutaneous injection I was transferred to warfarin. After 3 months or so i stopped taking them.

Oh yeah, PEs suuuuuck.

[BC.]

Medical question…how do u know if you are having these clots?

After my documented waterskiing wreck this past August and my Grade 2 hamstring tears…..I am still not back to normal….and still having issues/can’t run, etc. (even with PT the past 3 months)

Is there anything I should be looking for?
At the end of the day, I have some serious swelling/tightness I deal with. Would clotting be an issue?

I know…I should go to a doctor….but never considered clotting/until reading this thread.

[123ski]

Medical question…how do u know if you are having these clots?

After my documented waterskiing wreck this past August and my Grade 2 hamstring tears…..I am still not back to normal….and still having issues/can’t run, etc. (even with PT the past 3 months)

Is there anything I should be looking for?
At the end of the day, I have some serious swelling/tightness I deal with. Would clotting be an issue?

I know…I should go to a doctor….but never considered clotting/until reading this thread.

For me I’ve been dealing with PT on my knee for months, but never had any signs of a blood clot.

A few days after I smashed my foot I had a severe Charlie horse develop in my calf. It never got better, even with stretching. Became tender to the touch.

Even today on day 3 of blood thinners, my calf and arch of my foot feel like I just skied the sketchiest terrain of my life on boots that were a size too small.

I know there are other signs of clots to look for, this was mine


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[BC.]

Thx….yes, I have had big time cramping in my calf/hamstring….I bought a massage gun and rollers….am constantly working on both of them….like huge knots in my calf/hamstrings)….always tender to touch/but eases up after “working on them”.

(Never had any of these issues (even as a marathon runner) before accident)….

It’s been since August 6th (day of infamy..lol) so I would think if I was having clotting issues, something would of happened to me already?

Nobody ever mentioned clotting issues…so this thread got me overthinking? But the injuries/after effects sound so similar to mine…

I’ll mention it at PT on Tuesday…..

*I had planned on some trips and making some appearances this winter….but thinking my winter is going to have to be pretty tame/if I can do it at all. (When I did it, I knew I screwed my leg up/future)

[PB]

Note to self: avoid provoking bad-ass clots.

[old goat]

Medical question…how do u know if you are having these clots?

After my documented waterskiing wreck this past August and my Grade 2 hamstring tears…..I am still not back to normal….and still having issues/can’t run, etc. (even with PT the past 3 months)

Is there anything I should be looking for?
At the end of the day, I have some serious swelling/tightness I deal with. Would clotting be an issue?

I know…I should go to a doctor….but never considered clotting/until reading this thread.

Were the hamstring tears your only injuries?
You can have clots and have no symptoms.
This long after your accident it's unlikely that you have acute clotting going on. It is possible that you had clots months ago and the vein is still obstructed or the clot dissolved and in the process the valves in the vein were damaged. If you're still having swelling this long after the accident it would be worth a visit to the doc and maybe an ultrasound including looking for reflux through the valves, depending on what the doc thinks after they see your leg.

[BC.]

Thanks…yes, tore hamstring where it attaches to my glute and behind my knee……had initial knee issues, so we did an MRI on knee….no ligament damage/just bad bone bruising on knee from hyper extension.

Yeah, it’s worth a visit to see why I’m not seeing the results I’m expecting….still can’t run at all…..it’s like my leg has forgotten how to react….”fire”. My PT just says we have to build your hamstring back from zero…..

So….I figure just keep doing the PT and it will come back….and then I read this thread about similar injuries and blood clots…..and it has me “thinking”.

Thank you for ur advice….

[powdork]

36 yo very active, everyone seems shocked. Laying here in bed hoping it doesn’t turn into a PE. Wishing I could talk to a doctor.

Exercise apparently helps, but my foot is in a cast. Not sure what else I can do in the meantime to avoid more clotting and avoid a PE

It's not so much that you need to exercise. You just need to not be sedentary. Movement is good. Plus it helps with the healing.
But to be more specific something like a medium size (maybe smaller depending on cast) exercise ball under your legs to roll around if walking/crutching/whatever makes it throb too much. look up early post op pt exercises and see what works for you and your cast, etc. They're usually gentle but will get things circulating
I don't know why people would be surprised. I thought clotting was kind of a primary concern after a crushing injury to a lower extremity similar to most leg surgeries.

[old goat]

When your gastrocs and soleus muscles (calf muscles) contract they squeeze blood out of the very large veins inside the soleus. Keeping the blood moving keeps it from clotting. One thing you could do is to isometrically contract your calf muscles without resistance, if you know what I mean. Kind of closing the barn door after the Shire horse is out but worth doing.

[PB]

Hence the use of the anaconda pneumatic leggings post-surgery.

[AKbruin]

123ski: Sorry to hear about your ordeal. If you're on a blood thinner like Xarelto, you don't really need to worry about a PE or further clots. At least, that's my lay understanding as a non-doctor who previously spoke with numerous doctors on the issue.

BC.: For me, my clots felt like a general soreness in my calf. It felt like someone had recently kicked me in the calf or I had done a big calf workout for the first time in ages the day before. But whereas those things generally go away within a few days, my soreness persisted for more than a week (maybe a couple weeks).

Personally, I think it'd be a good idea to see a doctor about it. I was 34 years old when I got my first DVT. I mentioned my calf pain to my orthopedist, who was tending to my broken wrist at the time, and he more or less dismissed it out of hand. But a week or so later, I saw a GP, and he had me get an ultrasound immediately with the advice that it was very unlikely to be a clot. (It was a clot.)

[123ski]

After a few days with shortness of breath when I’m mobile, they sent me in for a CT. Found a small PE. I can’t really tell I have it. Told me to stay on blood thinners and sent me home


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[detrusor]

BC. Search “saddle PE” and then tell me if it’s worth a visit to your doctor. My wife and I go round around about her “just asking her PT”. They’re not MD’s for fucks sake.


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[BC.]

BC. Search “saddle PE” and then tell me if it’s worth a visit to your doctor. My wife and I go round around about her “just asking her PT”. They’re not MD’s for fucks sake.


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Yeah..I’m not asking my current PT….I think I’m ok…since my HS soccer season ended, I’ve been able to be consistent with “my” workouts and things feel pretty good/getting stronger….I am finally starting to “run” this week…albeit super slow/only short distances, but it’s a start.

Reading that thread got me spooked, but it’s been 3 months…..I don’t think I could do what I’m doing during training sessions if I was having clot issues…

I have a yearly physical coming up in December…and will mention it in a few weeks.

Thanks though…..good luck to all the guys having issues…wishing you all the best so u can get back out there and rip it up again..

[old goat]

After a few days with shortness of breath when I’m mobile, they sent me in for a CT. Found a small PE. I can’t really tell I have it. Told me to stay on blood thinners and sent me home


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Shortness of breath is how you know you have it. I assume they checked your oxygen saturation and vital signs before they sent you home. Any chest pain, increased shortness of breath, or rapid heart rate go straight to ER/

BC. Search “saddle PE” and then tell me if it’s worth a visit to your doctor. My wife and I go round around about her “just asking her PT”. They’re not MD’s for fucks sake.


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To clarify BC--he's trying to scare you into seeing a doctor. We wouldn't expect you to have a lot of swelling from that injury alone. He's not saying you have a saddle embolus (yet). People with saddle emboli can't google, or do anything else, including breathing.

[123ski]

Just an update

My DVT did turn into a PE

My foot is now 12 weeks broken and still painful (was expecting 6-8 weeks). Have a follow up x-ray next week

Originally wanted to keep me on blood thinner until mid February, but with lingering cramps and pulsating in my calf they are considering leaving me on it until March/April

I asked about getting a follow up ultrasound and was told it’s not super helpful for managing my treatment

I’m essentially being given the option of coming off blood thinner in February, but am being told it might be too early and that things like tight ski boots and long plane rides (work) might bring it back.

I’ve really had my mind set on skiing by February so I’m a bit bummed right now and need some rationale voices in my head.

If I have to cancel the season I’m inclined to sell everything now and buy new again for next year, then get on a plane and spend a few weeks on a beach somewhere. Come back, get off blood thinner, and start biking.

Really didn’t want it to come to this.

I suppose though if I came off it in March I could buy a spring only pass and get a few days in before the end of the season - but again, tight ski boots aren’t sounding like they are highly recommended for this season

Talk to me


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[old goat]

I don't know that I would worry about tight ski boots causing another blood clot. Plane rides are definitely a concern.
The reason for anticoagulation is to prevent a new clot and to keep the old clot from growing. The biggest risk factor for a DVT is a previous DVT.
If the US showed there's still a blood clot it wouldn't make much difference because it's not going anywhere this late after forming. The blood clot you're worried about is the one you haven't had yet.

The usual recommendation is 3 months of anticoagulation IF there are no ongoing risk factors like impaired mobility or the need for long plane trips. I don't know if your continued pain is significantly impairing your mobility--if it is that would argue for continuing. If you can't avoid flying that would argue for continuing. I don't see skiing as increasing your risk of blood clots.

If you do get another clot there's a good chance they will want to keep you on anticoagulation for a long time, possibly for life, so if you have impaired mobility or have to fly it would be worth being cautious now to avoid long term anticoagulation.

Hope that helps you understand what your doctor is recommending.

[fastfred]

Suck it up do what they say thinners till April? Jesus christ that's nothing

Do you want to jerk off today and get that rush or wait and fuck the perfect hooker in Vegas this summer?

Don't fuck around let your body heal it sucks cock but the alternative is worse been there done that and sucking cock is not something I'm into at all

[Harry]

*** checking into this thread ***

Currently Week 12 after meniscus surgery.

I had returned to skiing at Week 8, so I was gradually ramping things up. Sharp pain in my calf halfway down a run ended my day. Next couple days my calf pain got way worse. Ended up in the ER. Diagnosis: extensive blood clotting.

They said one of the clots is over a foot long? How is that possible?

I was already on Plavix and this happened anyway. So they upgraded me to some new form of rat poison.

Just starting this journey, I don’t know shit.

[mcski]

Wow, that sucks. I hope the new ratatouille mix is tolerable and lets you get back out there quickly. Dont like the word extensive at all unless it’s about the availability of hookers and blow