For Posterity

Following my original DVT diagnosis in 2012, I naturally searched for information online and found a blog with an interesting post on DVT in athletes, particularly cyclists: http://freybird.blogspot.com/2009/01/deep-vein-thrombosis-for-cyclist.html

Below is a followup comment I just made to that blog, and I am re-posting it here for... well, look at the title of this post.
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Back again... I see the traffic is decreasing, but still there, so I'll add more data.  As you can see above, I had a DVT in my left calf in 1/2012, rode extensively while on Warfarin, and got a clean ultrasound (and discontinued Warfarin) exactly six months on the drug.

About a year after the DVT, I noticed increased symptoms of post-thrombotic syndrome anytime I wasn't exercising and began searing Sigvaris compression sleeves when not on the bike.  Those have worked wonderfully, and I highly recommend them once your doctor says you can wear compression socks (I was told flat-out that compression stockings are NOT indicated for acute DVT).

Fast-forward to October 2013.  By now, I have gotten back into bicycle racing after an 11-year hiatus, joined a team, and am having a blast.  I did a cyclocross on a whim with no 'cross-specific training, and afterwards - uh oh - my right calf was sore as hell.  I rested and elevated the leg, but the soreness remained.  The ominous part was when I developed discomfort breathing, as though I had a softball under my lower right rib cage.

Off to the ER I went, and after ultrasound confirmed a "small" clot behind my right knee, a CT scan with contrast dye found multiple clots in my lungs, including some big ones.  Yep, the fact that I'm typing this means that I'm a Pulmonary Embolism survivor.  3 days in the hospital on Heparin, and the inflammation of my chest lining due to the infarction was the worst pain I've ever felt.  I was maxed out on Oxycodone and still needed oxygen because I could barely inhale.

So, once more with the Lovenox, then the Warfarin... and I will be on Warfarin for life now.  I saw a hematologist, and based on my history he agrees my clots were provoked, but the specific provocation (pulling a muscle while exercising) was not at all normal.  For me, the risk of recurrence was much greater than the risk of being on Warfarin.

Now, as before, I found that riding made me feel better, and I believe it helped my lung function rebound faster.  I coughed up blood for about 2 months, but my lungs now feel normal (except that I get a slight "heavy" sensation where the initial pain was if I get really dehydrated).  I've been riding more than I have in 10 years, almost 1400 miles this year so far, and did quite well in a criterium with 100 riders (in Boulder, no less).

In essence, I'm living my life as if nothing ever happened, except that I take Warfarin every day and I don't binge on broccoli and spinach (although I DO eat salads regularly).  Is it risky?  Sure, but risks can be understood and managed.  Before, I only ever rode by myself.  Now, I ride with a team and with other racers who know me and my history.  If I should wreck, they know (or can read my RoadID bracelet and figure out) that I may need help, and fast.  However, I continue to believe that exercise - even the strenuous variety - is only beneficial and improves my long-term outlook.