maillotpois
12-22-2006, 01:11 PM
Most of you know the back story - almost 6 months ago, I was diagnosed with pulmonary emboli (blood clots in both lungs, lot of them!). I was put on very high dosage of anti coagulants and told not to ride a bike for 6 months. :(
Well, last week I had a ventilation perfusion ("VQ") scan to see how things were progressing in there and make sure it was okay to come off the medication and start riding again. The scan was wild. First the make you breathe in radioactive gas and scan your lungs. You have to be sure you exhale all the bad "stuff" back into the machine - I guess they don't want the radioactive stuff floating around the hospital. Then they inject you with radioactive "stuff" in your vein and scan again. They compare how the air flow is and the blood flow and that tells them if you have blood clots or damage to your lungs.
Well, last night the lung doctor emailed me and said the scan was "totally clear". Wow! I am taking that to mean the clots are gone, though his message was somewhat brief. Anyway, I have stopped taking the nasty medication and will be riding again within a week.
That's a good Christmas gift I'd say! :D
Well, last week I had a ventilation perfusion ("VQ") scan to see how things were progressing in there and make sure it was okay to come off the medication and start riding again. The scan was wild. First the make you breathe in radioactive gas and scan your lungs. You have to be sure you exhale all the bad "stuff" back into the machine - I guess they don't want the radioactive stuff floating around the hospital. Then they inject you with radioactive "stuff" in your vein and scan again. They compare how the air flow is and the blood flow and that tells them if you have blood clots or damage to your lungs.
Well, last night the lung doctor emailed me and said the scan was "totally clear". Wow! I am taking that to mean the clots are gone, though his message was somewhat brief. Anyway, I have stopped taking the nasty medication and will be riding again within a week.
That's a good Christmas gift I'd say! :D