Boy, that was fun.

Here's the scoop:

I see a lot of paralells to Lorri (Velogirl's) experience with DVT (story re-linked below) - but I seemed to not have any DVT signs and went into Pulmonary emoblism. Here's the chronology:

6/3 I did the Eastern Sierra double (it was hot and I had trouble eating enough and probably didn't drink enough). Immediately after, I stopped using the advair inhaler my doctor gave me for suspected asthma that had developed after Solvang double - just to see if there was any effect from not using it.

6/6 I flew to the east coast and returned via red-eye 6/8,

6/9 did a stupid easy ride, and couldn't breathe. I figured it was the discontinuation of the inhaler so I started using it again.

6/10 did a tough 120 mile Death Ride training ride with participants I am coaching for Death Ride. Rode slowly, felt ok.

6/17 spent the weekend w/Death Ride team in Markleeville riding passes at altitude. Felt terrible. Could not breathe.

6/21 delivered pretty lackluster performance on 10 mile time trial. Can't breathe well. Assume, again, that it is asthma.

Then last Friday night (6/23) I was awoken with severe chest pain. Was unable to go to sleep for a couple of hours. I figured it was pleuritic pain caused by breathing difficulties secondary to this asthma issue. The next day, I delivered a pretty crummy performance on the second half of the Mt. Tam double course with V and friends. I (again) figured the shortness of breath and continuing sharp chest and back pain w/deep breathing was related to my asthma.

Monday morning, I noticed an odd taste in my mouth when I would clear my throat (I am a constant throat clearer). Driving to work, I coughed up a chunk of something that really didn't taste right and I looked into the rearview mirror and my mouth was full of blood.

Saw my doctor who was thrown by the 100% oxygen sat level of my blood (apparently historically, you don't have a clot in your lung if you have this but very fit folks may not fit the mold - be warned!) Got a chest x-ray and a battery of blood work Monday and by Tuesday (yesterday) I was ordered to a CT scan.

The CT scan was a bit scary as they inject iodinie dye for contrast and it is hot and feels very strange. When the scan was done, the radiology tech said (in that tone of voice you don't like to hear) "I am not a doctor, but I can tell you they are not going to let you go home." I had pulmonary emboli - clots in my lungs I did not have any clots remaining in my legs - they had apparently broken up and moved to my lungs. The danger is that the clots can obstruct your circulation and caused your heart to not be able to pump blood through. Or, the clots can go to the heart. Basically, you can die.

So I spent the night in the hospital on heavy duty blood thinners which I now have to self inject twice a day in the stomach for maybe 3 - 6 months. I have to get my blood checked regularly (like every few days at first). No riding for 2 weeks. No Death Ride. Probably, at this point, no Furnace Creek 508. Velogirl and SK have been extremely suportive, with the former issuing a real "get with it, you could have died" directive which made me think maybe backing off on the riding while I am on heavy anticoagulants is not a bad thing.

So anyway, I never got the leg pain (that I can remember - DH swears I complained of it once but I do not recall.) It was the coughing up blood that made me realize there was a problem. In retrospect I was SO lucky. I did all that tough riding - and the altitude camp - with clots in my legs and lungs. Yikes!

So be careful out there. And read Velogirl's story, too.
http://www.velogirls.com/resources/publications/dvt.pdf