Back from the Hospital

[maillotpois]

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

[Grog]

Wow. That is scary.

I am really glad you are okay.

Rest well.

And thanks for the warnings!!

[Dianyla]

Holy cow!

I'm glad you made it through ok and that you're still with us. Thank you for posting this.

*shudder*

[Deanna]

Man o man. What a scary experience. I'm glad you are going to be okay.

[cusepack]

Oh my gosh Sarah, so glad to hear you're okay. Honestly, I'm at a loss for words as I can't imagine all that you've been going through physically and emotionally.

My thoughts and prayers will be with you as you recover.

Kathryn

[Fredwina]

not fun! And my co-workers wonders I try and roam the hallways at least once an hour. Speaking of which, I'm overdue....

[Nanci]

Wow, Sarah, I can't believe how long that took to develop. Do you really maybe have asthma, or did that all evolve after the flights, and cause you to think you did, then?

It kind of reminds me of when I had pneumonia last July, and me and my coworkers (at the hospital, in radiology) were all diagnosing me with different things like kidney stones...It took me from Thursday till Monday to actually figure out I wasn't going to get better on my own, and then my doc's office wouldn't see me till Tuesday, and when I went in, and described my back pain, the doc is like, well, you have pneumonia, that's a sure sign, but we'll x-ray you anyway.

Back to the CT. I worked in CT for about five years, and would always warn the patients that they would experience a warm, or even hot sensation from the IV contrast. Ok, so I had to have a chest CT with contrast a couple years ago. Well, what no one ever told _me_, probably because they hadn't ever had IV contrast, is that you get HOT right in the COOTCHIE area!! Nice...(Plus the rest of the body to various degrees, but it was really hot there! Don't know why.

Nanci

[SadieKate]

Wow, glad we hadn't sent over the shirtless dancing bike mechanics yet.

[Lifesgreat]

I am SO glad you are OK!!! As my as my clot filled family history mom says, "you don't mess with clots". I had a blood test a couple of years ago to see if I carry the gene that can indicate a higher chance of clots. Fortunately, I didn't inherit that gene

Rest easy!

[Tater]

Wow, I hope you get better soon! Sending healing thoughts your way!

[DeniseGoldberg]

Wow. It's sounds like you are on the road to recovery now, but that's one scary tale. More healing wishes are heading your way...

--- Denise

[mary9761]

I'm glad you're ok Sarah, that's scary stuff. I hope that the swelling that Larry (Zman) experienced on the plane to Australia doesn't have anything to do with DVT, I was concerned that could be the case. I hope that you don't have any recurrance either. Sorry you're going to miss out on the rides you had planned.
Mary

[tprevost]

OMG!!! Sarah! I am SO glad you are going to be okay. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers and hope this gets straightened out in a way that has you happy and healthy once again!

Tracy

[caligurl]

wow! how SCARY!!!!!!! i'm glad to hear you are getting better... but... just WOW!!!!!!!!!!

[emily_in_nc]

Very scary! Glad you're okay (or will be).

I had pain behind the knee awhile back and Lorri told me her story, so I went to the doc and asked about DVT, just in case. I didn't have it, just tendinitis, but I learned a lot about it just from reading Lorri's article and a few other sources online. It's scary that you didn't even have the leg pain to forewarn you about this.

Best wishes for a quick recovery.

Emily