Let's take a trip out West.
Let's go to Colorado.
I miss the mountains. I am a big fan of mountains and during my time in Colorado I enjoyed every second of the beauty of that place. It is truly one of a kind and I am very lucky to have had the chance to be out there playing the mountains. Someday I will be back for a long stretch to get back on the trails and head up.
We are also very lucky this month because get the opportunity to meet a blood clot survivor who lives and plays all around the mountains.
Dan has been kind enough to share his story of survival with us and for that we are very thankful. Every single story is unique and provides a perspective that can make a difference for someone who is starting their very own survival story.
For sure read this story because it is well worth it!
Read on...
What is you sport/activity of choice? Why do you enjoy it?
Bike riding is my preference. I used to road ride and mountain bike, but doing less mountain biking and more gravel riding. My doctor said maybe mountain biking is not a good choice at this time while being on blood thinners, anyway. My wife and I like to hike and fish as well.
What is the latest milestone you achieved or plan to achieve?
I am just a weekend warrior, but every year I enjoyed riding charity events for different causes like 65 miles for Cystic Fibrosis and the only century I would do each year for Craig Hospital, which treats spinal and brain injuries. My wife and I like to take vacations up in the mountains of Colorado and neighboring states 2 to 3 times a year, and each vacation I usually plan a bike ride that will take me up some mountain pass or across some gorgeous scenery, and that usually motivates me to ride a bit more before.
Tells about your clotting episode. Are you on blood thinners now? How long were you out of commission?
I had arthroscopic microfracture knee surgery in late December 2017, which meant no weight bearing for 8 weeks. About 3 weeks after the surgery I had what felt like a cramp in my right calf. I thought it was just the way I had been holding my leg while on crutches, and tried to massage out the cramp. The next night the same thing, so my wife suggested contacting my brother, who is a PA for an orthopedic surgeon, and he said I need to get in asap for an ultrasound and said to “STOP rubbing it!” I did an ultrasound at a lab in the hospital, and afterward, the tech that did it said to go take a seat I was not going anywhere. I spoke with the doctor who did my knee surgery and he said it was rare to get a blood clot with the type of surgery I had. Rare or not, I ended up walking the 100 feet to the ER and checked in. The ER Dr asked what was up, and when I said a blood clot, she replied “I had not just a blood clot, but a good clot from below my calf to mid-thigh.” They gave me a prescription for Eliquis and set me home. I think it is a bit odd that you go to the ER, they worry about the clot and the implications, but in the end hand you a piece of paper and say go get the prescription filled. Six weeks later I had another ultrasound and the clot was gone and I was off the Eliquis. I couldn’t do much running on my knee, but biking was no problem.
Things were fine until around Memorial Day this year, which was just over 2 years since my first blood clot. March and April I was getting out with my wife and trying to do a lot of walking , and then in April and May I was riding a lot, 3 to 4 times per week. In the between those bouts of exercise I do sit at a desk for my work, and am not sure if that is the problem, but around Memorial Day I noticed my right leg seemed a bit bigger than the left. I wasn’t too concerned, at the time, thinking maybe the heat and biking had just caused some swelling. In hind sight I might have had some minor calf aches and pain behind the knee, but chalked them up to running or something else. I just didn’t imagine another blood clot. If I was going to get a clot it should have been back in January and February when I wasn’t doing anything. After a couple weeks I spoke with my brother again, and the same scenario took place. Went for an ultrasound in the lab at the hospital, this time the tech said she couldn’t collapse the vein, and then I did the 100 foot walk down to the same ER as before where they gave me another prescription for Eliquis. When I saw my PCP the following week he referred me to a hematologist and said maybe I would be on blood thinners the rest of my life. I thought he was crazy and that the hematologist would surely not recommend something like that. My dad was on blood thinners starting around age 89 until he passed away 4 years later, but he was 89 and basically in a wheel chair when he started them. I was 58 and somewhat active. The hematologist did every test imaginable, and in the end said there was no genetic link, or any other reason I should have blood clots, AND he said I would be on blood thinners the rest of my life. In baseball you get 3 strikes, but he said with blood clots you only get two, especially when one is unprovoked as my second one was. I was shocked, and while there can be side effects from blood thinners, they don’t seem to be on the same par as some of those on tv commercials that have a huge list of side effects. My doctor basically said to be careful, especially with anything that might cause head trauma. If I were to mountain bike it would be on non technical trails, but other than that, nothing has really changed as far as my activities go. My potential MMA cage fighting career probably wasn’t going to happen anyway!
How much are you getting out doing your sport?
I try and ride my bike 3-4 times per week. I do try and take some walk breaks during the day as well, and maybe can get back to doing some running, which has been on hiatus due to some chronic calf strains, not blood clots.
What is your favorite food?
After a hot ride there is nothing I like more than eating some cold watermelon or cantaloupe. The melons grown in southeast Colorado are especially flavorful due to the hot days and cool nights and when they come to market in August they are hard to beat.
What would like to say to someone who is going through a clotting episode, perhaps very similar to yours? How can people return to do what they enjoy ?
I read others stories and mine is pretty mundane in comparison. My clots were limited basically to leg swelling and cramps, nothing that prevented me from getting out and exercising. Sometimes it’s difficult for me to understand why I got the clots as I didn’t do anything that millions of people every day don’t do. I sat at my desk, maybe sometimes for too long, but it wasn’t like I was on an 8 hour plane ride. Maybe if I had set the timer to go off every 2 hours and got up and walked things would be different, but for whatever reason I just think I was prone to get them. Fortunately, as I said earlier, the drugs seem so much safer with fewer side effects than a lot of others on the market. My doctor’s main concern is the head and taking a hit on it. He said we can replace other parts, but not the head. I have not ridden a bike in 30 years without a helmet, and I wouldn’t ride across the street without one even before this. My helmets have MIPS, but if they didn’t I would buy new ones that did just for my own piece of mind. I figure every bit helps. When I do the Cystic Fibrosis ride and the ride to help patients at Craig Hospital with their brain or spinal injury, I realize what I have gone through is not nearly as debilitating as what others endure every day.
Unfortunately I have to agree with Dan that his MMA career will have to take a back seat... but his career in adventures is far from over. I very much enjoy the resolution that I feel on this write up where this incident will not be stopping him.
If you are out West in Colorado be on the lookout for the CLOT BUSTER #StopTheClot polka-dots since it could be Dan who is out there representing for all of us.
Thank you reading and be safe out there!
The Clot Buster
