Cycling UK Forum

Just an update.

After 15 weeks i've been given the go ahead to start riding again

That's the good news, however as there has been no identifiable cause it looks like i'll be taking Rivaroxiban for the foreseeable future as a preventative measure. I could stop, the odds of a repeat however are @25%, the potential for a bleed due to the medication is 1-2% hence my decision to continue.

Whilst I can ride again the leg isn't back to pre incident condition, apart from complete loss of muscle tone there is a constant background level of mild pain/discomfort. This varies from sharp cramp like incidents to a dull ache - i'm hoping this will reduce when I get exercising again.

Support hose has been a mixed blessing during the last few weeks - some days seeming to make things worse rather than better but providing relief the next day!

The next bit of my recovery is getting back into regular riding and hopefully losing the fifteen kilos i've put on over the last three and a half months.

Fingers crossed that things are sorted for now!

Foxy
Only just noticed this thread(I don't frequent in the health section much)sorry to read about your problems,it's an absolute BA if you cant ride and even worse with a problem such as you've experience.
I'm glad to read that at least you're back the bike again,it sounds as if the worst is over,I hope you make a full recovery.
All the Best

reohn2 wrote:Foxy
Only just noticed this thread(I don't frequent in the health section much)sorry to read about your problems,it's an absolute BA if you cant ride and even worse with a problem such as you've experience.
I'm glad to read that at least you're back the bike again,it sounds as if the worst is over,I hope you make a full recovery.
All the Best

Cheers

Having had one clot in the top of my leg then one in my lung both followed trauma to my body.Folowing a course of anti clotting drugs I have had no further problems.

davyboy wrote:Having had one clot in the top of my leg then one in my lung both followed trauma to my body.Folowing a course of anti clotting drugs I have had no further problems.

That's good to hear.

I'm still having some minor swelling issues although I've made good progress riding and reducing the ballast. (only 7kg to go to get to baseline!)

10 months on - latest!

Yeo it's 10 months since my diagnosis, maybe 12 since the first indications that all was not well. The hospital returned me to GP care in October with an ongoing 20mg/day Rivaroxiban prescription as a preventative to a recurrence, (we never have identified the cause)

I do get some degree of swelling in the leg, i'm told it's a common side effect of the Rivaroxiban. This swelling tends to be worse after exercise but quickly subsides once i've got all the winter gear off!

There is another side effect, apparently due to the apparently irreversible stretching of lymph nodes. That is what I would describe as short cramp events, both whilst riding and sometimes sat indoors. Curiously I sometimes have this in the good leg too. Has anyone else had this? Should I be more concerned about it? (pre condition I sometimes suffered post ride cramps due I think to dehydration despite best hydration practice, this seems to have a different root cause.)

Others have expressed concern over the 'bleed' danger of using Rivaroxiban. My personal experience (an off 8 weeks ago) is that I clot much as I did before. That's not to say it's the same for everyone, I have two friends on the same dose meds for heart issues and both have had bleed 'events' from quite minor non bike nick's. I was advised against mountain biking but all the health professionals i've asked seem to consider road cycling low risk, certainly no worse than walking!

As for intervention in the event of major trauma, for Wulferin it's essential but Rivaroxiban has a 25 hour non cumulative effect so rarely needs intervention unless you've just taken a dose. I was advised to carry a card on me in case of trauma, I do this but of course it's no guarantee any event will occur when I have my wallet on me! I guess it's a low enough risk compared to life in general for me to accept.

As for the cycling, well i'm getting there, I'm lucky enough to work my own hours from home so i've been able to dedicate at least 10 hours a week to the bike. I've gone from struggling to do 10km at 18kph to Saturdays 170km at 23kph - there's still work to do but i'm now confident i'll get back to full fitness.

Hope some of this helps reassure and inform others unlucky enough to find themselves in this position.

Glad to read of your recovery,I hope things continue to improve

seems like you have been lucky. I have a young friend who went into hospital over a wisdom tooth extraction and things escalated to a blood clot in her leg and she nearly died and they had to remove one of her legs from above the knee. poor lady has had enough bad luck as she is also deaf.

I seem to have missed this the first time around.

I'm glad that you are recovering and wish you well with it.

Vorpal wrote:I seem to have missed this the first time around.

I'm glad that you are recovering and wish you well with it.

Thanks

It's almost a year since I was given the okay to return to the saddle.

On the positive side i've got to the point of not thinking about my riding beyond where i'm going. It's difficult to explain but for most of the last year i've spent thinking about whether I can do the ride, how will the leg hold up etc etc. Now I go out and just ride without thought to the terrain, distance etc. The walking is pretty much back to normal too, longest to date is 10km but again it was 'thoughtless'.

The negatives - well I still get some swelling, particularly if i've been less active during the day. Although the risk of another DVT is apparently low the medics suggested that I take low dose Rivaroxiban for the foreseeable to keep that risk low. (this may be contributing to the swelling but not sure how you could be certain on that) Then of course there's the 'cramping' which is restricted to the affected lower leg and may occur at almost anytime post exercise.

So it's mostly good with the riding and the bad stuff is at a liveable level. The strength in the bad leg is well down, the other leg feels like it's doing most of the work - maybe i'll get a power meter and test that at some point.

I'm now 'working' to get my climbing a bit better - that strength imbalance has been holding me back on the steeper stuff. I've had to adjust my riding style from a more punchy out of the saddle to a more sedate seated style - i'm getting up stuff just not very quickly!

Hi,
Getting there is the story of our life and as you get older it gets harder you live with what you have, you learn to.

A warming: blood clots in legs. I have a young friend who went into hosptial for a abscess op. She woke up crying in extrme pain about her legs seems like a blood clot had developed, there hadnt been a night sister or some one on duty at the time to deterimine the serious ness, so things were left too late and draining one leg had no effect and the whole leg started to clot, so it had to be amputated. She nearly died her parents told her. The matter is now with the lawyers.

mercalia wrote:A warming: blood clots in legs. I have a young friend who went into hosptial for a abscess op. She woke up crying in extrme pain about her legs seems like a blood clot had developed, there hadnt been a night sister or some one on duty at the time to deterimine the serious ness, so things were left too late and draining one leg had no effect and the whole leg started to clot, so it had to be amputated. She nearly died her parents told her. The matter is now with the lawyers.

is that the same one or a second one?

crazydave789 wrote:

mercalia wrote:A warming: blood clots in legs. I have a young friend who went into hosptial for a abscess op. She woke up crying in extrme pain about her legs seems like a blood clot had developed, there hadnt been a night sister or some one on duty at the time to deterimine the serious ness, so things were left too late and draining one leg had no effect and the whole leg started to clot, so it had to be amputated. She nearly died her parents told her. The matter is now with the lawyers.

is that the same one or a second one?

have I mentioned her before? only one thank god.