View RSS Feed

The FAF AFAP Digest

Surgery It Is

Rate this Entry
20 Comments
by
USMS MemberThe Fortress
, November 20th, 2016 at 12:33 PM (11410 Views)
I went to Johns Hopkins last Thursday for some testing and to see Dr. Lum. 9 days earlier, I finally had my chest CT with contrast and it was negative for blood clots. But by the time I got to Hopkins, a duplex ultrasound showed an extensive blood clot from mid chest to mid arm and confirmed a diagnosis of venous thoracic outlet syndrome. So it is a worst case scenario. VTOS is an extremely rare condition, but healthy athletes like swimmers are somewhat more at risk, and I am genetically pre-disposed. I am on blood thinners now and will have to have surgery in a couple weeks. There is no other solution, you have to de-compress the subclavian vein in the thoracic outlet. For the surgery, the resect your first rib and take out the attached scalene muscle. No swimming for 3 months after the surgery. Since I haven't swum much in a month, it is going to be a long time out of the water. And I can't exercise at all right now. My left side is somewhat compressed as well, but Dr Lum thinks the likelihood of VTOS on that side is still low. I worry, though, because my sister had to have bilateral surgeries.

On the upside, a blood clot did not break off and go to my lung or brain. And I've been told that it's possible some of my shoulder and elbow problems on my right side may have been to do maladaptive compensations from inadequate venous return. I have felt like my breath holding capacity has declined somewhat the last couple years. This could be why, and may also be fixed by surgery. Hopefully, there is not too much damage to the vein.

Dr Lum thinks that the culprit may be all my streamline dolphin kicking bc you are in an extremely compressed position when doing that. I did even more kicking that usual this year bc of my elbow and shoulder tendonitis issues. I may have to consider doing less SDK work upon returning.

So I'm signing off for awhile. It will seem odd ... I've been blogging for many years now ... since the creation of the USMS blogs. And I haven't had any real break from swimming in 11 years. The timing is very disappointing, in my age up year. But masters swimming seems to be defined by comebacks. Hopefully, that will be my case.

Submit "Surgery It Is" to Digg Submit "Surgery It Is" to del.icio.us Submit "Surgery It Is" to StumbleUpon Submit "Surgery It Is" to Google

Categories
Uncategorized

Comments

  1. scyfreestyler's Avatar
    As you noted, thankfully no clots to lungs or brain. The time out of the water will be tough and the age group timing is poor, but I think you'll come back better than ever. I look forward to following along. Hope your surgery goes as smoothly as possible.
  2. pwb's Avatar
    Leslie, I wish you the best of success in the surgery and the recovery. And, while you might not feel like blogging because you won't be working out, know that you have a supportive community here behind you. We'll all be pulling for you!
  3. Kenny100's Avatar
    Hang-in there Fort. I will miss your blogs and workout comments until you return. I have been reading them since you were posting HIT swimming workouts. There will be an upside to this, even though it may not be apparent right now.
  4. kwhenderson's Avatar
    Oh Leslie, I am so sorry, but thankful you are in good hands with your surgeon. Do keep us posted on the surgery and your progress. You and your doctor will be in my prayers for complete restoration. And, yes, praise that the blood clot did not break loose. Your contributions to the swimming community will be missed from your personal performances to your blog. Fortunately we can still access your previous posts for our training! Thanks for all you've done for those who follow you. I know you, and you'll be back stronger than ever. Hang in there. Hopefully your whole family will be together for Thanksgiving. Blessings!!
  5. flystorms's Avatar
    Oh my goodness. So the bright side is that you know what it is now and it sounds like it's fixable. I can understand how frustrating it will be to not be in the pool for a while. Please pop in here every once in a while with updates and maybe we can bring you a little cheer until you're all healed. Please heal quickly, Fort.
  6. Kurt Dickson's Avatar
    Weird you had to go to Johns Hopkins to get an ultrasound as that would have been the only thing I could think of to order. Also, seems strange that streamlining is felt to be the culprit. Most blood clots are from venous stasis and I would think you would have to streamline for several hours to get that. Perhaps a combination of vascular injury and genetic predisposition on top of the thoracic outlet obstruction.

    As has been said, we are all pulling (hey, swim pun) for you. Best wishes on surgery and a short recovery.
  7. The Fortress's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by scyfreestyler
    As you noted, thankfully no clots to lungs or brain. The time out of the water will be tough and the age group timing is poor, but I think you'll come back better than ever. I look forward to following along. Hope your surgery goes as smoothly as possible.
    Thanks Matt. I hope it all does go smoothly. Fingers crossed.
  8. The Fortress's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by pwb
    Leslie, I wish you the best of success in the surgery and the recovery. And, while you might not feel like blogging because you won't be working out, know that you have a supportive community here behind you. We'll all be pulling for you!

    Thanks for the support Patrick. I'll report in on how the surgery goes.
  9. The Fortress's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Kenny100
    Hang-in there Fort. I will miss your blogs and workout comments until you return. I have been reading them since you were posting HIT swimming workouts. There will be an upside to this, even though it may not be apparent right now.
    Kenny, I so appreciate that you took the time to write me a note. I do miss writing the HIT workouts. But I was still doing them. Hopefully, I'll be back doing them.
  10. The Fortress's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by kwhenderson
    Oh Leslie, I am so sorry, but thankful you are in good hands with your surgeon. Do keep us posted on the surgery and your progress. You and your doctor will be in my prayers for complete restoration. And, yes, praise that the blood clot did not break loose. Your contributions to the swimming community will be missed from your personal performances to your blog. Fortunately we can still access your previous posts for our training! Thanks for all you've done for those who follow you. I know you, and you'll be back stronger than ever. Hang in there. Hopefully your whole family will be together for Thanksgiving. Blessings!!
    Thanks so much Kristin. Good luck to you this SCM season!
  11. The Fortress's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by flystorms
    Oh my goodness. So the bright side is that you know what it is now and it sounds like it's fixable. I can understand how frustrating it will be to not be in the pool for a while. Please pop in here every once in a while with updates and maybe we can bring you a little cheer until you're all healed. Please heal quickly, Fort.
    Thx Fly! It will indeed be very frustrating. Being a couch potato does not agree!
  12. The Fortress's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Kurt Dickson
    Weird you had to go to Johns Hopkins to get an ultrasound as that would have been the only thing I could think of to order. Also, seems strange that streamlining is felt to be the culprit. Most blood clots are from venous stasis and I would think you would have to streamline for several hours to get that. Perhaps a combination of vascular injury and genetic predisposition on top of the thoracic outlet obstruction.

    As has been said, we are all pulling (hey, swim pun) for you. Best wishes on surgery and a short recovery.
    Thanks Kurt. I did have an ultrasound about a month ago in the ER when I went in with my red swollen arm. It was negative for clots then, but they only did it with my arm at my side. I believe I had McCleery's Syndrome (intermittent compression of the subclavian vein) at that time and a clot hadn't yet developed a clot.

    After a couple weeks, I suspected it might be VTOS. I knew I would have to see a thoracic surgeon for a diagnosis and treatment. Every dr that I knew told me to get someone with a lot of experience, someone who does this surgery every week not a few times a year. That is Dr. Lum. And unfortunately, I couldn't even get an appt here in Pittsburgh until December 5. I didn't want to wait that long, and it was good that I didn't.

    VTOS is an overuse condition developed over time. Streamline dolphin kick is about the most "overhead" you can get.
  13. Doug Martin's Avatar
    Leslie, very sorry about this. As you or someone said, though, Masters swimming almost seems to be defined by injuries and comebacks. I've watched Bruce Kone come back with a startling vengeance from TOS. Until then, I hope you can find outlets for your seemingly boundless energy; coaching again perhaps? Please do us the favor of dipping into these forums occasionally.
  14. The Fortress's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Doug Martin
    Leslie, very sorry about this. As you or someone said, though, Masters swimming almost seems to be defined by injuries and comebacks. I've watched Bruce Kone come back with a startling vengeance from TOS. Until then, I hope you can find outlets for your seemingly boundless energy; coaching again perhaps? Please do us the favor of dipping into these forums occasionally.
    Thanks Doug. Yes, I've been chatting with Bruce. He's definitely a VTOS success story and fount of knowledge. Do you have a SCM meet coming up? I will have to live vicariously for awhile.
  15. Sojerz's Avatar
    So sorry to hear it will require surgery. Hope you keep us posted on your progress from time to time - love reading your comments too.

    When I broke my thigh cycling a few years back, I found it hard to sit on the sidelines and recover. I was a very inpatient patient, but the brooding didn't help. As Doug said, another outlet is a great idea. Take time to recover and give your body a chance to rebuild itself. Come back when it feels right, and it will.

    Wishing the best results for you, take care.
  16. jim thornton's Avatar
    Leslie, there are so many masters swimmers dealing with various types of adversity. You have been an inspiration to us all, and I, for one, would like to see you continue writing your blog even while you are out of the water. I think that any insights you can provide about the mental state of the injured athlete, forced by circumstance to temporarily stop participating in the activity that has been such a big part of their self-identity, would resonate deeply with an awful lot of us out here in the virtual hinterlands. Don't write sentimental rah-rah claptrap, nor succumb to too much gnashing of teeth! But keep us posted on what I suspect is as much a psychological challenge as a physical one. Any insights you might develop in how to deal with the whole process will be, I strongly suspect, valuable to lots and lots of your fans.
  17. The Fortress's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Sojerz
    So sorry to hear it will require surgery. Hope you keep us posted on your progress from time to time - love reading your comments too.

    When I broke my thigh cycling a few years back, I found it hard to sit on the sidelines and recover. I was a very inpatient patient, but the brooding didn't help. As Doug said, another outlet is a great idea. Take time to recover and give your body a chance to rebuild itself. Come back when it feels right, and it will.

    Wishing the best results for you, take care.
    Thanks Bill. I will try not to brood too much. Not sure I can really do much for a couple months post surgery tho ...
  18. The Fortress's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by jim thornton
    Don't write sentimental rah-rah claptrap, nor succumb to too much gnashing of teeth! But keep us posted on what I suspect is as much a psychological challenge as a physical one. Any insights you might develop in how to deal with the whole process will be, I strongly suspect, valuable to lots and lots of your fans.
    Sentimental rah rah claptrap?! Ha, not likely from me. It will indeed be a psychological challenge. All my muscle will dwindle away ... Hopefully, I won't become obese! You'll have to come visit.
  19. jim thornton's Avatar
    Okay, maybe a little sentimental rah rah claptrap in between the obesity and sarcopenia fears!
  20. KEWebb18's Avatar
    I will definitely miss reading your blog! Best of luck with your surgery and recovery.