The saddest part of the whole ordeal remains that I cannot bike while on Xarelto. Any head trauma and internal bleeding would be deadly for me. While I’ve never had internal bleeding in my head, now is not the time to defy the odds. Needless to say, participating in any triathlon events is also out of the question while I am on Xarelto (most probably around 1 year). Fortunately, I can still run. Once I get better, my concentration will (probably) shift on running a few marathons. We’ll see…
They really have no idea why I developed clots. My blood work is starting to come back and all markers are showing up negative. Personally, I think the clots happened because of severe dehydration during the Ironman in Cabo. I was cramping throughout the run and was given two bottles of IV fluids after I finished to Ironman; and I still didn’t have to pee for a few hours. I thought I was drinking enough fluids, but obviously I was not!
Tomorrow, I have an appointment with Dr. Grover again. He is a very good but a very conservative Hematologist / Oncologist. I don’t think he really “gets” the Ironman lifestyle. My impression is that he would treat a 70-year-old sickly obese man exactly the same way as he would treat a 40-year-old active, healthy man. This I find a bit annoying. Of course, I also have other social pressures from EVERYONE (family, friends, etc.) giving me advice. Mind you, most of them are NOT physicians; and most of them are NOT avid endurance athletes either. They all mean well, but I don’t think they get it either. Some even think that internally I am really scared and my relaxed appearance is simply a mask. They may be projecting!!