FONTANA, Calif. — Brian Vickers was just looking to find his groove after returning to the race car two weeks ago at Las Vegas. Considering what the last two seasons had been like for him, and surgery in December, he didn’t miss a beat.
The team turned in a solid performance, 15th overall, and moved into Phoenix with the hopes of continuing a return to form. Phoenix didn’t provide the solid finish the team expected, as he finished 41st.
Heading into Fontana, Vickers finally felt as though he was returning to a normal routine.
However, it was not meant to be. After arriving in Fontana, Vickers developed another clot,that has once again sidelined him from the sport he loves. Michael Waltrip Racing made the announcement Friday morning that Vickers would be unable to compete in Sunday’s Auto Club 400, putting Brett Moffitt in the seat, while Vickers continues treatment for yet another blood clot.
Oddly enough, it is National Blood Clot Awareness month, and Vickers has done some stellar work to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of blood clots. His work with Xarelto, an anticoagulant medication used to treat blood clots, has been well documented, and no doubt very helpful bring awareness to the conditions that can cause clotting issues.
Unfortunately, anticoagulant use and driving a racecar at 200 miles per hour, do not mix. Anticoagulant therapy, the traditional method of treating a clot such as Vickers,’ slows down the ability of the thrombocytes, the cells responsible for the clotting of blood, to do their job. Obviously, racing a car is dangerous work, and even bumps and bruises can be much more serious if the thrombocytes aren’t able to clot blood from an injury quickly.
Furthermore, clots, once formed, can travel to other parts of the body such as the leg and lung and even heart, where they can present much more serious symptoms and complications.
Additionally, with many anticoagulants, such as Coumadin, the productivity of the clotting cells must be monitored through routine blood tests, to ensure that the medication is doing its job. This allows the clot to slowly dissolve, while preventing additional clots from occurring. Additional testing is then performed to ensure that the clot has dissolved, and once it has, the patient can be removed from anticoagulant therapy and resume daily life. However, it is also important to note that once diagnosed with a clot, a patient becomes more susceptible to recurrence than those who have never experienced a clot. This is the unfortunate truth that Vickers has come to understand.
“First and foremost our thoughts are with Brian and his family,” said MWR founder and co-owner Michael Waltrip. “He isn’t just our race car driver, he is our friend and we know the NASCAR community will continue to rally around Brian. And while Vickers will be sidelined, at least in the short term, he clearly has the solid support of the 55 Michael Waltrip Racing team behind him.
This isn’t Vickers’s first experience with a blood clot. He is well aware of what to expect in the coming days and weeks as far as his treatment is concerned. In fact, he had just finished treatment for a blood clot in his leg, generally known as DVT or deep vein thrombosis back in 2013. That prior experience helped him to quickly recognize the symptoms that led him to seek medical care this time around.
“Thankfully, because I recognized the signs and symptoms, the doctors caught this early and I’m going to be ok. I had finished my treatment for the clot I had in my leg back in 2013 and I haven’t needed to be on a blood thinner for a clot in my leg or lung since,” said Vickers. “Now I won’t be able to race because I’ll need to be back on a blood thinner. I’m going to follow doctor’s orders and do everything I need to do to get well.”
Signs and symptoms can vary from patient to patient and the location of the clot. DVT’s or Deep Vein Thrombosis, which occurs in the extremities can present with localized redness and swelling, skin feeling hot to the touch, and pain that resembles a cramp deep within the leg. Pulmonary Embolism, or a clot that is in the lungs, can result in unexplained congestion, coughing up blood, and difficulty breathing. These signs and symptoms should be immediately checked to ensure a clot does not exist, and if diagnosed, the proper treatment is necessary quickly to prevent further complications.
For now, Vickers will watch the 55 team compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series from the sidelines. He will adhere to the proper anticoagulant therapy, follow doctors’ orders, and hopefully progress in a way that allows him to return to the Sprint Cup Series in a few months. The amount of time he will be away from the track depends on the ability of the anticoagulant therapy to dissolve the clot.
As a former Coumadin patient that suffered a DVT as a result of a torn meniscus, my clot traveled to my lung creating a pulmonary embolism. I suffered many of the symptoms discussed above, have endured Coumadin therapy and understand much of the frustration Vickers is experiencing.
However, following therapy, which while an inconvenience, is fairly non-invasive, I have experienced a full recovery without repeat incidence. However, I also understand as a healthcare professional that each body, each condition is unique in its own right, and every patient will have varied outcomes.
However, during National Blood Clot Awareness Month, the primary goal is to raise awareness to the signs, symptoms, and types of clots one may experience. Vickers has certainly done his share to promote and draw attention to this necessary education. Now, now, while sidelined, he will also be a patient.
“Believe it or not, it’s Blood Clot Awareness Month and I was supposed to be at the track this weekend doing some work with my partners at Janssen focused on getting the word out. I’m disappointed I can’t be there but if there is a silver lining in all of this, hopefully what’s happened to me will help to raise awareness on this important health issue,” Vickers concluded.
Follow Lori Tyler on Twitter @LoriTyler.
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