Simmonds recovering from blood clot
4:40 PM Tue 14 August, 2007
By Ben Broad
richmondfc.com.au & Sportal
RICHMOND ruckman Troy Simmonds could be home from hospital as early as Wednesday as he continues to recover from a blood clot in his lungs.
Tigers club doctor Greg Hickey said Simmonds was making good recovery from the potentially lethal condition. While he will miss the remainder of the 2007 season, he would be able to resume light exercise in the coming weeks.
The Richmond big man won’t be able to participate in contact drills while he is taking anti-coagulation medication but Hickey said Simmonds would be fit to complete a full pre-season.
"He is getting treatment and we are optimistic he is going to make a full recovery."
"He won't be playing again this year but he will be right to have a full pre-season and I expect him to be in full health for that and for next season", Hickey said.
Simmonds became ill last week and was a late withdrawal from the Richmond side that beat Collingwood on Friday night.
But football would have been the last thing from the Tiger’s mind when first told of the condition.
"It's hard to say he was close to anything very serious but the potential is if you get a big enough piece of the clot that goes to your lungs it can be life-threatening," Hickey said on Tuesday.
“There was no indications that was going to happen but it’s the sort of condition that potentially you can’t get, sometimes, any warning about and you can just suddenly die.
“It is frightening when you think what might have happened, but fortunately it hasn’t.”
Hickey said there was no evidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Although scans had picked up the clot in the lungs, they failed to reveal the source of the problem.
“The usual source of the clot is the lower leg but he’s had a scan of his legs and there’s no confirmation of any clot in his legs, so at this stage it’s uncertain where the clot’s originated,” he said.
Simmonds is likely to be fit to resume light exercise before the end of the month but will have to stay on medication for up to six months.
Hickey said he would be back living a normal life but would need to avoid heavy knocks while on the treatment.
“You don’t want to risk heavy contact while on blood-thinning medication,” he said.
Hickey also said it was unlikely the clot was related to surgery Simmonds had during the pre-season to repair a broken ankle.
"I wouldn't think it (is connected to ankle surgery) not this far down the track."
"If it was after the early stages (of ankle surgery) it would be a likely source but not now that it's many months down the track."
"If it (his recovery period) was in the season it would be a difficult situation but fortunately most of his time on it (the blood-thinning medication) will be during the off-season."
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