Still Here: How I Almost Bought the Farm

[The Reverend Floater]

Once again I'm using TGR as my blog. Sorry but the Padded Room seems like a pretty good spot for this release.

I just walked in from spending the past three days in a hospital bed with more wires and tubes attached to me than I could count. I've got square bald spots shaved into my chest in multiple places where they placed electrodes or what have you, so I look like I was born with some horrible Cosby Sweater on. I am tired from being woken up every two hours for the past two nights to draw blood, test vitals, etc, and emotionally speaking, I'm drained.

In early September, I started archery season with the usual gusto of someone who's passion is hiking as deep as possible into the woods with the excuse of hunting big game with a bow. By day three of some serious hunting, I noticed that I was exceptionally out of shape, legs cramping, etc. Now I'm not a very svelte guy at 36, but I had been working out this summer in preparation, so I was a bit disappointed with my fitness when I finally needed it. I've got a semi-bad right knee, and quite quickly my left leg was very tired. One evening after hunting, I laid down on the couch and my leg cramped like I've never ever experienced. I was frustrated but also knew my leg was likely tired from compensating for a weak right leg/painful knee.

And it was fine because for better or worse, I was missing the last 9 days of the season with a multi-city trip for work and a wedding. During this trip my leg continued to bother me and I also suffered from an incredible migraine one evening in Boulder. I don't get migraines all that frequently (maybe once a year at most).

I came home around the 30th of September and went to see my GP about my leg and also to get some labs done for my gout medication. We talked about it and she agreed that it was likely a gently torn muscle and residual effects and more serious things like vascular issues, nervous issues or side effects from my newish gout meds were very unlikely and also not apparent. She recommended PT and said it wouldn't hurt to see my Ortho just to get his opinion. I have a good ortho who I know personally, so I figured, what the hell. Problem was, he was another 10 days out so I saw the PT first.

My PT is excellent and agreed my quad looked torn, my hamstrings tight and my calf tight. He commented that it would be easy to remedy and we'd build up my right leg to achieve equal strength but thought it was simply odd. He said it just didn't really add up for some reason and was curious to hear my ortho's opinion. Last weekend I had to fly to Florida for my aunt's 80th birthday. Fearing the flight, I called my GP just to make sure she wasn't worried. I was concerned about a blood clot or something weird. She had me come in but there were simply no symptoms other than tight muscles. Off to Florida I went. The flight back was sheer hell, crammed into economy for a 5 hour flight and then a 2 hour flight after that.

On Tuesday, I finally saw my ortho. He talked to me for a while, worked with my leg and thought hard. No swelling, just pain, a smallish bruise at the head of the interior quad, tight calf. Then he said to me, "Rev, I'm 70% sure nothing is fucked here and you did tear your muscle and it's just healing slowly because your right leg is weaker. This means I'm 30% unsure and you might have something else going on here. If you want some peace of mind, I'll write up a battery of tests and we'll do an ultrasound. Again, I think you're okay, but it is unusual. It's up to you." We talked for a little while and since I have good insurance and tend to err on the side of conservative out of experience, I agreed to get the tests.

The first was an ultrasound of my left leg the next morning, Thursday. And when they come back with a wheel chair after the test and tell you to remain calm and to call your spouse/significant other because you're not going anywhere, you know it didn't go so well.

After all that time including seven flights, around 13 days of intensive hiking and big game hunting, some bird hunting, exercising, etc., it turns out I have had a significant blood clot in my left leg, likely since early September.

The phrases I have heard from all these doctors is "extremely fortunate," "lucky to be alive," and a lot of head shaking. One doc who I know well called me a "cheater."

Now there is a period of time between the moment that they see a clot and the moment they start neutralizing it via IV's, etc. In my case, it was about four hours as they tried to decide whether or not to airlift me to Boise, ran more tests, etc. They finally called Boise's ICU and were told it wasn't actually that "bad" as far as clots go and to just treat it normally.

Regardless, a lot of shit can go through your head during four hours. A lot. Your mind tends to work at light speed to the point where you can't slow it down. You're trying to make decisions about your situation, trying to understand that your life is at risk, trying to fathom that you quite likely should be dead, all the while dealing with work stuff and other realities of life. I am pretty sure that's as close to an anxiety attack as I've ever had.

Eventually they had me in a room, IV of Heprin dripping as an anticoagulant, another of saline, a small dose of anti anxiety to calm me down and a team of nurses and docs keeping close eye on me. By this morning, some 40 hours later, everyone had calmed down, including myself, as it became clear they had caught it in time. I've got about three to six months of anticoagulant pills to look forward to and hopefully some answers in the meantime as to how it came about--I'm pretty active, no trauma, none of the usual risk factors, etc. Could be hereditary, could be a total freak incident...my ortho buddy was quick to tell me that we may never know why it came about. But I do know one thing: I feel very lucky to be alive. More specifically, I feel very fortunate and appreciative of walking outside, seeing my loved ones, dogs, etc. Coming home felt good....It was only 40 hours, but it was a long 40 hours with a lot of contemplation.

Anyhow...thanks for listening. I had to get this out there and will likely add on to it as I continue to process stuff. I love you all and am happy to be back here to ramble on...

[mud]

Glad your ok, heal up soon and feel free to share any pills you have left over on gear swap.

[Art Shirk]

ShitRev, gladyourwithus. ++++++

[Fun Consultant]

Rev,
That's scary shit. My wife went through that game about 6 or 7 years ago. Leg pain, thought she'd pulled a muscle in a ski crash.
Was ready to get on a plane to host her sisters bridal shower, had been feeling crummy for about 3 or 4 days thought she had pneumonia or bronchitis. Went to get some antibiotics, no chest pain,but short of breath, feeling weak. Doc sent her for tests, just in case, she called me, I was on the hill. "Sorry to bother you can you take me to the hospital for tests?" we stopped for breakfast on the way, her idea. Long story less long, 11 pulmonary embolisms, 5 in on lung 6 in the other, leg clot had happened, not pulled muscle and had broken up and lodged in her lungs. 3 different Docs told us she's lucky to be alive. Standing in the lobby of the hospital while she spent a week in ICU I watched the staff put up a banner that read "deep vein thrombosis awareness month"
They had to make room around her bed so I could squeeze a folding chair to sit next to her between the machines, you weren't kidding. Gives you a lot to think about. Keep your chin up, it gets better, she's fine now, no meds. Thank the doc for being safe, she had her life saved by the Doc in a small ski clinic that had a gut feeling. Be well.

[Alaskan Rover]

Sometimes it takes some serious shit for us slow down and reflect on things for a while. What we thought WAS important no longer seems so, and the small things that heretofore we'd often overlook, become suddenly more important.

Life is a weird calculus that doesn't always add up the way we thought it would....but the equation is quite grand.

Watch out for those blood thinners!

[SB]

Holy cow, glad you are ok. Lost a buddy couple years back to a blood clot.

We need your relationship advise!

Sent from my Huawei-U8665 using TGR Forums

[HansJob]

That had to be scary as hell. Glad your good. +++++

[MakersTeleMark]

FKNA Rev. Eye-opener for sure. Glad you're still pumpin.

[beaterdit]

Damn Rev, glad you're on your way to recovery. Shit is serious. Stay vigilant.

[BFD]

glad your still with us. Really all we have in this world is our health.

[::: :::]

Glad you caught it when you did...glad you're still with us!

(the body is incredible in so many ways!)

[userA]

30% more lucky huh.
b

[iceman]

Nice job not dying mang. Freaky moment when the doc came back I bet.

[Mazderati]

You may acknowledge it can happen to you, but you don't really think it can happen to you until it happens. At least that's my own experience. Glad you're on the way back to normal.

[up an down]

Rev. thanks for living and the nice write up!!!!

[rideit]

I believe it was the Spirit Of Lindsay that saved you, son.
That lil' tart is gracious, I tell you what!



Glad you are still here.

[GimpToo]

Tough experience - hope the worst is over - let your humor help pull you through

[Mott the Hoople]

You won the lottery. Way to go!

[Tippster]

Guess they needed to look a little harder for that Droid.

Glad you'll be OK, Rev. Thanks for sharing.

[grskier]

Glad you are OK, good post to keep everyone aware.

[Zedsdead]

Good job on not dying dude!

[abraham]

Congrats on still being here to post! I hope you traded relationship advice for better treatment.

Maybe tape Steve to your wheelchair armrest?

[Sparky]

Great to hear your ok.

I went looking for the Stormtrooper Thread cos I wanted a laugh, can't find it - hall of fame? I'm shit at searching where is it maggots?

[Meadow Skipper]

The place wouldn't be the same without you. Congrats on cheating death.

[Buster Highmen]

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