View Full Version : Scarey Episode but I'm OK ...
Footslogger
07-06-2008, 14:55
This WAS going to be a trip report but the trip got cut a bit short. BadAss Turtle and I reserved a campsite up in the Medicine Bow National Forest for the weekend. We drove up on Friday morning, set up our tent and started to enjoy ourselves. Rained Friday night and started to look as if it was going to be a wet and cloudy weekend. Normally that wouldn't have bothered us but added to the weather was the fact that I wasn't feeling very good.
Chief problem was what felt like an upset stomach. One of the symptoms though was nausea, which was a symptom leading to my heart attack in March. So, we decided to pack up and head back to Laramie. After an hour or so back home the symptoms persisted and I started to get concerned. So I had BadAss drive me over to the local ER to have things checked out. They ran bood tests, EKG and xray and it did not appear to be related to my heart however the ER doc strongly urged me to be admitted for overnight observation. Just to be on the safe side I agreed to the overnight observation and was admitted. They ran serial lab tests and EKG's which confirmed the earlier findings - - the symptoms were not related to my heart. Best guess was acute gastroenteritis combined with a 2,000 foot elevation gain between home and the campsite.
Long story short, I am now discharged and sitting at home. Disappointed about the weekend having turned sour but both of us are very glad that we had the situation evaluated. With my history I tend to take the more conservative approach these days.
Hope everyone else had a great holiday weekend.
'Slogger
saimyoji
07-06-2008, 15:03
Glad to hear you are well. Take care of yourself, now.
Ditto. Take it easy for awhile Slogger.
Good to hear you're OK (again).
Shadowmoss
07-06-2008, 15:26
Capt'n 'Slogger, continue taking good care of yourself.
Always better safe than sorry. Glad you hear you are both well!
Two Speed
07-06-2008, 15:43
. . . Best guess was acute gastroenteritis combined with a 2,000 foot elevation gain between home and the campsite. . . Still a best guess and as you said, with your history those symptoms aren't anything to fool around with.
Anywho, I'm having a good Fourth, and hope everyone else is, too.
SawnieRobertson
07-06-2008, 17:06
Vigilance. Good for you!--Kinnickinic
Smart move to get yourself checked out. Glad things look positive.
Tom
You definitely did the right thing! Glad to hear things are well with you. :)
Survivor Dave
07-06-2008, 17:43
Hey Sloggy, I'm glad your OK. BadAss Turtle comes to the rescue again!
I think if you moved back to the East coast, those medical issues will go away. The AT has tremendous healing powers. :D Hope to see you hiking SOBO in '10.
Best wishes,
SD
Pedaling Fool
07-06-2008, 18:25
...With my history I tend to take the more conservative approach these days...
'Slogger
That's a lesson everyone has to learn sooner or later, but it's best if they learn it sooner. I've come to learn that in most cases it's best to under-do-it rather than over-do-it, regardless of the physical activity.
We don't get paid for our hobbies so why should we make our bodies pay.
Good you safe. Time to head downhill. Poudre Canyon. Fish Creek.
And quit eating whatever you were eating, bacon-boy.
Homer&Marje
07-06-2008, 18:39
Glad it wasnt your heart, not worth the risk. I'm feelin your pain tho, my weekend with the wife doing the Warner trail is Mass got canceled, 3 hours in eating lunch i sliced my index finger all the way to the bone, ran to a road got a ride to the hospital from some lady named Deborah and thats that. Have to go to a hand specialist tomorrow because i cut my median nerve and cant feel my index finger... big bummer
Happy Trails (next time)
Glad everything is alright. Can't wait for the actual trip report when you do get back out there...
This WAS going to be a trip report but the trip got cut a bit short. BadAss Turtle and I reserved a campsite up in the Medicine Bow National Forest for the weekend. We drove up on Friday morning, set up our tent and started to enjoy ourselves. Rained Friday night and started to look as if it was going to be a wet and cloudy weekend. Normally that wouldn't have bothered us but added to the weather was the fact that I wasn't feeling very good.
Chief problem was what felt like an upset stomach. One of the symptoms though was nausea, which was a symptom leading to my heart attack in March. So, we decided to pack up and head back to Laramie. After an hour or so back home the symptoms persisted and I started to get concerned. So I had BadAss drive me over to the local ER to have things checked out. They ran bood tests, EKG and xray and it did not appear to be related to my heart however the ER doc strongly urged me to be admitted for overnight observation. Just to be on the safe side I agreed to the overnight observation and was admitted. They ran serial lab tests and EKG's which confirmed the earlier findings - - the symptoms were not related to my heart. Best guess was acute gastroenteritis combined with a 2,000 foot elevation gain between home and the campsite.
Long story short, I am now discharged and sitting at home. Disappointed about the weekend having turned sour but both of us are very glad that we had the situation evaluated. With my history I tend to take the more conservative approach these days.
Hope everyone else had a great holiday weekend.
'Slogger
glad you are still around.............hope we meet someday.........
Sailor (The other one)
07-06-2008, 20:19
Glad you're okay. Must of been very scary though, given your history. Better safe than sorry is exactly right. My wife's formor doc kept saying that thing on her face wasn't cancer, her massage therapist kept insisting it was trouble and the dermatologist she finally saw said "That has to some off immediately!." Going to the ER and spending the night was true wisdom.
dixicritter
07-06-2008, 20:27
Glad to hear it wasn't your ticker there 'Slogger and that you listened to your body and got checked out. :) Better to cut a trip short than your life!
musicwoman
07-06-2008, 21:26
So glad you played it safe!
Jim Adams
07-06-2008, 22:16
'slogger,
I wish that most of my patients had your common sense! Good to hear your OK.
geek
Jan LiteShoe
07-06-2008, 22:29
Nausea is a heart attack symptom, eh?
Toots, you continue to broaden my health knowledge, thank you for posting.
And I'm glad for the both of you your caution brought good news.
Toolshed
07-06-2008, 22:39
....Long story short, I am now discharged and sitting at home. Disappointed about the weekend having turned sour...
'Slogger
One COULD say your weekend turned out pretty damned good!!!!! :D
Glad to hear no serious issues!!!!
peter_pan
07-07-2008, 08:35
FS....Glad all is ok.... better safe than sorry.
Pan
Footslogger
07-07-2008, 09:27
Thanks to all who responded. One of the hardest lessons I've had to learn (and still am learning) is that I am not indestructible. Until the heart attack in March of this year I rarely, if ever, gave thought to NOT being able to do just about whatever I wanted to do.
The more I realize how close I got to "checking out" the more I want to stay "checked in" ...and if that means backing off then that's just what I am going to have to do.
Knowing where to draw the line has turned out to be the biggest challenge. The better I feel the more I forget about my limitiations. Most likely I did too much too soon. That combined with some wierd, acute GI bug and some 2,000 feet of increased elevation didn't help any.
Not sure what I might have done if it was just me alone up in the mountains. Sure happy I have such a good partner who is always there to remind me I'm not 30 any more.
'Slogger
Wow..
Glad it all turned out OK.
Take it easy my friend. Hope to see you again on the trail.
StarLyte
07-07-2008, 09:36
When I read the thread topic I was scared...thank goodness that's all it was and you went to the hospital to verify that.
Many beautiful hiking and camping days ahead for you and BAT. God Bless! :sun
whitefoot_hp
07-07-2008, 09:43
sounds like something you could have just muscled through. doctors are always giving the 'on the safe side' type of advice. they run a billion dollar industry.
Footslogger
07-07-2008, 10:54
sounds like something you could have just muscled through. doctors are always giving the 'on the safe side' type of advice. they run a billion dollar industry.
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...and something I might have just toughed out (at 23 years of age), if it hadn't been for the heart attack in March and the similarity in symptoms. I'm not much of a complainer and not generally one to jump the gun when it comes to injury or illness.
In this case it wasn't the doctors giving me any "safe side" advice, as you called it. I gave it to myself. As you get a bit older and have some known health issues you tend to be a little more conservative.
'Slogger
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...and something I might have just toughed out (at 23 years of age), if it hadn't been for the heart attack in March and the similarity in symptoms. I'm not much of a complainer and not generally one to jump the gun when it comes to injury or illness.
In this case it wasn't the doctors giving me any "safe side" advice, as you called it. I gave it to myself. As you get a bit older and have some known health issues you tend to be a little more conservative.
'Slogger
Glad you're OK 'Slogger. Had I been in your shoes, I'd have done exactly the same thing. Life is precious. Better safe than sorry.
Frolicking Dinosaurs
07-07-2008, 11:43
::: Dino curls a loving and comforting tail around BadAss Turtle and 'slogger :::
Ghosthiker
07-07-2008, 11:52
FS, I agree where you said you probably did too much, too soon. Especially since it's only been 3 - 4 months? It took me a bit longer to get where I felt okay with the extra exertion. Plus, I do know the feeling of second guessing every little twinge and ache. But hey, we're survivors aren't we. Good idea to watch out. I have found that as time progresses (mine was a liitle over a year ago), that I have calmed down some on thinking that everything is heart related. I am still aware, but just calmer about it all. Keep trucking along, it'll all settle down some.
Footslogger
07-07-2008, 12:37
FS, I agree where you said you probably did too much, too soon. Especially since it's only been 3 - 4 months? It took me a bit longer to get where I felt okay with the extra exertion. Plus, I do know the feeling of second guessing every little twinge and ache. But hey, we're survivors aren't we. Good idea to watch out. I have found that as time progresses (mine was a liitle over a year ago), that I have calmed down some on thinking that everything is heart related. I am still aware, but just calmer about it all. Keep trucking along, it'll all settle down some.
===========================
Thanks for that. I probably need to hear it more often and especially from folks with similar experience. It was just wierd because I had been feeling really good and was getting back to the exertion stuff. Like I said earlier ...it's just hard to know where to draw the line.
But I hear you about being more "aware" and for the most part I can separate out the symptoms but this one was just a little toO similar to the pre heart attack onset and it had me a bit confused and concerned. Plus ...I just really felt crappy (technical medical term) and nauseated which pushed me to make that decision.
Appreciate your feedback ...
'Slogger
Two Speed
07-07-2008, 12:39
I'd much sooner hear about how you had been overcautious as opposed to undercautious.
Pedaling Fool
07-10-2008, 21:14
That's a lesson everyone has to learn sooner or later, but it's best if they learn it sooner. I've come to learn that in most cases it's best to under-do-it rather than over-do-it, regardless of the physical activity.
We don't get paid for our hobbies so why should we make our bodies pay.
I'd be nice if I could practice what I preach. Today I did some cycling, but got a hair up my azz and was doing some really short explosive sprinting. Nothing new, but I've have not done this in a while, so I basically did it "cold" and I know better.
My heart was POUNDING and I even had a little pain, but I kept doing it and now I'm really feeling it. It's so easy to give advice, but it's not so easy to follow advice, even if it's your advice.
Cookerhiker
07-10-2008, 21:30
Footslogger, glad you're OK.
What's the doc say or what have you read about the fact that you live at a high elevation and hike at higher elevation? Does that make it riskier? On the other hand, is the drier air in summer healthier on the heart than our yucky Eastern humidity?
Footslogger
07-10-2008, 22:29
Footslogger, glad you're OK.
What's the doc say or what have you read about the fact that you live at a high elevation and hike at higher elevation? Does that make it riskier? On the other hand, is the drier air in summer healthier on the heart than our yucky Eastern humidity?
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Well ...I live at 7,200 feet elevation so that is the base of reference for my cardiovascular system. I was well over 9,000 feet over the weekend and while the Internist could not specifically attribute my situation to the elevation he said it certainly did not help things. He suggested that I stay away from 10,000 feet for a while and even then I should acclimate slowly.
The higher you go the harder the heart has to work to keep oxygenated blood flowing through your blood stream and organs. The harder MY heart works the more exhausted I get because my "pump" isn't working at full capacity.
Don't think humidity (or a lack thereof) is a big an issue.
But thanks for the well wishes. Back at work and doing a lot better this week. Have some fellow 2003 thru hikers visiting this weekend and planning a restfull time. The schedule calls for a lot of "CHILLAXIN" (chillin and relaxin).
'Slogger
The thing that sucks about chest pain is that you don't really know what is causing it. If you "tough it out" you could end up dead. If you go to the ER, it might turn out to be something stupid like a pulled mussel, indigestion or something like that. Once your over 50 years old, your taking a big chance if you "tough it out".
When you have chest pain I think a good rule is; if your "scared" go to the ER.
Panzer
... it did not appear to be related to my heart however the ER doc strongly urged me to be admitted for overnight observation. Just to be on the safe side I agreed to the overnight observation and was admitted. ...
You are a wise man. How many people ignore advice like that and end up hurting themselves, or worse?
oldfivetango
07-11-2008, 08:08
Man,am I glad you did not go into denial and got
yourself checked out.You've been a real inspiration to
so many of us here on WB and a real help to me with
health information on more than one occasion.
Stay safe,
Oldfivetango
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He suggested that I stay away from 10,000 feet for a while and even then I should acclimate slowly.
Hope you can make the Ruck by that time. Leadville is at 10k ft...
Phew....
Footslogger
07-11-2008, 10:11
Hope you can make the Ruck by that time. Leadville is at 10k ft...
Phew....
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After my experience this past March my chest tightens when I hear the word "Ruck". Seriously though ...you will probably have a harder time convincing BadAss Turtle to attend the Ruck than you will convincing me. Personally I'm not convinced it was soley the elevation that caused the attack. Probably didn't help though ...
'Slogger
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A\it was soley the elevation that caused the attack. Probably didn't help though ...
'Slogger
Well, if you can't make the Ruck (understandable!), some of us will just have to plan a trip to the Medicine Bows and swing by your casa to say "Hi". Last time I stopped there, I was dating a cute blonde. Swiniging by your house brings me good luck. ;)
Be well my friend...
Footslogger
07-11-2008, 13:05
Well, if you can't make the Ruck (understandable!), some of us will just have to plan a trip to the Medicine Bows and swing by your casa to say "Hi". Last time I stopped there, I was dating a cute blonde. Swiniging by your house brings me good luck. ;)
Be well my friend...
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The door is always open to friends ...literally and figuratively speaking !!
'Slogger