I found this story on another forum this morning. I drive non stop from Ca to Co every year for my hunt. No more.
My annual hunting trips to Kansas are nothing short of mad dashes to and from California. The trip back from Kansas this year took 17.5 hours on day one (includes one and a half hours spent sitting waiting for an accident to be cleared west of Salt Lake) and 8.3 hours the next. I have always ignored the medical advice to stop the vehicle every two hours and walk around, drink lots of fluids, and take one aspirin every two hours. This advice is to reduce the potential for blood to “pool up” in your legs. My arrogance caught up with me.
This year, the blood pooled up in my legs during my long periods of driving inactivity, and subsequently turned into blood clots. After returning to California these blood clots broke loose, went crashing through my heart, and filtered themselves out in my lungs. I instantly lost my ability to breathe normally. My gasping for air was frightening. Welcome to the emergency room, and subsequent hospitalization! 20% of my left lung was blocked, and 80% of my right lung was blocked. Two days later, still in the hospital, more clots broke loose lodging themselves in my lungs, and further reducing my oxygen transfer to a level barely able to support my life. I knew I was hanging on by a thin thread. After a week in the hospital on blood thinners and oxygen, I am happy to say that once again I am breathing on my own without the oxygen and doing much better. I went from my ability to run a 5 minute mile, to full stop. I still can not walk any distance, much less jog or run; hunting, ATV riding, etc is out of the question for the next nine months as I will continue to be on blood thinners. Dang, they even took away all my “toys and tools” that have sharp edges… oh well! The doctors assure me that I will get better, and have a full recovery. That was close!
It is very important NOT to do what I have done. As an ex-Army helicopter gunship pilot, commercially rated pilot, and serious traveler, I KNEW better; but I felt that this advice was meant for you and everyone else and did not apply to me. I ignored the fact that one of my life-long, friends since high school, a retired Air Force Colonel, B-52 jock died three years ago due to this same thing (pulmonary embolism). I even delivered the eulogy at his funeral. (REMEMBER, it does NOT apply to me! I do this every year with no problem!) Well, my arrogance nearly cost me my life. PLEASE do NOT repeat my serious mistake! This is seriously dangerous stuff!
PLEASE stop the vehicle every two hours and walk around, drink lots of water, and take one aspirin every two hours… unless you want to see immediately how the seasons and hunting in are in heaven! Take care… enjoy the journey!
My annual hunting trips to Kansas are nothing short of mad dashes to and from California. The trip back from Kansas this year took 17.5 hours on day one (includes one and a half hours spent sitting waiting for an accident to be cleared west of Salt Lake) and 8.3 hours the next. I have always ignored the medical advice to stop the vehicle every two hours and walk around, drink lots of fluids, and take one aspirin every two hours. This advice is to reduce the potential for blood to “pool up” in your legs. My arrogance caught up with me.
This year, the blood pooled up in my legs during my long periods of driving inactivity, and subsequently turned into blood clots. After returning to California these blood clots broke loose, went crashing through my heart, and filtered themselves out in my lungs. I instantly lost my ability to breathe normally. My gasping for air was frightening. Welcome to the emergency room, and subsequent hospitalization! 20% of my left lung was blocked, and 80% of my right lung was blocked. Two days later, still in the hospital, more clots broke loose lodging themselves in my lungs, and further reducing my oxygen transfer to a level barely able to support my life. I knew I was hanging on by a thin thread. After a week in the hospital on blood thinners and oxygen, I am happy to say that once again I am breathing on my own without the oxygen and doing much better. I went from my ability to run a 5 minute mile, to full stop. I still can not walk any distance, much less jog or run; hunting, ATV riding, etc is out of the question for the next nine months as I will continue to be on blood thinners. Dang, they even took away all my “toys and tools” that have sharp edges… oh well! The doctors assure me that I will get better, and have a full recovery. That was close!
It is very important NOT to do what I have done. As an ex-Army helicopter gunship pilot, commercially rated pilot, and serious traveler, I KNEW better; but I felt that this advice was meant for you and everyone else and did not apply to me. I ignored the fact that one of my life-long, friends since high school, a retired Air Force Colonel, B-52 jock died three years ago due to this same thing (pulmonary embolism). I even delivered the eulogy at his funeral. (REMEMBER, it does NOT apply to me! I do this every year with no problem!) Well, my arrogance nearly cost me my life. PLEASE do NOT repeat my serious mistake! This is seriously dangerous stuff!
PLEASE stop the vehicle every two hours and walk around, drink lots of water, and take one aspirin every two hours… unless you want to see immediately how the seasons and hunting in are in heaven! Take care… enjoy the journey!
