Ski Southeast Messageboard

A more accurate title is probably "Worst TR Ever"


I was at Beaver Creek and Vail from Feb 11-18 (well really just 11-12 and then Denver until the 26th read on). Sadly I had to go to the ER in Avon on the 13th. I had either what is known as Angio Edema (rare) or Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (exceedingly rare). They are still trying to figure out which one it was. This actually started before I left home as a rash and welts. I left from home and seemed like no big deal (my allergist whom I had just started seeing had cleared me to go on this trip and said I would be fine-lol). I could just take some antihistamines and live with it

Got up to ski on Sunday Feb12th and headed to the top of BC Mountain where all the green runs are to get my ski legs under me. I skied all of 30 feet before becoming so short of breath I had to stop just outside the ski patrol station. I told them I was fine. They said ok but would be back to check on me. 5 minutes later and I am no better. They said I was done and carted me down to the gondola where I was allowed to ride down with a ski patrol escort. I thought this is stupid I will just take the day off and try again tomorrow. I thought I just needed to maybe adjust to the altitude. I would later learn the altitude had nothing to due with this.

I got up the next morning and my rash and welts were worst. My face was starting to swell and I knew I needed to seek help. I Ubered it over to the ER in Avon, over by Northside Kitchen. They got me seen pretty quickly and started hooking me up to everything immediately: oxygen, IV's, heart monitor. They hit me with 3 or 4 kinds of IV antihistamines to no avail. Then Infused me with a huge dose of steroids-nada. At this point I told them my throat felt funny-it was starting to swell shut. There last hope was their big gun Epinephrine (the stuff in Epi Pens). No change, after that so they gave me 2 more rounds to tried and slow the swelling. They realized then I needed more advance care than they could give me there and I had to be rushed to Denver (Lakewood to be exact). The ER doctor called my wife who was still in Tennessee (as she does not ski) and told her she needed to get on the next plane to Denver.

This would be the start of my 13 days in hospital. 10 of those were in the Intensive Care Unit and the PT folks wanted to keep me longer. The PT person refused to sign off on my released. My doctor left it up to me. I just wanted to go home. My wife is a RN and I knew she could care for me, if it were not for that there is no way I would have been allowed to leave at that point. It was a freaky and life threatening issue. I was told I came really close to dying a couple of times during that stay.

My admission papers said I was in "respiratory failure" when I arrived at the Hospital in Lakewood. It was bad enough they had to put me into a medically induced coma for a week and placed me on a ventilator to breath for me. I lost 16 lbs in 13 days. My last memory is being in the ER in Avon and they were frantically trying to help me. 10 days later is my next memory and I am still in the critical care unit struggling to breath and wondering what the hell happened. I am in an amazing amount of pain even with all the Dilaudid they are pumping in me. For those that don't know your narcotics Dilaudid is the closet pharmaceutical on the market to heroin, or so I am told. I have never had heroin.

My first thought that I can remember when they pulled me off the vent and pulled my Endotracheal Tube out and woke me up was, I knew I had been skiing (at this point I did not recall for how long or stopping and being carted off) that I must have had a bad wreck and probably sustained some kind of head injury. I thought this because every time the nurses asked me (and they asked me a few times a day) I could not even tell them what month or even the correct year it was at this point. That was fortunately not the case as my problem was strictly this unrelated medical issue of either Angio Edema or the Mast Cell Activation Syndrome.. A couple of weeks later (now) and I would just vaguely remember my entire ski season...those 30 feet after getting off the lift at the top of BC on day 1. I still don't even remember the ride up the mountain, and worse yet, I don't remember even getting on the plane to go to Denver. I have recalled bits and pieces of the first day and half since.

I honestly did not think I was going to make it out of that hospital for a while. I remember looking at my own EKG one night and recognizing the fact I was in (SVT) Super Ventricular Tachycardia. I thought this is it. I am going to die right here any minute. So this is how it ends. I thought about all this things I wanted to do and never got to and The people I would never see again, if they don't convert this rhythm which they were struggling to due. Some how I made it thru that night and finally stabilized. The next day I ate solid food for the first time in 10 days, a couple of crackers. I struggled to swallow them with some apple sauce. The next few days they rans dozens of tests which we are still awaiting results of. They wanted to get me stable enough to get back home so my doctors here could take over and I could be closer to home. Mentally I was done. Outside of the coma i did not sleep at all there. Tired is not the word. I can't describe how bad, but the poor guy across the hall would scream on and off all day and night. They told me he had a bad head injury from a snow mobile accident.

What makes this even weirder is the fact that I am a very healthy in shape person. Don't think it can't happen to you. I jog and work out all the time. I do not smoke and only rarely have a drink. As long as I take my blood pressure pill I stay normal. I have never had a bizarre heart rhythms until that stay. So it can happen to any of us. It sounds so trite but now I truly know the meaning of living each day as though it was your last. People say it all the time and only rarely do folks really get it. I know I didn't. I do now, and right now I am just happy to be alive and on the mend at home looking out the window.

Holy Cow!

Is this something you will fully recover from, or is it more chronic? Seriously, GET WELL SOON!

At least you lost a little weight though.

It depends on what it turns out to be. Mast Cell Activation Syndrome is so rare I don't know if they have a treatment. I would have to see some kind of metabolic specialist. If its Angio Edema the drug I am reacting (which they stoped at the end of December) can stay in my system up to 6 months but if that's it, as long as I am on steroids, which is not healthy at all for you, these reactions don't happen. The roids suppress your natural immune system response thus keeping the allergic reaction in check. The 2 times before (which were much more easily brought under control in the ER alone) this happened was a few weeks after they brought me off the steroids. One would think since these reactions keep getting worse over time not better that puts doubt on that so they are looking at these other theories.

I did not even go into what they had to do to put me under in Denver. I really did not want the ET tube put down my throat again and you have to be unconscious for that otherwise your gag reflex kicks in which prevents it. I have no memory of this day fortunately. What I do know is I have this crazy high tolerance for anesthesia and narcotics which is odd since I have never been a druggie. I have been told this from previous surgeries and to make sure if i ever have another surgery that I needed to be sure and "warn" whomever might try to put me under. I was told they had to give me 3x the normal amount and I was still physically fighting with them. One of the guys trying to hold me down was a respiratory tech. On my last day he reiterated this story to me and asked me if i remembered it.-umm no. My wife said the doctors were like now what do we do? They had maxed me out on several drugs but they had to get me down before my airway closed up completely. They resorted to adding some new drug to the mix and crossed their fingers. It worked. I am lucky, as they were having serious discussions about doing a tracheotomy on me at this point too.

And yes I am quite happy I lost a pant size, My wife did too! I don't recommend this plan.

Even weirder is Vanderbilt the level 1 trauma center here where I live is the only place in the country that is studying Mast Cell. Lets keep with the even weirder trend...my next door neighbor whom i don't know that well, come to find out she is a clinical pharmaceutical researcher at Vanderbilt and her boss made his name breaking ground on Mast Cell Activation syndrome. I am now the talk of both the allergy and her research clinic.

Wow...what a wild ride my friend. So very happy and thankful you pulled through. Take nothing for granted is the lesson for anyone that reads this. Every day is a blessing is often a phrase we overlook, or think its just something that old people say. I've not personally had any near death experiences, but I'm 31 and I've lost a lot of close friends and family over the years. Living each day to your fullest may only allow you to simply hug and kiss your loved ones....or shred a mountain deep with powder. Be thankful for each day God gives you because its truly a gift no matter what you accomplish within it. Again...very happy that you lived to tell the tale. I wish you the best in your recovery and believe that you'll be able to get back on that mountain again.

killglobalwarmingnow wrote:Crazy situation. Recover fast.

I would think back if your neighbor ever offered you anything to drink or eat.

Actually they brought food after I got back!

philipwicker wrote:Wow...what a wild ride my friend. So very happy and thankful you pulled through. Take nothing for granted is the lesson for anyone that reads this. Every day is a blessing is often a phrase we overlook, or think its just something that old people say. I've not personally had any near death experiences, but I'm 31 and I've lost a lot of close friends and family over the years. Living each day to your fullest may only allow you to simply hug and kiss your loved ones....or shred a mountain deep with powder. Be thankful for each day God gives you because its truly a gift no matter what you accomplish within it. Again...very happy that you lived to tell the tale. I wish you the best in your recovery and believe that you'll be able to get back on that mountain again.

Thanks, and I would agree on the lesson I hope people reading this take from it. In my job I can't even begin to count the number of people I have done CPR on or watch die. Its easy to become numb to it all and think that only happens to other people.I know I had, so maybe in a strange way this is blessing. A drunk driver could take out even the youngest and healthiest of us at any time. You just never know when will be the last time you see someone or the mountains. Soak it all up, love more, travel more, worry less.

pics or it didnt happen




but thats a wild story, hope you get it figured out and can make a full recovery

Kelly K wrote: I can't even begin to count the number of people I have done CPR on or watch die. Its easy to become numb to it all and think that only happens to other people.

Having done CPR on victims twice, both of which died. It had exactly the opposite effect, but in my mind those people could have very easily been me. One I thought had a fighting chance, the other I could already tell was dead when I started but we went the process until we could pass him off to EMT's. Drowning victims.

yardsale wrote:pics or it didnt happen

I wish. Its Kind of hard to take pictures when you are in a coma but, I could send YOU my hospital bills will that do?

Holy mother of god. Reading it I first thought Anaphylaxis but it seemed to take too long on the time line (Anaphylaxis (to the point of airway closure, normally happens pretty quickly unless you're being repeatedly exposed to the allergen, I was thinking maybe you had rental boots on and they used something to clean them that you reacted badly to) Reading further I was thinking "Holy Mother of God" I am glad he's alive and well enough to post this.

These kinds of events really put things in perspective. You have something positive coming out of this. You know for certain who you love and what your regrets were about the things you havnt done. The important thing to do now is live your life and best you can. Love whom you love and do the things you want to do.

How did they get you out of SVT? Did they give you adenosine ? That usually does the trick. Just dont look at the monitor when they give it to you. A cowroker of mine didnt warn a patient about that or do the lie of "Ok I need to test something so look at me and count to thirty, you may feel a little weird but keep counting" (gets them to look at you and not the monitor) so the patient looked at the monitor and immediately thought they were dying, freaked out, after a second the patients pulse was back into the 200s. We were at the hospital tho so we let the ER handle it.

Have u ever been tested for Lyme disease? I think its common for people with Lyme disease to be more likely to get Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. Lyme disease throws off such screwy symptoms that its possible youve had it and not known (this happened to an aquaintance of mine)


Oh, and sorry you wasted money on the trip, coupled with what I imagine will be some gigantic hospital bills.