Counter Ambush

Assault the ambushers.

Reflecting

One major organizational difference between the US Navy SEAL teams and US Marine Corps is that SEALs are light on doctrine while the Marines love it.  Much is unclassified and useful for both its direct application and broader meaning.  One can read up on scouting and patrolling and other bits of accumulated wisdom that the Marines have honed through decades of combat.

For example, when caught in a near ambush, respond instantly with overwhelming fire – shoot back and toss grenades to get fire superiority.  Get off the X.  Clear the ambush zone.  Assault the ambushers.  When you get a big surprise, you can’t just passively let things happen to you because the things that are happening are terrible.  So start by shooting back.

I was ambushed by nasty blood clots. Its time to shoot back.  I’m starting by writing about it here, raising money for the National Blood Clot Alliance and doing whatever little steps I can to restart conditioning.  Return fire.  You might hit an ambusher.  And it helps you feel better.

One of my doctor friends (a growing cabal) wanted to see me rip a deck of cards in half:

Training

I’m going to push my limits as soon as possible and am already preparing to get back to the backcountry.  I’ll have a helmet around rock and ice, carry a trauma kit, and just ordered dog tags and Velcro patches with my basic health data.  These are non-negotiable on blood thinners but probably smart for anyone.  I also have instructions for rescuers: check for internal bleeding and automatically medevac if unconscious.  I will get field rescue insurance (medevacs typically cost at least $20k if you need to pay cash). 

Fueling

Virtually everything health authorities said about diet when I was a kid in the 1980s-90s was wrong – often precisely wrong.  For one of many examples, it is looking more and more as if beef, formerly villified, has many health advantages including improving the immune response to cancer. 

Supplementing

Multiple injections per day are getting tolerable – ice before and after, stick fast and plunge slow. 

Measuring

Kardia should save me trips to the ER by doing my own EKGs at home.  My resting heart rate is about 2x what it was before my pulmonary emboli but hopefully will return toward normal. 

Recovering

After a serious injury, get to PT as soon as possible.  I’m going today to work on my range of motion.  There is a lot of scar tissue and inflammation to battle.  Unfortunately, surgery complications delayed getting to this point.  The physical therapist role is crucial since they help modulate how much pain is good pain and how much is bad.  I just want to push hard, so like having someone else to keep it safe.

Closing

Thanks to everyone who has already supported my Birthday fundraiser for National Blood Clot Alliance.  This has been a lifesaver for me to be able to do something for others suffering from clots without the advantages I have and has been a reassuring reminder that my friends are still there.  So thanks to everyone who gave anything. 

I went for decades with almost no contact with the healthcare system. I am a trail runner, CrossFitter, MMA/jiu jitsu player, and mountaineer. I trained hard, ate clean, and slept enough so that I could maximize both my performance and longevity. I was a hybrid athlete balancing strength and endurance.

Then I twisted my knee in jiu jitsu camp. I needed a meniscus repair which caused massive fully occluding blood clots the length of my leg. It swelled to twice its normal size and turned purple. The clots caused three pulmonary emboli that damaged my lungs, but the full extent isn’t yet clear.

I am normally comfortable with pain. I can run for miles in the Alps and take a punch in Muay Thai. But this pain was beyond what I knew existed. Standing up made me feel like I would throw up or pass out from the agony. I would have happily amputated the leg were that the only solution.

I have not yet been able to return to any of the activities that make life worth living. All of my friends are off running/lifting/rolling/climbing while I’m stuck immobile at home so it has had a big impact on all aspects of my life. Every day since the clots has been harder than any day before them.

So what can I do about it now? Raising awareness and money and not cancelling planned mountain expeditions starting in June, so I have something to live for. Now I put one foot in front of the other as I rebuild my health and my life. It is counterintuitive: passive is okay when you’re up, but get aggressive when you’re down.

My heart kept beating but barely. I’m not out of the woods as recurrence is common. I’m thankful to have a family and resources to get me through this. I have survived so far despite long odds. I don’t need anyone’s help besides my family and friends and big medical team.

So what can you do? I have no idea how someone gets through this without a wife that runs the whole process and a pile of money and insurance to spend on surgery, PT, meds, and endless testing. For my birthday, I’m giving and raising money for others in my situation but without my advantages.

Please give here if you want to help.