Out of the hospital

My last update had me upbeat about going home soon. Well, that didn't happen...

Saturday night I got way worse and Sunday was terrible. The new antibiotic they put me on for the MRSA really messed me up. Kidney levels went back up, white blood cell count went back up, my resting heart rate dropped into the low 40s constantly and even down into the 30s once. I felt terrible and the little appetite I had recovered went away again.

This lasted for 2 days and then I started getting a little better but nothing changed until they took me off the antibiotic, called cubicin. As soon as it flushed from my system I immediately got better.

The numbers dropped and my heart rate came back up within 48 hours of stopping the iv. They were still worried about my heart rate so they ordered me a heart monitor for when I left the hospital. Great...

Thursday night they told me I could go home the next day so I was very excited about that news. They got me out by noon on Friday.

I ended up spending 13 days in the hospital. Not what I expected when I got off the trail two weeks earlier to say the least. I still thought I would be getting back on and continuing my adventure.

That all changed. My trip is officially over for this year for several reasons. It is mainly due to time. It will take me 6 weeks to recover to where I can get back on. That would put me 2 full months behind and finishing in Maine in late October, which is past the deadline to finish. I do not want to go southbound as I feel that the only acceptable conclusion to the journey would be to finish on top of Katahdin and not some random spot.

The 6 week recovery is for the surgery incision and leg to fully heal. The doctors say that if I try to go hiking before it is fully healed I will most likely get staph again. Yeah, I'll wait!

So like I said not according to plan but such is life. It was simply not meant to be this year. I WILL be returning to the trail for another thru hike attempt at some point. Not this year and not the next, but I will be back!