Sick on the trail?

[Singing Otter]

I've been sick on the trail now and then, but had my first ever moment of "I've gotta go back" this past fall. I struggled for hours with the decision. I thought I'd sleep on it and hoped to wake up feeling better. I even packed up the next morning and started out with my hiking party. After the first mile straight up, I decided I would become a burden to them. For the first time ever, I turned back and hiked out alone. It was so hard to give in, but in the end it was a good decision. Only you can judge your abilities and limits.

[olzeke]

I have had 2 episodes of illness while in the back country. Once, I had pneumonia and it shut down my left lung. Luckily, there was a Dr in our group and he had some samples along with him. After 5 days of hiking, I finally got to town and a clinic.

Another time, I got the hiccups for 8 straight days. It came from a series of things, and turned into a vicious cycle. I thought I was not having them at night, as I was sleeping just fine. In all reality, they didn't bother me all that much, but they seemed to bother other folks. My hiking partners finally told me I was hiccuping all night, and they began to set their camps up away from mine. When I got to town, a Dr had to go online to find my cure. I thought it was humorous to see him on a laptop in the exam room.

[Law Dawg (ret)]

Another time, I got the hiccups for 8 straight days.

That just had to be pure torture. Hate me some hiccups.

[vitamaltz]

Cannibal is very adoptable. I can see a lot of trail magic being bestowed upon him.

I had the worst cold of my life last year on a 35-mile hike with some friends. I had the sniffles before I left, but pretty much ignored them. By the first night, I was so congested I couldn't sleep. By the second night, my hammock had turned into an 11-foot Kleenex. I was so congested I was short of breath and a little delirious. When we got back to the cars, I couldn't drive, and had to rely on one of the other guys. When I got home, I realized I didn't have a key to my house, so I collapsed in a panting, sniveling, incoherent heap on the lawn until my wife came home from work.

Now the Benedryl has a treasured place in my first aid kit next to the Advil. The hazards of the trail aren't the only hazards of the trail!

[mountain_man_mike]

dude- hang your hammock in the back yard and put a trash can in a good spot nearby...remember to use a can-liner!

And turn the automatic sprinklers off! I hope you are feeling better soon Tim.

I had a case of the "Black Panther Squirts" on a leg of the JMT a few years ago. I was grateful for the soft dirt but I think I committed a code violation in terms of depth of the cat hole.

[dkperdue]

Never got sick in the field or while camping or on a hike.

I did have to vomit while down about 45 feet on a scuba dive once though.
Knew I wouldn't get back to the surface in time, so I took in a big breath of air, took the regulator out of my mouth and let go.
I kicked back out of the cloud of instant fish food at the same time.
I was watching it all through the mask and when I was clear and breathing on the regulator again,it was sort if interesting to see the amount of different fish that made it to the cloud for a buffet meal!

DKPerdue

[Sarae]

The worst I've ever felt on the trail was in the South San Juans in CO. Got altitude sickness, minor at first (some heart pounding and headaches), but the next day was bad at 12,000'. I couldn't keep any food down and had to go 12 miles to get to a lower elevation. Ended up bailing on the rest of the trip so I could get down below 9000'. Pretty sure I'm gonna spend more time aclimating on the next high elevation trip. Yup.

[Festus]

Never got sick in the field or while camping or on a hike.

I did have to vomit while down about 45 feet on a scuba dive once though.
Knew I wouldn't get back to the surface in time, so I took in a big breath of air, took the regulator out of my mouth and let go.
I kicked back out of the cloud of instant fish food at the same time.
I was watching it all through the mask and when I was clear and breathing on the regulator again,it was sort if interesting to see the amount of different fish that made it to the cloud for a buffet meal!

DKPerdue

Now that's funny !!!!!

[creativeKayt]

That just had to be pure torture. Hate me some hiccups.

I'm with you, Law Dawg. I absolutely hate the hiccups. Hate 'em. ARGH. Although, when I get 'em, it usually means I'm not drinking enough water.

I've gotten sick, but I usually hike through or stop along the trail and ride it out -- depending on my supplies, location, etc., of course. Only once did I get so sick that I opted to hike out (I say hike, but it was more of a dragging-feet stumble) to a friend's house and call my mom to come and get me (this was day two of what turned into a six day stint of major dual-action unpleasantness). Although I kept drinking a lot of water, I was starting to get really worried about dehydration at that point. Man, was that ever awful. Turns out, I picked up a nasty virus from the dude ranch I worked at and didn't know it until I was already on my trip. Apparently, the evil virus made the rounds on the rest of the staff while I was away... and (gulp) most of the staff was sharing two two-stall bathrooms (one women's and one men's). I heard many a gross sickie-horror story when I finally got back to work.



Now that I'm wiser (translation: much older), I also bring the Imodium, pepto, powder Gatorade, advil, benedryl, excedrin, etc.

I hope you and your family get well soon, Tim.

[lizzie]

I can normally rise above the generosity of my children when it comes to their sharing every/any illness they come in contact with, but a recent bout of some stomach-virus-death-flu has spread through the household like wildfire. Last night, during spasmodic fits of peering intently into the toilet, I could hear two of my boys (who are not graceful vomiters) yell-yakking, and I thought "Wow! Three people synchronously throwing up. That's got to be a household record!" Then I thought to myself "Uh, oh! We only have two bathrooms." (Three cheers for the plastic baggy, the dustpan, the steam-vac, and febreeze).

Because of my condition, I opted to sleep of the floor (no indoor hang set-up) in order to be closer to the bathroom door, and to keep from disturbing the Missus with the constant up-and-down. Horrible night, very little sleep, and my back, legs, neck, and even my arms were killing me. It was then that I realized "If I were freezing cold instead of burning up with fever, this would be exactly how I feel after waking up in a tent!"

Then I thought how horrible it would be to experience this on the trail. I've been pretty lucky thus far, but it got me to wondering...

Has anyone here ever been sick while out on the trail? What did you do? Did you pack it all up and head back down the mountain (I had a friend so sick and dehydrated they had to helicopter him off of Mt. Whitney)? Did you hop in the hammock and try to wait it out? Or were you the super-human type that pushes on saying, "By the time this thing runs it's course, I need to be three mountains over"?

Also, feel free to include any helpful remedies you may have found over the years. I'll be waiting by the bathroom door arm wrestling the Missus (who is now sick) to see who gets to use the master bathroom, and who has to run to the laundry room sink (2nd bathroom is occupied)--dang it! two out of three, woman!

Man, that brought to mind the vomiting scene from Stand by Me. Barf-o-rama. Unfortunately for me I was eating a chili dog when I read your post. Ugh! - I hope you feel better!!

I have not been too sick on the trail. Been sick. Just not too sick.