First and foremost, I want to make it clear that my situation has NOT been conclusively connected to my safari experience; however, it seems the sequence of events leads back that way. Regardless of the origin of my problem, there is a lesson to be learned whether it happens at home or abroad. As a health care professional, I should have known better, but here is my story:

In the weeks before my safari to the Zambezi Valley with Shumba in August 04, I pulled a major boner, when I got a giant blister on the ball of my foot. It was pretty nasty, and by the time I left for Zimbabwe, it was already bleeding profusely if I spent too much time on my feet. I made sure to pack extra socks and two 10 packs of gauze bandages, and antibiotic ointment.

By day three, I had run completely out of bandages, and started using strips of t-shirt and tissue paper to soak up the blood in my boots. The wet boots, sweaty socks, shower floor and lack of first aid supplies did not help things. I didn’t want to look like a pussy, so I pretty much kept it to myself for the balance of our trip. I walked, stalked and did my best to hide it, and by the end of the safari, I was feeling pretty crappy. I blamed it on my being fat, lazy, and recently diagnosed diabetes.

By the time I got home it was a bloody, diseased mess as big as your palm, and I was told I had a 30% chance I’d lose my foot if I did not, A) lose weight, B) get my blood sugar under control, and C) get a specially made walking cast.

Talk about a wake up call!

As detailed here previously, I went on a low carb diet, hired a personal trainer and started losing weight rapidly. Unfortunately, my foot did not improve. I was tested for all kinds of bugs and it was determined I needed to lose more weight, change my diet, and keep refitting my walking cast. My white blood cell count was too high, and I was running an intermittent fever, and had an ultrasound for internal infections. I had my gall bladder removed and things got much better…

I never did seem to really get back to normal (whatever that is), and I felt like crap the next few months. I finally lost 105 pounds total, going from 6’7†340# to 235. I am as thin as I was in high school. I did start feeling better in late summer 05, but by Fall of this year, I just felt like something wasn’t right. I blamed it on stress, age, diet, blah, blah, blah, (as we all do in our mid-40’s I guess.)

Finally, just after the SCI event in Reno it hit me. I was out-of-sorts that whole time, and wondered what was up. I was hanging with the AR guys, Christer, Don Heath, Leon Du Plessus and all the other really fun guys, but just didn’t feel like talking. Something was wrong, because I should have been hammering them for some kind of deal, or challenging them to a fight!!!!!!

With Christer from Sweden (CCHunter), a couple other friends from Zim in company, things went bad. We had planned a trip to the desert to shoot Shumba’s .50 Cal and other fun toys, so we all loaded up and drove to the Mojave, but after tweaking my ankle real quick the night before, my blood started to boil.

My fever was 102 orally, and although I managed to draw a handgun to keep Christer and Shumba from taking a rectal reading, I ended up having blisters popping up on my foot later that day. I tried to be a tough guy, but my wife, daughter and Christer finally talked me into going to emergency to check things out. Ultimately, I spent ten days in the hospital while they did blood cultures and tried to figure out what was wrong.

It seems I have a serious bacterial infection that has managed to get into my bone marrow to the point it weakened my bones and caused a fracture that led to the discovery of the infection causing all my grief. The specialists think it took at least a year to get this bad. I was on industrial strength antibiotics in the hospital and will be spending the next six weeks on a portable IV pump, with a cardiac catheter pumping the stuff right into my boiler. I am feeling remarkably different, and in fact, wonder if this has been f-ing with my head for a long time. My blood sugar, BP and everything else are normal right now.

Anyway, the bottom line is this: I did NOT bring enough first aid supplies to treat my wound! I did NOT tell anyone how bad things were because I wanted to be a tough guy, when there may have been other supplies in camp, had I just asked!

The tropical disease specialist said the only time they usually see this particular bug is in scuba divers who cut their feet on coral reefs. I HAVE been to Mexico, and to Alaska twice while my wound has been festering, but the doctor thinks it may have been something I got in my wound in the Zambezi while I didn’t take good care of it.

Next time you go on a safari, or a trip outside the country, or for that matter hunting or fishing ANYWHERE, be sure you take FIVE TIMES the amount of first aid supplies you think you’ll need. Worst case, you leave them with your PH. Talk to your doctor if you have any pre-existing conditions that might cause you problems, including a bad tooth, or even heart burn. Discuss and consider if you might be a good candidate for antibiotics before you even leave, and make sure they are appropriate for the area you will be visiting.

And when you get home, if something doesn’t feel right, don’t be a tough guy and ignore it. It might just save your life. Finally, the single most important thing you can do from a preventive standpoint is to try and get into the best shape possible before you go. Not only in your own opinion, but also in the opinion of a professional.

Hopefully this will end up on the Hunt Reports Forum as an anchor. Learn from MY screw up!

Mark, I feel for you as you have only done what any of the rest of us numbskulls would have done in your place.

Good health and full recovery will come of this, though, I am sure, and let the lesson be learned by us all!

Best wishes for your full and complete recovery, and more and better times ahead!

I hope you improve rapidly and recover completely now that the infection has been properly diagnosed.

I wish you a very speedy recovery--and a hell of a great hunt the next time!!

Thanks for posting your troubles. It says a lot for your character. I am sure your post will help many others avoid what you are/have going/gone through.

thanks for your desire to help.
regards,

While you're recooperating just do some art work on the knife or other hunting tool.....

Africa will wait.....get well.

Tough experience, but on the positive side, it sounds like you will likely be better off in the (too) long run due to your ordeal. Good luck!

I appreciate your support. On the POSITIVE side, I scored my best ever score in a sporting clays tournament five days after my gall bladder surgery......Tied for third in class six (LAST, below the kindergarden class 5)!

I may have only won a single shot .410, but I had the most stitches in my class!!

My wishes as well for a speedy recovery - sounds like you are on the right road now. Thanks for posting the story - several good lessons learned for anyone travelling any distance away from home!!!

Phil

Mark,

Hope you get better.

I broke my ankle one time. I was suppose to go to the San Juan Islands with a group of friends. The trip was 6 days away and I went 4 days of those days before the trip on a broken ankle. I went to the hospital basically after my girlfriend dragged me their. I thought it was just another sprain and I could tough it out. The doctor at the hospital couldn't believe that I went that long on it. I wanted to go on the trip, and being tough, I thought I could make it. I didn't go on the trip and sat home in a cast. It did teach me a lesson though. If something is wrong, GO TO THE HOSPITAL. I could have probably really messed up the ankle if I didn't get it set. Another "Learning Experience"

Again, I wish you a speedy recovery.

mark,

i hope you a well and more expediant recovery.

thanks for sharing ! i hope we all don't forget the lesson you provided us with.

I also wish you well. You are fortunate to still have both feet.

The Reno hospitals, as with all the other businesses in that town, must love the SCI conventions. I spent Thursday and Sunday nights in one with a heart condition I have. The ER was crowded and I assumed many of the other patients were SCI members, too.

Unlike your more serious problem, mine was fixed temporarily in a couple of hours each time when they electro-converted my pulse back to normal (it reached 250-300 beats per minute) and I didn't miss anything at the show. Flying home in those small seats with blisters on my chest and back was no fun, though.

Bill Quimby

Mark,

Holy Shit! I am glad to hear you are finally getting back to normal. What a bum deal. I'm sure Andy (?) was sympathetic at the time! Ha!

Stay well.

Mark, I am glad you are on the right track finally.

And for you other I just want to tell you that he is a tough bastard to deal with;

Sunday after SCI he drives us two hours out in the desert with a high fever and bad feets. After almost having him at gun point he finally agrees on that I can drive home, then back home we once again we are forced on using a lot of ammo to get him to see a doctor. Rest of our stay we tied him down in the bed and we could see how he suffered. This was not his idea of being a good host....

However we managed to take care of ourselves, (finding food, beer etc.) and we are happy see him recovering so we can crash into his house soon again.

Mark, I whish you a very speedy recovery.

Regards,
Martin

Mark

I hope you have a speedy recovery.

I think you took a big chance with your foot, but hopefully no permanent damage.

Keep well.

Mark,

Take care of yourself! Glad to hear they finally found out what it is.

I got seriously ill on Safari from a sinus infection one time. I "John Wayned" it until I got my eland. I couldn't believe it when I finally went to the doctor in RSA, who told me I was "at the point of death"! ( I did feel pretty bad.) Six days of IV antibiotics later they'd finally gotten me well enough to travel back to the 'States. The airlines refused to let me travel until I got a Dr's release. (I'd claimed medical emergency to delay my return without penalty.) The Dr. wouldn't give it for fear the pressure changes would rupture the abscess into my brain or spine.

Here they told me I was lucky that it drained on it's own. The Dr in RSA could not see where to cut. Here, they'd have done a CAT scan or MRI and drained it the first day! They couldn't quite understand why they didn't do that in the 1960's era facility I was in in RSA!
Living in the USA it is easy to forget that in the rest of the world people die every day from what is usually considered a minor annoyance here.

Our forum-member Ann talked me into getting Medjet Assist. This will get you to the hospital of your choice from any hospital in the world that is more than 150 miles from home. They don't advertise it well, but if there is no hospital where you are, they'll cover service from the nearest airstrip (at least in Southern Africa from TZ down to RSA.) Your PH needs to call them to start the extraction process before he calls anybody else to come get you.

For me, MedJet is great, since I ride my motorcycle a lot. They also ship my bike home free, if they have to move me.

I have never had to test Medjet's service, but they have a great reputation.

According to MedJet's policies, they'd have moved me even home from RSA if it took a private jet with a medical team!

Do your own homework, but here's a link to MedJet.

Gosh, Mark. I thought you were a bit out of sorts at the SCI convention, but I didn't have any idea it could have been this bad. Do what you have to do to get 100% well. Hopefully we will see you again at Reno next year, your old argumentative self (LOL).

Thanks for posting this. It reinforces what I learned on my last trip to Africa, to take along sufficient first aid supplies and also antibiotics, just in case. My incident was hardly of the caliber yours was. I got tick bite fever and was a bit on the miserable side until I got medical attention back home in the states. Like you, I toughed it out while there. I will never do that again.

An infected blister and newly diagnosed diabetes plus Zambezi muck: The egg and the chickens that laid it. The common Group A strep flesh-eater could have been worse.

Glad to hear things are under control.

I don't need to tell you to take osteomyelitis very seriously (potentially a life long or life shortening thing, or limb shortening thing), and do all you can to knock it out. Sounds like you are finally taking care.

Take good care.

Mark, I hope your therapy goes well and you recover fully.

George

Jeeeez man! That is a terrible report. Good thing you got it diagnosed and under control.

I remember having the same thoughts as you, laying in bed in camp, shaking uncontrollably thinking. "I will just sleep this off and go hunt tomorrow." Then, as I waited for the plane to come get me. "I am such a girl, I can't even handle a little mosquito bite. This is embarassing."

These "little" ailments that seem like nothing are nothing to mss around with.

Well, one good thing came out of it. You now weigh a lot less. Once you get this thing whipped, I would be willing to bet you will feel like a king.

Take care and get well soon.

Ditto that,osteomyelitis in an older gent with diabetes,meaning compromised vascularity.Nothing to take lightly - even if it gets better.
Watch it for a long time 1 But of curse you know that.
We always "heros" because it aint going to happen to us --
Hope for a full recovery.
At least you did all the right things,left 50% of yourself someplace else,controlled the DM.
all should help

Thank you for posting the info. It takes a lot to admit when you screw up and to post so others can learn. When hunting or traveling, none of us want to be a wimp, but common sense is something we should do. As someone who spent 8 years working in Infectious Disease Epidemiology it is scary how something so small can lead to something so serious. Before heading overseas, tell your doctor you will be away in the bush and would like some meds to take care of problems that arise. Z-Packs, sleep aids, neospoirn, etc are a great thing with you.

I have a colleague that this happened to, and he didn't even have to travel.

50 yr. old, borderline diabetic (controlled by diet), but in good shape (cycles about 100 miles/week), 6'4", 220 lbs. He developed a crack in a callous on his foot. The callous healed, so he thought there was no problem. Hovever, the infection stayed inside and ended up causing him a major infection similar to N'gagi.

Same thing - weeks in hospital, heavy duty IV antibiotics, almost had to have his foot amputated. Special walking cast. It took 6 months for him to get back to normal, and then he had a recurrence 4 months later, that was not quite as bad, thankfully.

Diabetes is nothing to mess with.

When we get to our 40s, we all are guilty of trying to be "tough guys".

Hope you are up and hunting soon.

I'm glad you've got it under control. Thanks for the tip.

godspeed for you to get back to 110%

It's crazy that a blister could turn into something so life threatening. I'm happy to hear you are on the mend (slow is better than not).

Another story along the same lines even though it's not Africa related. A guy here at work told me his former father-in-law unexpectadly passed away last week. He was at work and started having chills and feeling real bad. His co-workers made him go to the hospital because he looked so bad and they forced him to go in an ambulance.

On the way to the hospital, he called his daughter, Annie, to tell her what was going on. He told her he felt like he did when he had a kidney stone, that he would be okay and not to worry. He told her not to go to the hospital and that he would call her as soon as he had news.

About an hour later the hospital called Annie to tell her he had died. Apparantly he had colon cancer and did not know it.

I was telling my Dad about this and told him there were 2 important lessons in Annie's father passing. One, get all the tests recommended for your age (that cancer should have been detected and treated) and two, go to Africa. You never know when your time will be. (My dad has no desire to visit Africa, so I told him his Africa is Pandale, in west Texas, which is where he loves to spend time.)

So all of you need to call your doctor and get a physical and the tests run and then call your travel agent and go to Africa!

N'gai, congratulations on making it through a terrible ordeal and for losing all that weight! Good luck with the rest of your recovery, and I hope you are back in Africa soon.

I wish the best for you with your continued recovery...and you are right on point about "paying attention to what your body is telling you.." Been down that road myself...

N'gagi:

I can only add my fervent AMEN to exactly what mrlexma has said!. Good luck to you.

Glad to hear things are improving.

As at least one other person has said, if you're diabetic, you don't have to go to Africa for your feet to give you trouble.

Mark:

Wow, what a story! I'm glad to hear that you're getting it under control at last. Who knew that dangerous game could be so small, eh?

Hey Mark,

You have the coolest stories. This will be one of the mildest chapters in your book.

You've got a lot more great adventures ahead so remember to save one of the first hard bound copies of your book for me.

Take care,
Kyler

Hey Mark,

Thanks for alerting us! Follow your Dr's orders and get well as soon as you can!

I've had a few travel scares myself in the past. I went to Africa in 2003 even though I had severe Diverticulitis, I went and should not have. I was woried I would let my clients down and the A-R forum because that was when we did the buff hunt raffle.

I left town just days after getting out of the hospital. I was sick the whole time I was overseas and it ruined my trip as well as my traveling companions.

My safari got cut short and I had to be hospitalized again as soon as I got home.

In 2005 I did the Med-Jet thing. I will always renew that insurance.

While in the leopard blind last August, something stung or bit me real bad on my foot.

Being the strong woman I am I ignored it and was rewarded with a nice old leopard tom.

I never saw what stung or bit me but it hurt like hell and made one of those huge blisters. Mozzies don't raise a blister on me and neither do Tsetse bites. What ever did it really casued me some misery. Yeah, I started to get worried.

It eventually healed and went away a few months later but I was probably playing some Russian Roullette with that as well.

Glad you are OK and with all your original equipment intact.

I had a Brown Recluse bite on my heel twenty years ago and I was on the osteomyelitis watch for quite a while; do everything the docs tell you to do. An acquaintance of mine didn't do what he was told under similar circumstances and he died because of it.

Thanks for sharing your experience and warning.

Thank you very much for your story. It is a wake up call for all of us. It will most likely save someone else's life at some point in time by those who choose to read it.

I know this is an African forum, but those that hunt there may well hunt other places around the world as well. What happened to me overseas could happen in North America.

I would like to share an experience I had in June of ‘98. While not hunting related, the conditions present lead to a near death experience for me and similar conditions can be had while hunting in at high altitude. I never related it to hunting until I watched a hunting show a couple of days ago about hunting in China at high altitude (14,000 feet plus), that lead me to relate this episode.

I was to work in northern Chile near the town of Iquique. A complete physical was required to go, including a pulmonary function test, chest x-ray (clear), etc. Being in my early 40’s, my health was judged to be somewhat better than average. A great deal of emphasis was placed on fitness as the job site was at 14,400’, with base camp at 10,500’. It was suggested we take antibiotics from the states for Montezuma’s Revenge, but nothing more. We were also told to be careful of eating local foods to avoid having to use the antibiotics, and to eat light, mainly fruits and vegetables, for the transition to altitude.

Having been to other parts of the world and never encountering such problems and always up for a good adventure, the first thing I did after checking into the hotel in Iquique was to find a taxi to sample the local cuisine. Hell, I was as tough as they come. I found a taxi driver who spoke fair English that didn’t appear to have ever missed a meal, and possibly had several extras – at each sitting. I offered to buy his meal since it seemed he might know a good spot to dine. With the good places closed, we finally found a local greasy spoon well off the beaten path that was open. I didn’t really like the looks of the place for a number of reasons, but never having been in this part of the world, I figured that maybe this was typical.

My driver did the ordering at my suggestion. I don’t recall all that we had, but the one thing I do recall was the ceviche (raw fish marinated in lime juice), which was very different than I had had in the past. I didn’t like the looks of it and tasted it a couple of times, but just didn’t trust it, so left it for my driver.

The next day I awoke not feeling well, but since the antibiotic weren’t necessary, I figured I would be OK. I loaded my gear into the van that was to take me to the base camp. The longer I was up and about, the worse I felt. I don’t recall much of the drive up the mountain as I tried to will myself well as best I could. At some point on the way up, I had curled into a fetal position in the floor of the van feeling as bad as I ever had. Unbeknownst to me, this caused great alarm with the van driver and his companion, who radioed ahead for an ambulance.

About half way up, I was transferred to the ambulance and put on oxygen, which made me feel somewhat better. Arriving at the camp clinic, my vital signs were checked (BP, O2 level, etc), an IV started, and I was put in bed on oxygen. I slept the remainder of the day and all that night. The next day I felt better, but very weak. It was decided I should stay at rest until the following day. I was released about noon on Friday, two full days after arriving. After unpacking, I stayed around the camp learning what I would be doing and meeting those I would be working with. Saturday I got up feeling better and went on up to the main site at 14,400’, but the longer I was up, the worse I felt. I wobbled around the best I could and tried to be as productive as possible under the circumstances. Simply walking at that altitude was difficult at best, and climbing stairs was next to impossible. I needed no rocking to sleep Saturday night. Sunday was pretty much a repeat of Saturday, with the exception of colder temps and light snow in the late afternoon. I caught a chill and spent the last two hours sitting in a truck with the heater going trying to ward off the chill.

Sunday night was a different matter altogether. Early to bed again, I was up all night trying to catch my breath. I would lie down and sleep briefly, but would wake up needing to sit up to breath as deeply as I could, forcing myself to take in as much air as possible. I have no idea how many times this happened, but when time to work came, I just wanted to lie there. Had I been able to breath, I may well have stayed in bed and never gotten up again. As it was, it took all I was made of to get out of bed and go to the cantina for breakfast.

After a bit to eat, I had had enough and asked a couple of guys I was with to drive me to the clinic. They mentioned that I looked like death warmed over, but none had a Chilean drivers license (not that it mattered), so neither of them wanted to drive me over. I found a truck and drove us to the clinic where I left them on their own. No sooner was I hooked up to an O2 monitor than tumult erupted. A mad scramble by the attendants had me on oxygen once again. Seems my O2 level was 67% (normal 92-94%) and I wasn’t supposed to be alive, much less awake and driving.

A manager came in later and asked what the prognosis was. I was to be released back to work soon, but he wouldn’t allow it and sent me back to Iquique to the hospital against my wishes. Turns out had he not done so, I probably wouldn’t be here to relay this.

In the hospital I was examined and x-rayed. The clear lungs I had seen two weeks before were now nearly all black. I was diagnosed with pulmonary edema (lungs fill with fluid), a condition caused in this case by a lack of oxygen, brought on in part due to my weakened condition (bad food) prior to going up to altitude, and getting chilled while in a weakened condition.

I spent a week in the hospital on O2, diuretics and antibiotics and complete bed rest. Still not realizing how near death I came, I talked the doctor into letting me out after a week under the condition that I stay another week in bed in a hotel.

I wasn’t allowed back at altitude, so spent the remaining months at the sea port facility. Full recovery took a couple of months, even at sea level. It wasn’t until I returned to the states that I became aware just how grave my situation was. I also learned there had been several deaths due to the high altitude. I had been number 19 with edema. I had spent only 5 days at altitude, most of which at only 10.5

I was lucky in a number of ways, one of which was the doctor who treated me. He was one of a very few worldwide who see and treat different types of altitude sickness on a regular basis. Many of those here in the US rely on his research and others who are in areas where high altitude is common.

A couple of points I should bring up per this doctor. He said the guys that are over weight, drink, and smoke too much tend to have fewer problems. They are used to living on less oxygen, but that’s not a good reason to start doing those things. He also said a man could go up and get edema the first go round like I did and never have a problem again. Or, he can go up for 20 years without a problem, but get it the next time up. I went up to over 13,000’ later, but only for a short while and never had problems. By the way, butane lighters don’t work at 14,000’, only matches and Zippos.

The bottom line: you may not be as tough as you think; heed the warnings of those that have been there, done that; it doesn’t always happen to the other guy, YOU may be the other guy; don’t put off seeking help, it only makes things worse; don’t go to altitude if you are the least bit sick.

In my case, taking a lot of first aid gear wouldn’t have helped me. However, having been to Mongolia and the Russian Far East, take the advice of N’gagi and take AT LEAST 5 times the amount of first aid supplies you think you need. As he also said, you can always leave them with your PH/guides. If you take that amount to Russia or Mongolia, you will have more than can be had in the local hospital. High altitude sheep hunting can come with it’s own hazards, not to mention the sheer remoteness.

As stated before, learn from MY screw up.

David