I Pushed SOS and Got Rescued: Lessons Learned

[sierracharlie338]

Glad it worked out the way it did. When you were describing the initial pain I was saying to myself sounds like gallstones (having just had mine taken out in June). I’m curious to see if it’s a weakness in the surgery site but regardless of what it is I hope it’s a minor thing.

 

[The Guide]

This is not the thread I wanted to make, but here we are. My hopes in sharing my story is that anyone reading this learns from my mistakes and failures, especially as everyone is getting ready to head out this year.

Our story begins three weeks ago as I'm scouting for mule deer. As I'm hiking back down to the truck and feel a sharp pain in my ribcage around the first set of abdominal muscles. Pain lasts for about a minute, goes away, and the comes back five minutes later. I drink a bunch of water and focus on standing upright. I don't have another episode of pain on the way back. Make it to the truck and per advice of the wife, go to the ER and get checked out. Everything at the ER checks out.

I follow up with my primary care doc and she recommends a CT scan. I get blasted with radiation and everything checks out as normal. I have some small bits of pain here/there in that area when I'm picking up the kids, but nothing like the pain I experienced on the mountain. Time passes, and I'm feeling better, exercising and shooting my bow. I forget about the issue, except that my doc did suggest a follow up with a surgeon because there's a chance I have a small hernia (not detected on CT) that needs to get repaired and she would like said surgeon's opinion. That appointment is coming up in a week or so.

Yesterday I feel like I should check a trail camera I set up three weeks ago and I am feeling better by now. No major pain since three weeks ago. Everything was going good until my decent to get back to the trailhead. The first episode of pain was nothing too major and just reminded me that I still have an issue. This lasted about 45 seconds. I then had three more episodes spaced out five minutes apart with each one getting worse. By the fourth one I am in a world of pain, I would rate it a 12 out of 10. Pain is localized in my upper abs, right where the two muscles come together and feels like the worst cramp I have ever experienced. It feels like the movie Alien where the monster is trying to come out of the dude's chest, but instead on me it's a little lower. As the pain isn't getting any better and I'm still miles from the truck (and solo), I push the SOS button on my InReach. At this point I am not sure I can make it back to the trailhead, let alone what's going on with me.

Help came very quickly. From the time I talked to dispatch to the time I had someone at my position was about a little over an hour. I don't know what kind of shape these guys are in, but I need their contact info in case I ever get an elk down in a nasty canyon. We're talking a couple miles back and 1500 ft. elevation that was covered very quickly. The lead guy wasn't even sweating or breathing hard. I was able to walk out with their help (very gingerly) and eventually the pain subsided. Hydrating and standing upright seemed to help. Got checked out by EMS and ended up in the ER again. Luckily, between the CT scan earlier and two sets of ER labs most of the nasty stuff has been ruled out, but I have follow up appointments in the next few weeks with a myriad of specialists to figure out what exactly is wrong with me.

To the Rokslide docs, my symptoms are somewhat repeatable in that the severe pain only happens when I'm hiking downhill (hunched over) with a heavy pack and am exerting myself. Afterwards, I feel sore in the area, but don't ever experience the severe pain. The pain comes in waves, where a wave can last up to a minute or so, then fades, then comes back. If you have any theories, I'm all ears. So far the leading theory is hernia from a previous gallbladder removal surgery (surgery weakened my abdominal wall and now I have issues).

Lessons Learned:
1. Be honest with yourself. I should have tested myself with a weighted ruck near my house before going out to the mountains. That said, I've been feeling fine and have had no recurrence of the sharp pain I experienced three weeks earlier. I thought I was fine, but I could have just tested myself to be sure.
2. 911 should be your primary option if you have service. I originally hit SOS and the InReach dispatch ended up having me just call 911 since I had a sliver of service. Calling 911 from your phone will automatically forward your position to 911 dispatch.
3. InReach positioning is pretty terrible. I was in dark timber when I pushed SOS and the best it could do was a six kilometer radius. My phone had an exact position of where I was. I'm not sure if this is something that can be addressed via a software update by Garmin, but I'm wondering why the app on my phone can't talk to the device and let it know that it has a better position and then relay that better position to dispatch.
4. Purpose/drive/hope is your #1 friend in these situations. Everytime the pain got so bad that I felt like keeling over, I thought about my boys and kept pushing myself to cut the distance between me and rescue (while updating dispatch on my position). When the pain got really, really bad, I remember telling 911 that I had been short with my oldest before leaving and I wasn't going to let that be his last memory of me.

I owe a huge thanks to everyone involved in my rescue. The 911 dispatcher talked me out of a panic, and the rescue team themselves were some of the most skilled mountaineers I have ever ran into.

I still have a long road to figure out where the pain is coming from and won't be in the mountains until I get answers. I hope that my story helps you plan for emergencies in the backcountry accordingly and I hope you never feel the need to push that red button yourself.

How long had your InReach been running?

Jay

 

[KHNC]

Damn cheap insurance.

Randy

Do they send a bill for the SAR for this? Or is it covered by Inreach/911 ?

 

[Jethro]

3. InReach positioning is pretty terrible. I was in dark timber when I pushed SOS and the best it could do was a six kilometer radius. My phone had an exact position of where I was. I'm not sure if this is something that can be addressed via a software update by Garmin, but I'm wondering why the app on my phone can't talk to the device and let it know that it has a better position and then relay that better position to dispatch.

Glad you made it out ok and hope you can get the pain figured out.

Can you elaborate on the positioning a little more? Did rescue team find you by your SOS or by info you gave over the phone? My inreach normally very accurate, can even find me in my basement with no view of sky. A radius of 6km is a search area of 43 sq miles.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

It's always nice when you get checked out and the Dr. tells you, this is what we found and we need to treat it as such. On the other hand it's a real pain when you are having issue and they can't find what is causing the problem. I have had this happen twice. I had real bad pain similar to what you described, and like you, I never got an answer. To this day, I and the Dr. have no idea what caused the pain. It's been several months since it last happened, and I hope it never happens again. I hope you get answers before it happens again.

 

[sndmn11]

I used SOS on my inreach about a month ago, and the response was swift. @KickinNDishin used it a few years ago as well.

The downside is that it is reliant on the signal the unit has, your own response, and your preperation in letting your emergency contacts know where you will be. If the position is off, the response will be off. If you have 30min lag in sending your messages, they might delay response. If you emergency contacts don't know where you are, what you wore, what you drive, where you parked, they can't fill in the gaps.

 

[mtnbound]

Was your InReach powered up and running, or did you turn it on just before you hit the SOS button?

 

[CCooper]

First- Glad the OP is alright, and I hope they figure out what's causing your symptoms.

Second- I too am curious of the ultimate price tag for pushing the button. Not that it really matters when you need it. Maybe others who have can chime in on a rough order of magnitude.

 

[CodeMonkey]

Anything on the trail cam?

At least someone is asking the right questions. Some mule deer (decent 4x4), two small bull moose, a cow moose, and a random coyote.

 

[CodeMonkey]

In terms of cost, this was in CO and my understanding is SAR is funded by various outdoor passes including hunting tags.

 

[CodeMonkey]

Was your InReach powered up and running, or did you turn it on just before you hit the SOS button?

Replaying the day in my head...

I normally leave my InReach powered off in the top pocket of my pack and turn it on as I'm putting my pack on. I remember forgetting to turn it on before I started hiking in.

Will edit my original post with this information. User error to blame.

 

[Rotnguns]

Thanks for sharing this very helpful experience and great that you made it out ok.

 

[fuzzymarindave]

I'm currently using a Zoleo and I'll have to do more research to ascertain the accuracy of that device.

 

[Grant K]

As a generally broad answer to everyone wondering about cost, if you are in the US you generally won't pay anything for search and rescue, funding mechanisms vary from state to state, but you can assume that it is a volunteer team coming to get you, do a little research beforehand and see if there is a way to offset their cost, for example in CO if you have a hunting licence or COSAR card the SAR team that rescues you can apply for a grant to offset cost incurred in your rescue, some other states have similar programs...

there are a few states that have laws on the books that give the ability to charge people for calling in a frivolous rescue, but these almost never get used, pretty much don't use the SOS button like its calling for an Uber and you shouldn't run a risk of getting charged...

What you will pay for, in most cases, is transport, be that by ground or air ambulance, as a general rule people getting put in an air ambulance don't have a lot of say in that decision, if your injuries are that severe you are likely not involved in the discussion of your care anyway...
if you have a non life-threatening injury you will likely be asked how you want to get to the hospital, plenty of people opt for the cost saving option of driving themselves, plenty of others are willing to pay for an ambulance ride to avoid bouncing around in a truck for another hour...

It's definitely worth doing a bit of research before a trip and putting the local contact info in your phone, the dispatch attached to inreach/Zoleo is pretty good but it defaults to the county you are in, and in some cases gets tied up between the inreach provider and the local dispatch trying to figure out where a call is supposed to go, if you can clarify exactly where you are and who appears to be responsible you can save some time...

 

[Antares]

Was your InReach powered up and running, or did you turn it on just before you hit the SOS button?

You don't need to power the unit on in an emergency. Even if the unit is off, pushing the SOS button powers the unit on and sends the SOS. Just FYI.

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

Maybe it's a good idea to include LAT/LON coordinates from your mapping system in text with the SOS responder? Drop a waypoint where you're at, copy off the app and send.

 

[AKDoc]

This is not the thread I wanted to make, but here we are. My hopes in sharing my story is that anyone reading this learns from my mistakes and failures, especially as everyone is getting ready to head out this year.

Our story begins three weeks ago as I'm scouting for mule deer. As I'm hiking back down to the truck and feel a sharp pain in my ribcage around the first set of abdominal muscles. Pain lasts for about a minute, goes away, and the comes back five minutes later. I drink a bunch of water and focus on standing upright. I don't have another episode of pain on the way back. Make it to the truck and per advice of the wife, go to the ER and get checked out. Everything at the ER checks out.

I follow up with my primary care doc and she recommends a CT scan. I get blasted with radiation and everything checks out as normal. I have some small bits of pain here/there in that area when I'm picking up the kids, but nothing like the pain I experienced on the mountain. Time passes, and I'm feeling better, exercising and shooting my bow. I forget about the issue, except that my doc did suggest a follow up with a surgeon because there's a chance I have a small hernia (not detected on CT) that needs to get repaired and she would like said surgeon's opinion. That appointment is coming up in a week or so.

Yesterday I feel like I should check a trail camera I set up three weeks ago and I am feeling better by now. No major pain since three weeks ago. Everything was going good until my decent to get back to the trailhead. The first episode of pain was nothing too major and just reminded me that I still have an issue. This lasted about 45 seconds. I then had three more episodes spaced out five minutes apart with each one getting worse. By the fourth one I am in a world of pain, I would rate it a 12 out of 10. Pain is localized in my upper abs, right where the two muscles come together and feels like the worst cramp I have ever experienced. It feels like the movie Alien where the monster is trying to come out of the dude's chest, but instead on me it's a little lower. As the pain isn't getting any better and I'm still miles from the truck (and solo), I push the SOS button on my InReach. At this point I am not sure I can make it back to the trailhead, let alone what's going on with me.

Help came very quickly. From the time I talked to dispatch to the time I had someone at my position was about a little over an hour. I don't know what kind of shape these guys are in, but I need their contact info in case I ever get an elk down in a nasty canyon. We're talking a couple miles back and 1500 ft. elevation that was covered very quickly. The lead guy wasn't even sweating or breathing hard. I was able to walk out with their help (very gingerly) and eventually the pain subsided. Hydrating and standing upright seemed to help. Got checked out by EMS and ended up in the ER again. Luckily, between the CT scan earlier and two sets of ER labs most of the nasty stuff has been ruled out, but I have follow up appointments in the next few weeks with a myriad of specialists to figure out what exactly is wrong with me.

To the Rokslide docs, my symptoms are somewhat repeatable in that the severe pain only happens when I'm hiking downhill (hunched over) with a heavy pack and am exerting myself. Afterwards, I feel sore in the area, but don't ever experience the severe pain. The pain comes in waves, where a wave can last up to a minute or so, then fades, then comes back. If you have any theories, I'm all ears. So far the leading theory is hernia from a previous gallbladder removal surgery (surgery weakened my abdominal wall and now I have issues).

Lessons Learned:
1. Be honest with yourself. I should have tested myself with a weighted ruck near my house before going out to the mountains. That said, I've been feeling fine and have had no recurrence of the sharp pain I experienced three weeks earlier. I thought I was fine, but I could have just tested myself to be sure.
2. 911 should be your primary option if you have service. I originally hit SOS and the InReach dispatch ended up having me just call 911 since I had a sliver of service. Calling 911 from your phone will automatically forward your position to 911 dispatch.
3. InReach positioning is pretty terrible. I was in dark timber when I pushed SOS and the best it could do was a six kilometer radius. My phone had an exact position of where I was. I'm not sure if this is something that can be addressed via a software update by Garmin, but I'm wondering why the app on my phone can't talk to the device and let it know that it has a better position and then relay that better position to dispatch. Edited: After playing the day back in my head, this was due to user error and not turning on the device until I had to hit SOS. I remember forgetting to turn the device on before starting off.
4. Purpose/drive/hope is your #1 friend in these situations. Everytime the pain got so bad that I felt like keeling over, I thought about my boys and kept pushing myself to cut the distance between me and rescue (while updating dispatch on my position). When the pain got really, really bad, I remember telling 911 that I had been short with my oldest before leaving and I wasn't going to let that be his last memory of me.

I owe a huge thanks to everyone involved in my rescue. The 911 dispatcher talked me out of a panic, and the rescue team themselves were some of the most skilled mountaineers I have ever ran into.

I still have a long road to figure out where the pain is coming from and won't be in the mountains until I get answers. I hope that my story helps you plan for emergencies in the backcountry accordingly and I hope you never feel the need to push that red button yourself.

Thank you for sharing your experience. I especially appreciated your openness to admit any errors...all of us error, it's part of life for all of us. BTW, I think you did a great job following your wife's wise encouragement to get the abdominal pain medically checked...and you did.

Glad it turned out well. Moments like that help remind us what is truly important in life. The best to you for safe and wonderful future adventures!

 

[el_jefe_pescado]

What you will pay for, in most cases, is transport, be that by ground or air ambulance, as a general rule people getting put in an air ambulance don't have a lot of say in that decision, if your injuries are that severe you are likely not involved in the discussion of your care anyway...
if you have a non life-threatening injury you will likely be asked how you want to get to the hospital, plenty of people opt for the cost saving option of driving themselves, plenty of others are willing to pay for an ambulance ride to avoid bouncing around in a truck for another hour...

^This. My pro tip to anyone living/recreating in the Rockies is to at least look into a "Membership" for air ambulance services in your area. Memberships aren't terribly expensive on the front end and can save you a boatload of money if you ever find yourself in a scenario where you have to be flown.

 

[king402]

Man I'm glad you made it out. I've had several 12 out of 10 pain attacks in that same area. Mine have been caused by hereditary pancreas issues, even after gallbladder removal. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I carry an inReach for the same reason in case I have a pancreas attack in the back country. Good luck to you in getting it figured out!

 

[Jn78]

Listen to Peter Attia’s latest podcast. The podcast guest is Sebastian Junger. The podcast name is the drive. Moral of the story - don’t ignore the stomach ache.