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WoodySt
Trad climber
Riverside
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jan 26, 2009 - 01:54pm PT
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I just returned from Tucson.
The first day we climbed on the Green Slabs on MT. Lemmon then the Cochise Stronghold the next. The weather was marginal throughout the area: general cloud cover with sprinkles on and off. We drove to the base of Bat Rock and wandered up to the base of the route we'd chosen for a start. It began to rain a bit on and off so we waited to see if there would be any clearing. ( For those wondering why we were thinking of proceeding, you can climb on wet rock with smooth soles if the route is primarily cracks and it's only light sprinkles. It's also more exciting. On another note, I led Loose Lady years ago in a gentle rain-very exciting.) Onward: too much rain so we decided to back off. On the way down the hill my partner Stern took a tumble and landed on a sharp rock with serious consequences. It appeared at first he had broken his hip. I carried the gear to the truck and returned to help him down. He was making some progress (no hip fracture obviously). He was in severe pain and in shock. Stern's on a blood thinner which could complicate things so we headed out for Tucson. As we drove, Stern's pain increased and a swelling developed in his right side and continued to grow-- internal bleeding. We called ahead for information as to the quickest route to a hospital in the city. Upon arrival, the situation had deteriorated significantly. Stern collapsed as he went through the door and was rushed into immediate care. (If you want fast attention in a triage situation, collapse just inside the door of the emergency walk-in. It usually works.) His blood pressure was 64 and sinking, and he was in severe shock. I waited for a couple of hours and was finally allowed in the ICU to see him. They were pumping him full of fluid etc. and doing whatever to stop the bleeding. He was ultimately given four units of blood over the next three days plus other treatments.
When we were driving down to the Stronghold, a large, white dog wandered onto the freeway about two-hundred feet ahead. I swerved to the right and missed him; the eighteen wheeler behind me couldn't and hit him with his left wheel. We pondered as to whether this was an omen. Stern felt it was bad; I felt the dog was a scape dog that had pulled all the bad away from us for the day. I was wrong or right depending on how one looks at it. It might have been somewhat neutral.
Yesterday, I got Stern on a flight out of Phoenix for home and more medical attention. At the airport, I had to tell him that I was very disturbed about the discomfort it would have caused me having to drive around with a dead body in my car. It would have put a serious pall on my day. Another fifteen to thirty minutes and he would have been worm food. He was quite contrite and promised to do his best not to cause me that discomfort in the future.
We're tentatively planning to go back to the Stronghold in late March assuming Stern is recovered. It looks like a great climbing area, magnificent really.
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Rhodo-Router
Gym climber
Otto, NC
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Jan 26, 2009 - 01:58pm PT
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Guess it coulda been a lot worse. Better luck next time...and try and make sure there is one. The Stronghold is one of those places.
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Fingercrack
Trad climber
Just left of there
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Jan 26, 2009 - 02:04pm PT
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"I carried the gear to the truck and returned to help him down"
Glad you've got your priorities. With good friends like you......
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yu-min
Big Wall climber
california
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Jan 26, 2009 - 02:06pm PT
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sounds like a bummer, but i totally agree, Cochise is a very impressive place. Took a trip out there last summer and got rained on too, decided to stick it out in Tombstone with a bottle of whiskey till the storm passed, then went for the Stronghold, absolutely amazing area. Better luck next time
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
North of the Owyhees
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Jan 26, 2009 - 02:07pm PT
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Hope your pal pulls it through, there, Woodster.
You, too.
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WoodySt
Trad climber
Riverside
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 26, 2009 - 03:50pm PT
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Ah, Fingercrack,
Since carrying him out with a pack, two ropes and a rack would have posed a problem, I did have my priorities correct. Further, since the analgesics were in the truck--percocet, the five minutes to the vehicle seemed appropriate. The one mistake was forgetting the meds in the truck.
Where do we on ST get theses twits that show up now and then?
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Fingercrack
Trad climber
Just left of there
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Jan 26, 2009 - 04:25pm PT
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"Where do we on ST get theses twits that show up now and then?"
Seems to me that you would drop the rope and rack, get him to the car where he would get the meds and comfort sooner. Obviously the rope and rack were more important to you.
I'm thinking you're the twit!
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rhyang
climber
SJC
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Jan 26, 2009 - 07:47pm PT
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Glad he pulled through, and best wishes for a quick recovery !
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WoodySt
Trad climber
Riverside
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 26, 2009 - 07:52pm PT
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Fingercrack,
Poor fellow; you're still not thinking. He was in terrible pain. Carrying him out at that point would not have worked; he couldn't have taken the added pain and couldn't move. A ten minute round trip would enable me to give him a strong dose of meds that would have eased his pain enough to handle the two hundred feet or so to the truck. Once back with him, the pain had subsided; and we determined the hip wasn't broken. He refused the meds at that point because he was concerned about the interaction with other meds he was on; and, since the pain had diminished, he felt okay for us to get him down.
Interesting, though, how choices and "luck" play out in these situations. If the hip had been broken or the pain so severe that he couldn't move even with help, I would have used my cell, assuming I could get a call out, to get medical/rescue assistance. If the cell hadn't worked in that location, I was planning on driving out to a point where I could get a connection. Further, and really scary, if he'd taken the meds and we'd waited for them to take effect (an hour at least), he'd have bled out internally and died before help had arrived. Any of the above scenarios would have resulted in death.
Approximately one hour later, at the hospital, he was crashing from blood loss. We were completely unaware of the severity of the internal bleeding until we were well on our way to Tucson. He began to swell up on his side covering an area about 10 by ten inches.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Jan 26, 2009 - 08:22pm PT
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Carrying him out at that point would not have worked; he couldn't have taken the added pain and couldn't move.
Speaking from experience at the other end of this scenario, I can confirm that the only way someone can drag or carry you if you've broken your hip is if they shoot you first. I actually managed to kind of drag myself off to the side of the road before the shock wore off when I broke mine, but after that, even the slightest movement was total agony.
Obviously, if you know your partner's going to bleed out if you don't move him immediately, then you ignore his screams and move him, but given that the likely problem in this case was a hip frx, there was no need for speed.
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Jan 26, 2009 - 10:21pm PT
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Ouch!
Well, at least you didn't have to carry him down from Tahquitz.
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Jan 26, 2009 - 10:38pm PT
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Thank God everything is in the up zone! :D
We all need to be critique careful. We here don't always know the intimate details of the accident. But, often the people involved know their situations of crisis and their climbing partners pretty well....as well as protocol in time of an emergency. So giving them our prayers and support is grate !
So glad all is working out. Cheers, Lynne
Edit: Woody, would you keep us updated on his progress. Would appreciate. Thanks.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jan 26, 2009 - 10:54pm PT
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EPIC!!!
Sorry to hear it went south, Woody. Best wishes for a speedy recovery for your partner!
I hope that you were impressed with all the potential! March is perfect for another try.
Did you ever see the guidebook section that I posted on your earlier thread?
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Jan 26, 2009 - 11:07pm PT
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I think about the only thing that can be learned from this is that blood thinners (including asprin)can quickly turn an "ouchie" into a life threatening event.
With the median age here, that's something to keep in mind.
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WoodySt
Trad climber
Riverside
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 27, 2009 - 01:04am PT
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Steve,
Yes I saw it. On day one we found a climbing store and bought the most recent edition of "Lemmon Squeeze" or "Squeeze the Lemmon"; I can't remember. It's excellent, many more routes and well organized. Now, I want an opportunity to use it a little more.
Addendum: the airport in Phoenix has got to be the absolutely worst mid-sized airport I've ever experienced: badly marked signs, screwed up directions, confusion, badly planned. All in all it sucks big time. It should be bulldozed and rebuilt by someone sober this time around.
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