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Against Medical Advice

Albino Basin Summer Trip
August dawn on the Mission Mountains Wilderness and Swan Valley in Montana. Scene viewed from unnamed peak (8771 ft) in the Albino Basin area of the Swan Range, Bob Marshall Wilderness.

In 48 hours, it will have been three weeks since I sought medical help for my left leg, which had been troubling me for a week and a half. The swift diagnosis of the blood clot was unexpected and more than a little unsettling.

Besides the anticoagulation shots that began immediately through the weekend, it was Saturday evening when they began; I have been on a regimen of anticoagulation pills since then. In addition, I received directions that the only exercise I could do was walking inside my home every one or two hours. I lasted until the following Friday. That is when I did a small walk of just over one mile into the basin area of Mount Helena City Park in Helena Montana.

Albino Basin Summer Trip
Drinkable glacier water one half mile below the source in Montana’s Swan Range, Bob Marshall Wilderness. Reminiscing about an area that may no longer be available to me.

Tomorrow, it will be two weeks since I began walking again. Walking? More like an easy stroll. For most of that time, I have kept my heart rate below 130 BPM. The last two days I have kept it beneath 137 BPM. The route I have been walking for five days has a distance of 3.65 miles in an ascent/descent of 850 feet. It takes me approximately 1.75 hours to complete— yes, an easy stroll.

The only adverse effect I have felt during the walks is a tiredness in my left leg. It is my understanding that is a side effect of the blood clot. For some people that condition appears to be permanent. I am unsure whether it will be for me.

What is certain is my increased tempo beginning tomorrow. I will be adding another mile and 600 feet of ascent/descent to that easy stroll. I will also take my maximum heart rate up to 140 BPM. Since medical personnel have not sanctioned my exercises, if this turns out to be my last blog, then apparently I suffered the consequences of strolling a little too hard.

 

2 thoughts on “Against Medical Advice

  1. Hope all goes well.

    1. I do too Shawn. The doctor gave me a go ahead this morning for exercising to the level my body will permit. There is still some concern of how I got the clot.

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