Bushcraft Survival Level 2 was a bust for me. Arrived at 5pm and set up camp and met the level 1 guys. There were only the two of us newbies joining the remainder of level 1. Gordo prepared a meal of curried mince and rice for everyone. Then class began on knife sharpening. We ended up retiring at 1030pm.
About 2am I woke up with breathing problems, I was gasping with big breaths and I tried to control it for an hour then at 3am things got a little weird and my heart rate went through the roof and it just didnt feel right and I wandered down to camp bare foot trying to find Gordo and sit by the fire and see if it calmed down. That didnt work. Couldnt find anyone and the fire was out and I was getting worse so I walked back to my camp found the first hootchie set up and woke them up asking if they could grab Gordo for me.
I want to thank Phil for walking me back to the main camp and waking Gordo and making sure I was settled down. I wasnt feeling very good by that time.Gordo checked my pulse and it was up to 130 beats per minute and with my medical history just called ahead to the hospital at Heathcote. While Nero ran me down there and we waited for an ambulance to take me to Bendigo main hospital. Like most small country towns there are no doctors at the hospitals and they need to be called in and you say transplant and its straight to a larger medical system.
12 hours later after blood tests, xrays, CT scans etc etc I was stable enougn to leave. Nero picked my up and I headed home. I didnt want to risk it happening again it would have been irresponsible to stay.
Id just gotten over pneumonia and I thought it was that playing up and I would have felt like a jackass if I had turned up to class with a preexisting ailment I hadnt completely recovered from and wasted my groups and instructors time and energy.
So good news and bad news. Good news!The chest was clear only slight crackles at the base and CT was clear. So after the doctors called the Alfred specialists and RAH specialists, with the suspicion of either rejection or inflammation it was neither. Bad news! The next few weeks Ill be running around arranging a long list of medical follow ups, from heart monitors to hoses down the neck checking for possible throat cancer. I keep loosing my voice and if it were bacterial the two courses antibiotics should have cleared it up. So fun times ahead!
I drove home and arrived at 930pm a long few days. Ive just unpacked dis-morning and am sitting here looking at a large pile of crap sitting in front of me and having a break writing this post.
Things I would have done different at the course. Taken a thicker insulated ground pad,I should have put both sleeping bags together.The special forces 2 was comfortable most of the night but not at 3am. Taken a small 10 litre backpack to put my crap in. The large bag held my hootchie and clothes but a smaller one would have fitted my bowl, note pad, meds and water bottle to go from my camp to the base camp instead of carrying a water bottle holder and messenger bag. Rehashed knots, Ive spent months learning new knots but under stress was doing an adjustable guyline hitch in reverse. Took a few things I wouldnt have needed but wasnt sure exactly what we were doing. If we had of redone the timed test the extra smaller pot would have come in handy but if cooking for ourselves then the lager bushpot would have been all I needed. Could have pissed off the IFAK etc to reduce weight but Ive done too many medical courses now, there are certain things I refuse to loose. There are a few other things but Ill have to edit them in later when I can concentrate more. Ohhh the knives. Should have taken the Spyderco bushcraft. The second day were were doing constructing tools. A larger Scandi grind would have worked better than the smaller blade. The Shemanese would still have been better for cooking. Been eyeing off a Tops BOB Field Craft for the next time.
I just wanted to jot these thoughts down to thank the guys there. Everyone I met was great seemed like a nice bunch of people would have been good to get to know them better. Special thx to Phil for the assist and Gordo and Nero for the prompt medical responses. Gordo has put my booking on hold so I can catch up with the level 2 later in the year up north.
Was thinking of you guys when I stopped for a driving break and had a maccas. (Inside joke)
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