Trigger warning if you have OCD about getting sick.
I'll start by saying I'm a huge outdoors person, I fish, I hunt, I camp and I'm careful.
But two weeks ago I went for what was almost my last trip ever. I had decided to go for a duck hunt, none of my buddies were available so I decided to go out solo which I have done before many times.
I sat in my duck blind for about 10 minutes before the shooting started(it was a good evening) one down, two down, three down, four down. Now, I don't have a dog so I do the hustle and run and grab my own birds. One of the times I ran out I tripped in my chest-waders and fell on my but in the shallow water...no worries stood back up grabbed my birds and headed back to the blind. Seemingly all was fine 2 birds away from my limit of 6 when I decided to head home. I went home cleaned my birds and vac-sealed them for a special meal another day.
3 days later I'm in bed, high fever with chills, vomiting up any water or food I try and put down the hatch. 5 days goes by and I'm still in the same condition, so weak I can barely stand and have a full body rash. My wife tells me it's time to go to the hospital and shoves me into the car and drives me to the emergency room where I basically crawl in the door. I see triage and they immediately take me back to a bed and start IV fluids.
The doctor and I have a chat. I tell him I went for a hunt and I think I may have contracted some sort of influenza... I was also on antibiotics for a previous infection. They thought I may be having a bad reaction to the antibiotic at first and the doctor gets on the phone to doctors in a bigger city to get top notch recommendations before they inquire about airlifting me to a more advanced hospital. They run numerous blood tests and they are returned within an hour and 30 minute window. They checked for blood infection, hepatitis, numerous different kinds of parasites and no hits were found.
They informed my that my liver, kidneys and heart were starting to shut down due to the illness as they could see organ failure through the blood tests.
They made a last minute phone call to the Centre for Disease and Control and the team of doctors there with the team of doctors at the hospital concluded it is most likely a case of human Leptospirosis. Now here in Canada, this illness is so rare it's not even tracked. Only 100-150 Americans will get this illness each year and it's lethal if not caught and treated in time
One of my worst fears has always been getting sick, and I just went through my OCD nightmare of being terrified to take off my mask in the hospital let alone being in the hospital in the first place.
Needless to say I just about died within a 2 weeks span and it was the worst sickness I've ever had. The doctor made a huge judgement call to put me on antibiotics as if it was a virus it could have had a reverse effect I was told.
I'm discharged now and at home with my wife and two kids. Today, I donated $1200 dollars to the hospital in recognition of the doctor who saved my life. This is probably one of the best things I've ever done.
hanging on by a thread
When anxiety is about real, not perceived situations.
Never had this happen before
Is This HOCD Anymore?
OCD and memory
