[Rhodes22-list] Apostle Islands High Adventure Trip Cancelled

[ROGER PIHLAJA]

Hi All,

As many of you know; my two sons, brother-in-law, and I were going to take a grand circle tour of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in July, 2021.  This was going to be a sailing/beach camping/sea kayaking trip.  We were going to use our Rhodes 22 as the mother ship and tow the 4 sea kayaks in order to cover the miles between islands.  The sea kayaks would be used to explore the sea caves, sea stacks, and sea arches on the many uninhabited islands in the Apostle Islands archipelago.  We were going to back country beach camp on 3 different uninhabited islands.  These High Adventure Trips are a family tradition dating back almost 22 years.  We do something different every year.  There is an article in the Rhodes 22 archives about another High Adventure Sailing Trip to Garden Island in the middle of Lake Michigan many years ago.

I had my second cardiac ablation in February, 2021 and was working hard on my cardiac rehab.  Unfortunately, my cardiac issues are not getting better.   I recently spent most of a day in A-Fib and tachycardia (rapid heat beat).  Apparently, my cardiac arrhythmia medication, Metoprolol, isn’t working for me anymore.  So, on June 1st, I’m scheduled for a 3 day stay in the Cardiac Unit at Midland Hospital.  They are going to hook me up to cardiac monitors and try a new drug called Tikosyn.  They will try to establish an appropriate dose for me that stops the A-Fib without stopping my heart.

Then, on June 10th, I’m scheduled to go back to the Invasive Procedures Unit at the Midland Hospital for a cardiac catheterization procedure.  This is another procedure wherein you are put under and they make an incision in the right groin.  They insert a catheter-like probe into the large vein in the groin and snake it back up the circulatory system into the heart.  They also insert an X-Ray emitting probe down the windpipe to where the bronchial tubes split off to each lung.  On the operating table, you are lying on top of a solid state X-Ray imaging plate.  This gives the surgical team a real time image of the heart so they can tell where their probe is inside the heart.  Inside the heart, the surgical team will search for any congenital defects like a hole between the chambers, heart valve problems, plaque build-up in the arteries, infection of the heart muscle, and even malignant tumors.  The probe also has a sensitive pressure sensor which they will use to map the performance of each chamber of the heart as it beats.  Some of these high tech medical procedures sound like overhauling your car engine while it’s in the car and running!  Some issues they can fix immediately and other issues will require open heart surgery, which would have to be scheduled in the future.  This is supposed to be a 1 day in & out procedure.  But, during the February cardiac ablation, which is a similar laparoscopic procedure, the X-Ray probe tore my windpipe causing them to keep me overnight.  I was coughing up blood for a week!  So, in a nutshell, this is going to be experimental surgery to try to figure out what’s wrong with me.  It will be a different doctor, which I requested in order to get a second opinion.  It wasn’t easy to get our medical insurance to approve this; but, I insisted.

in my present condition, I just don’t feel comfortable going to a remote area like the Apostle Islands.  I would need to be able to paddle my sea kayak 3-4 miles on Lake Superior without passing out and I’m not confident in my ability to do that.  Emergency medical care, if it could be summoned at all, would be hours away.   We all still have those days in July off.  If I’m feeling better by then, we may try to do something less strenuous and closer to home.  Everyone is really disappointed; but, they completely support my decision.  There’s always next year, right?

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Memorial Day holiday weekend.  I had a COVID-19 test on Friday and Deb & I are quarantined until I go into the hospital next Tuesday.  Stay tuned.  Please keep me in your prayers.

Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium





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