Peter update: Discharged from the Hospital

Looks like the updates will be fast and furious for a little while, there's so much happening. I'll continue to post when I have new information, this is already my 4th post today and I'm sure there will be more to come.

Peter is out of the hospital. Hurrah! As is so often the case with altitude-related problems, just going lower often takes care of the lion's share of the problem. They ran all kinds of tests and while there's one finding in the EKG they want him to follow up on when he returns, he's all cleared and feeling great.

We've been video chatting so much. And capturing really flattering photos for our memories.

I asked for more details about the helicopter evacuation. Generally, when a helicopter flies up to Camp 2, they remove almost everything except the pilot from the helicopter so they'll be able to maneuver in such thin air. When they picked up Peter, they took him straight to base camp for a quick landing where his expedition leader had all his things packed and ready to put on the helicopter with him. (Big shout out to SummitClimb for that foresight. That was not the case for all expeditions, more on that later.)

Peter says that it was very cloudy/foggy, so the helicopter flew really low, above the river so that the pilot could see the ground for where to go. They landed in Pheriche, dropped Peter and his bags. The helicopter picked up Kilian Jornet and David Goettler (high profile adventurers doing very high profile adventures right now. Peter says he ran into David early in his trip, didn't know who he was, and got great advice on where to stay in the villages before Peter met up with his team. He ran into David, and to a lesser extent, Kilian, many times on their days in the Khumbu.) The helicopter took Kilian and David somewhere up the mountain and then returned to pick up Peter.

I've seen lots of videos of helicopters refueling in Pheriche since they need to be as light as possible when going higher. I imagine that they refueled here to fly down the valley. The helicopter then transported Peter down to Lukla, the city he'd flown into from Kathmandu when he started his trek. From there, he switched to another helicopter which flew him to Kathmandu for a waiting ambulance. 

The helicopter evacuation was all covered by his climbing insurance. The ambulance and waiting nurse cost $100 on the itemized bill he received when released from the hospital.

The hospital where he stayed is popular with foreigners and they are very familiar with mountain sicknesses and injuries. He received excellent care. He said the hospital staff was bracing for incoming frostbite injuries if a narrow weather window leads to crowding and long waits on the Everest summit. They are definitely tuned in to what is happening on the big peaks around the country.

The guy in the room next to Peter, a cardiologist from Colorado, had also been evacuated, I think also from Camp 2, with HAPE (high altitude pulmonary edema). He was also doing well, greatly improved at this lower altitude too. 

When Peter was admitted, he filled out a form that went to the US Embassy. While he was in the hospital, they called to check on him! Impressive. They even sent a follow-up email to offer assistance in getting a seat on a charter flight to get back home. (The airports in Nepal are officially closed until the end of May due to the covid outbreak.)

Peter was discharged after a roughly 24-hour stay in the ICU. His bill came to $2,908. Some of the highlights:

• Critical care consultant, $300.
• IV, $30
• Chest x-ray, $40
• Blood draw, $5
• EKG, $45

This morning, as he and David, the cardiologist climber from the room next to him, were getting ready to be discharged, Peter heard David asking the hospital staff if he could keep the hospital slippers. His expedition company hadn't packed up all his belongings, so he was in Kathmandu only with his cumbersome high altitude boots and the other gear he'd had at Camp 2. Since Peter had all his stuff with him (in a big pile of duffle bags right next to his hospital bed), he had an extra pair of boots to give David. 

Peter checked into the Kathmandu Guest House. His expedition company has people on the ground in Kathmandu who had found a seat on a flight departing that night to San Francisco. For $3,500. Peter called me in the middle of the night to discuss. (I thought we might have been finished with the middle of the night stuff!) It seemed a ridiculous price, so Peter passed on it. He has a few other options this week, or he can wait for Eric and they could fly home together if the airports open again at the end of the month. Not clear yet.

Peter met David for dinner where they both discussed at length all the joys of food and comfort outside of the expedition. Peter had been so careful about food and all exposure to any possible bug during the entire expedition, that he is really reveling in all the flavor of a great restaurant meal. And a beer. He also mentioned what a luxury it was to have food served that stays hot for more than a minute on your plate. That side of high altitude dining is one I hadn't thought of!

David did decide that he wanted that $3500 flight. So he left last night, wearing Peter's boots. Perfect.

While I was chatting with Peter this morning, I got a text from our yoga teacher Leslie who I'd told about Peter's adventure. She had so kindly sent a short video of the kind of yoga that we'd done with her. She said yin yoga with legs on the wall was the perfect recovery from his adventure. Shortly after we hung up, Peter sent me this photo: