I Had Rhabdo...and Didn't Know It! (Danger for Backpackers) 

So glad you are better!! And it’s good for people to know about Rhabdo. It can save a life!! Thank you!!

My oldest daughter had rhabdomyolysis when she was 8. She crawled down the hallway during the night to tell me her legs hurt! I took her to the ER. We were told it was likely due to a viral infection. She had not done any extremely strenuous activity or been exposed to excessive heat or cold. The hospital kept her a few days, giving her IV hydration until her creatine kinase levels decreased. They were concerned it might get worse. It did not, thank God! She recovered fully with no kidney damage.

My cousin in her 40s died suddenly from this last year. She had severe back pain and thought she pulled a muscle or pinched nerve from all the walking she was doing and went to a chiropractor. She was gone a week or so later. Eventually the pain was so severe she went to ER and it was too late. I had never heard of it before her death. It can be so dangerous and so glad you are ok!!!! Scary stuff!

Joey, you are the third RU-vidr that has had this condition that I had never heard of until Dan Becker got it. I work in the extreme heat and have been so mindful after hearing Dan’s story of drinking more and more electrolytes instead of just water. Thank you for sharing your story and I hope others will take the necessary precautions with their health. Happy Hiking

Thanks for sharing. I don’t think I had rhabdo but my husband and I did a loop bike trip several years ago over Thunder Mountain near Bryce Canyon and I accidentally had us go the wrong direction going down the gradual paved path and then up the steep backside of the mountain which meant we did “hike a bike” for hours. It was a sunny dry day, not super hot (Nov) but I still way overexerted myself and drank my whole Camelback of water by the afternoon and about a mile or 2 from the car I couldn’t go anymore (even walking) and I think now I actually had hyponatremia (too much water not enough electrolytes) but very similar symptoms of literally my body just couldn’t go anymore combined with dizziness, and extreme exhaustion and fatigue. I ate a Cliff bar and sat down for a few minutes and I think it put enough electrolytes back in me that I was able to keep going but my husband had to walk my bike out for me on any uphills. It’s the only time in my life I ever started thinking “I’m not gonna make it out of here.” (The sun was setting and temps were dropping). So, all that to say, just be careful you don’t over hydrate without enough electrolytes!

Yes, more people ought to know about Rhabdo. I think that's why the (reported) cases of it are so few - it's misdiagnosed & most of us never seek formal diagnosis. Plus it's only nowadays that many of us frequent hikers are getting older and our bodies react so differently than they did when we were younger, more resilient. Our brains are also part of the problem, we keep pushing ourselves. The other big lesson you learned, I think, that we should really take away, is: Get off the trail, be willing to break your plans. It's one thing to think you will do that; it's totally another, when the time actually comes. Another thought: the hardest part about a long-distance hike is the few weeks *before* the hike/backpack, when we are so focused on outcome that we lose sight of where we are.

Sorry to hear about your experience. I had Rhabdo when I was in college. I worked out (free weights) when I had a virus. I was hospitalized for a few days. They were pumping in 1 liter IV water bags at a rate of 1 bag per hour and giving me diuretics. I was peeing like crazy. Fortunately, I don't think there was any permanent damage. They also check for the CK enzyme in people that suffer heart attacks. The Dr said a person that suffers a heart attack may have a CK in the 100's. Someone in a serious car accident 500+. Mine was so high, it was in the 1000's. They had to dilute my blood to get a reading. Scary stuff for sure.

Glad you're okay! I was aware of dehydration concerns but never heard of rhabdo. Now I feel better about my decision to start out with low mileage when I do the Appalachian Trail next year, at age 64. I'll keep it under 10 miles per day at least for the first couple of weeks, and have a few that are just five miles to a hostel for a rest.

Thanks for explaining this condition. It must have been so frustrating when you knew your body wasnt ok. As a 71yr old hiker, health professionals often dismiss symptoms as old age, stop stressing the body etc. We know when there is something significant happening. I hike in Australia where its so important to take electrolytes.

Someone my husband works with got this recently. Then I saw Dan’s experience and now yours. Quite a storm.

I was training for a marathon and after a long training run of about 20 miles a had brown urine. My MD said it was from the walls of my bladder rubbing against each other and creating blood in my urine. In retrospect I think it was rhabdo. It’s hard to decipher if fatigue is from rhabdo or just really hard exertion. But if I ever have dark urine while training or hiking hard again I will definitely get checked. I appreciate all the people like you and Dan bringing awareness to this .

Thank you for sharing this information. Two years ago during a much shorter hike than yours, the Bartram Trail, I experienced the same symptoms and had no idea as to what was going on. Now that you have shared your experience I suspect I had rhabdo and now know what to look for going forward, which could be a life saver on future hikes. Glad you are doing better and thank you again for sharing.

I can't believe I've never heard of this condition! Good to know in case someone I know has these symptoms! At least I'll be aware that it could be serious.

Wow! Thanks for sharing. It's helpful to know that symptoms can be so varied. One of my big takeaways from your story is to listen to my body and trust my instincts, especially as I get older. When hiking, I'm not out to prove anything to anyone, expect perhaps myself. Glad to hear you are okay and that this won't slow you down or keep you off trail.

This was a fabulous video. I am a Med-Surg nurse. So I have taken care of rhabdo patients after they come from ICU. I did not know what led up to their medical event, typically, unless it was like an elderly patient who fell (which is what I most commonly seen). This was a great informative video !!!! Thank you so much.

I had never heard of Rhabdo, so thank you for sharing your story and the information about the condition. I has enlightened all of who watch your RU-vid videos. Winkle

Wow and gosh, Joey, you are one tough cookie!! What a scary and enlightening diagnosis!! Thank goodness it wasn't worse. But it's sad that you were sick and miserable (and beating yourself up for it) through most of your CT journey. Really - I don't know how you powered through it!! Thank you for sharing your rhabdo experience, describing its symptoms and explaining how dangerous it can be. Excellent video.

Never heared of this condition, but I am glad I did now.. it's good to know more about the symptoms. Thanks for sharing

Great information. Thank you for sharing this.

Thank you for this information!

I have never heard of Rhabdo, so this was very informative! Thank you, thank you so much!

Wow! Thank you for sharing. ❤

I never heard of Rhabdo. I am so glad it didn't turn more serious and you got a proper diagnosis. Happy to hear you are healthy now.

Thank you for sharing. Something that I will keep in mind going forward for both myself and others.

Thanks for sharing this info. I've never heard of it. Glad it's a one time thing

Oh wow! That's scary but glad you got over it. I remember when Dan Becker had that and his got pretty serious. Scary stuff and glad you're sharing that with the hiking community.

I'm glad to hear you are doing better. I first heard of Rhabdo when watching Dan Becker's video. Very scary condition to get especially when out in the wild.

Thank you for sharing this PSA and bringing awareness to such a potentially serious condition that most people might not be aware of or have it on their radar. Glad to hear you're feeling much better now! ☮❤🤝

Glad you are better. Thanks for sharing for making us aware.

I'm so glad you're doing better!! I really enjoy watching your videos and seeing all the amazing places you get to visit.

It's not just dehydration . Really the perfect storm comes together to create this issue. Hard workout which causes muscle breakdown and release of protein into your blood stream. Couple that with dehydration and your kidneys can't filter the protein. Did you take Motrin? Motrin can be a huge player in developing it. Everyone talks about Vitamin I but few know how dangerous it can be to use during intense physical exertion.

Hi! I’d never heard of Rhabdo prior to reading the title of you video. So glad I watched it! In reflection, It would seem that hikers would have an increased risk of this potential problem due to significant levels of exertion over time, heat, dehydration, etc… Thank you for sharing your experience. It’s good to hear that you are well now. Subscribed.

I'm one of your new subscribers/watchers and I had never heard of Rhabdo before seeing this video. Thanks so much for sharing such valuable information!

Joey, a v helpful video to help others be aware of the symptoms and ways to avoid it. Drink more water, hike early and late and nap in the heat of the day.

THANK YOU! Glad you have made a full recovery. Like Dan's experience, this should be essential knowledge for anyone going out in the back country - or who is considering very strenuous activities. Even just once is too many times. I have completed Wilderness First Aid Training a few times and I don't recall this being part of the subject matter. I have certainly made note to watch for these symptoms and to take some preventative measures before and during my hikes.

So glad you are okay! UTI s on trail are a real problem. Be extra careful with hygiene and dehydration. I had to stop for three days in the little town south of Yosemite for urgent care and to rest. Very sick. Take care, All!

Had hysterectomy..had ureter accidently cut .had nephrostomy tube and bag..had kidney infection.. sepsis 7 months of antibiotics second surgery to repair first surgery. Never been the same 😢. I understand your fear

Thanks for letting us know and glad it was not deadly for you of course. It can happen so fast. Only took a 14 mile hike for Dan to succumb to it. Thank the gods he was not alone out there.

From your description of your hike, it seems like the high elevation and the heat combined to caused issues. I don't think people give high altitude enough respect since we can easily drive to 10,000 feet. Thanks for sharing your story as it will help others in the future.

That’s scary! Thank you for sharing. Is there any information on how to prevent this from happening when on a long hot thru hike? (Other than trying to stay hydrated?)

I live with chronic embedded uti and never have fatigue or urine like that. Lab work is so important. Listen to your body.

I've had extremely different experiences with high altitude sickness. In shape, but going up for a moderately high altitude hike Tahoe that I could barely move on. A year later, similar physical (decent) shape, I did the hike and had loads of energy the whole way. Sometimes sh*t happens.

Did you let the urgent care know what your actual diagnosis was so that they can take that into consideration for future hikers?

Exercise induced rhabdo is extremely rare and typically only occurs at high exertion levels for extended periods of time. Muscle breakdown is needed for it to occur and most people are not capable of working at that level to enable it. Dan Becker was a flat out idiot and got dehydrated badly and was in poor shape for his GC hike. Every long distance hiker knows that hydration needs to occur on a schedule, not simply when thirsty. In general, hikers almost never get rhabdo simply because they are not exerting at a high enough level for muscle breakdown to occur. We are not talking about sore muscles here, or bonking, but actual rhabdo.

Thanks for sharing. I know of several people this has happened to in the hiking community. The more folks who spread awareness the better! 👍🏼😃 Also, glad you’ve made a full recovery ❤️‍🩹.

Thank you. What was your treatment?

Never heard of this

What’s the normal treatment for Rhabdo?

Going back on the trail immediately after having had a health problem, whichever the problem, certainly was a foolish move, regardless of rhabdo or whatever else. If you get easily tired, it's because your body needs rest to heal itself. Listen to your body.

There's another condition with extreme workout and I can't remember the name 😔

Urgent care did not "Fail" you. According to the symptoms you gave & also your indicating you thought it might be an UTI & asking for someone who understood hiking & actually getting a NP who had been to Everest Base Camp, (not that would mean they would understand hiking related issues, it could have been a one off trip with Sherpa's carrying packs), was more than could be expected & the diagnosis you got is what most would have gotten. The Practitioner that was not there that day might have come to the same conclusion as the NP. As an RN who tried to get Emergency Physicians too understand what "backcountry hiking", (8 - 22 days hiking without getting off a mountain without a helicopter rescue), meant vs hiking, (I can get off the trail within 12 - 16 hours by walking), I will tell you that most every medical professional will not understand the difference between a day hike of 2 hours or a 22 day backcountry hike, (carrying 35 lbs of gear/food). Only one physician understood & that was because he trained with Mountain Search & Rescue one year. It still took him awhile to understand because he didn't actually do any multi-day hiking himself. I have been backcountry hiking & a RN for 35 years & have never heard of Rhabdo. Maybe that makes me uninformed, inexperienced or maybe it doesn't happen when one in hiking in the Canadian Rocky Mountains or NZ because it is cooler, (although not so much in the valleys on hot days). Thank you for letting us know about Rhabdo. Please also remember it is better to go into Urgent Care without a self-diagnosis; just the signs & symptoms & facts of your condition. Please consider not going back on the trail if you are still not feeling well, even if you are on antibiotics. Is it fair to count on others to get you off the trail if, (worst case scenario you can't do it yourself)? I expect some hate back from this post. Happy Hiking. Be safe & take care!