March News - Murphy's Law and Beyond

Feeling GREAT in Dec @ "Garrett's Spot" in Santa Fe, before Murphy's Law. (Maybe the bad spelling was an omen for mishaps to come...)

Greetings! I just returned from a great weekend at the Arnold Classic where I had a wonderful time representing Weider Publications, meeting fans, many of whom were incredibly gracious sharing that they'd been pulling for me, having heard I was having a heck of a time getting back on track with my health and my leg injury. Indeed, let's just say January and much of February weren't a lot of fun!

It seems as though only a few weeks ago I was happily letting everyone know that I was on the "Road Back" from my leg surgery and totally charged up to get a release by my doctor to start aggressive training. Well, welcome to the world of Medical Murphy's Law...

After returning from a relaxing Christmas vacation in New Mexico (where there's a funny place called "Garrett's Desert Inn"), I felt a strange pain in leg near the incision. At first I blew it off; but, it persisted and was soon accompanied by swelling and fevers of 103! The next thing I knew I was in the ER, undergoing countless tests including an MRI resulting in a diagnosis: osteomyelitis (bone infection) from the original surgery, for which I was put on antibiotics. Seems I am the small statistic that has gotten a severe infection as a result of surgery! Murphy's Law, you could say.

Didn't want to miss the Superbowl, so I took my IV with me!!

The antibiotics seemed like a good course until Murphy's Law started to play a joke on me. After several days in bed with high fevers, my doctor informs me that I've had sudden drop in white blood cell count, requiring that I be immediately hospitalized! What, ME, hospitalized? But, I am Superman, right? I don't get sick.

Well, after a 6-day stay in the hospital at University of California, San Diego, poked and prodded by ever specialist around, it turns out again I was a statistic - I am in the small percentage of folk who happen to have negative reactions to specific antibiotics, causing a drop in white blood cells. Whoops! Murphy's Law again. So, my docs put me on IV antibiotics and send me home with a long- term catheter installed in my bicep to receive daily IV antibiotics under the care of visiting nurses who taught me to administer my own IV. I got pretty good at - never mind that I looked like something out of a Frankenstein movie as I cruised around my house attached to an IV rack for several hours per day!

So, you'd think everything would be fine with this intense antibiotic therapy for a bone infection, right? Oh, no. Murphy's Law wasn't done with Garrett Downing. After a few weeks of administering the IV myself, I started breaking out in chills with high fevers. I was admitted AGAIN into the hospital where the doctors were totally bewildered. Why was I having fevers again?

Hanging out with a lovely "Greek Girl," Sandy, at the Arnold. Looking good, Sandy!

At this point, I had to hear the worst-case scenario, which everyone feared - was the infection not contained in my leg? Would they open me up again and remove the tendon which had been so successfully repaired, preventing me from ever having the use of it again? i.e. - the END OF MY CAREER?!! So, I lay in the hospital for days with fevers of unknown origin, blood tests daily, you name it, until they realized that it wasn't my leg causing the problem - the darn catheter in my arm had gotten infected!!! Now, we have the real Murphy's Law. Again, I am the small statistic - things that could wrong, do!!! So, they removed the line in my arm and after a few days, the fevers subsided and I started feeling better and there is no longer any horrible discussion about removing my tendon. WHEW!!

Another GREAT fan, Steve, at the Arnold.

This whole ordeal took about 6 weeks and ended in my beating the infection and my overall immune system turning back around the right direction. I had to laugh

when it was all over because not only did I truly have everything could go wrong possible, but between hospital stays (where they don't feed you enough), the fevers and the overall wack to my system, I was starting to look like an International Male Model! Ah, but needless to say, after a few weeks of eating and getting the go-ahead from the docs to do some light re-hab, my body started to return and I believe I am now looking like Garrett Downing again!

So, what's next everyone was asking me at the Arnold? Well, I am most happy to be able to return to the gym to get back on track to rehab my leg. And, watching the Ironman contest and attending the Arnold was great inspiration. My fellow competitors looked GREAT and I can't wait to see all of them on stage again. Meanwhile, I have a far greater appreciation for health and respect for how amazing the reparative properties are of the human body.

Meeting "Cold Quads" from Shawn Ray's forum @ the Arnold. Thanks for visiting. I'm feeling good as you can see!

This break helped me get a perspective on life. There's a reason for everything. So, now when I approach training, I'll be doing so with an enriched perspective. I am grateful for all that's good in my life. And, if I've missed some time training, all it teaches me is that I am lucky to have been a bodybuilder to start with because getting healthy is a far simpler project than it would be for someone lacking the foundation that training & good nutrition provides!

Next time you think you are only training and eating properly for what you LOOK like, realize it's your LONGTERM health you are pursuing and securing....and, that is why we weight train, do cardio and eat healthily.

-Garrett
Garrett Downing, IFBB Pro Bodybuilder

September 4 - My legs 2 1/2 week before injury	November 26 - My legs after 4 days of walking	The Incision -(pics of my legs after few days training coming soon!)

Back to most recent update - March 2003