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  1. MikeyC

    Advice sought for wounds on feet from walking

    Sound advice above. My own experience is that as soon as I feel a niggle or hot spot I need to stop immediately and deal with it. In the past I have pressed on, saying to myself "it's only another 1km, then I'll do it". Poor decision on my part as a hot spot soon becomes a blister. Dealing with...
  2. MikeyC

    Names of larger supermarket chains in Southern England, France, and Switzerland

    In the UK there is also Waitrose, an upmarket chain, and Marks and Spencers. The latter has both food halls in its larger department stores as well as stand alone units. Also upmarket.
  3. MikeyC

    Darn those downhill stretches suck - some ideas to strengthen your body for downhills

    Counterintuitively it may well be the downhill that is better exercise than walking uphill or downstairs rather than up. For both strength and balance. Podcast from the BBC though the text sums it up nicely...
  4. MikeyC

    Heatwaves. Effect on the body. Staying safe.

    Useful article today on the BBC website about the effect of heat on the body and related topics including heat exhaustion. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-49112807
  5. MikeyC

    LIVE from the Camino Struggling with fitness and mood

    I feel for the OP and can relate those feelings to my own experience which turned out to have an easily resolved medical explanation. I had similar loss of energy and low mood a few years back. My Doctor ran a few blood tests in the week we were leaving for our 3rd Camino about which I had...
  6. MikeyC

    How psychologically healthy should you be to walk?

    I posted this link as a separate thread. The article looks at some of the effects of walking to our health and well being. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/jul/28/its-a-superpower-how-walking-makes-us-healthier-happier-and-brainier
  7. MikeyC

    I probably won’t do this again

    Although I must say that we've had one or two dishes from pilgrim menus these last few days that could qualify as miserable. Partially raw chicken tonight being the highlight.
  8. MikeyC

    I probably won’t do this again

    Currently a few days away from Burgos we may have encountered the same pilgrims. It was snoring unlike anything I have heard and, even with earplugs, I found the sounds to be quite disturbing on an emotional level. My wife and I grabbed our sleeping bags and spent a cold night sitting upright in...
  9. MikeyC

    Hospital bill from spain

    There are private and public health systems in Spain. I'll quote from the NHS website below but essentially you need to ensure you are heading for a public facility or in a dual facility that you are receiving public health service and not private. The following is from the NHS: "Some...
  10. MikeyC

    INR tests while on camino

    Hi George I started on Rivaroxaban after a DVT earlier this year but found it gave me sudden onset headaches. Switched to Apixaban and no discernible side effects. The only, very minor, downside is it requires a tablet twice daily whereas Rivaroxaban (trade name Xarelto) was a single daily...
  11. MikeyC

    INR tests while on camino

    Perhaps you could see your GP about changing to one of the Xa medicines such as Apixaban. I use this to inhibit a DVT and no INR testing is required.
  12. MikeyC

    Health Insurance

    If you are new to travel insurance please be mindful that, like all insurance contracts, it is incumbent on us to be fully open and thus declare all previous health issues. This allows the insurer to price for risk. Undisclosed health issues may lead to the policy being voided even if the matter...
  13. MikeyC

    Health Insurance

    Be aware that Spain has both a private and public health sector. Private hospitals will definitely be mindful of ensuring payment will be guaranteed. Public hospitals probably less so in case of emergencies and from stories heard are reasonably inexpensive compared to the US. Minor issues such...
  14. MikeyC

    Holy Hell! Shin splints?

    Awful timing for you. Decathlon have foam rollers in soft and hard. Website has a demo video. When I was a keen jogger stretching the calves pre and post run seemed to prevent shin splints reoccurring. Hoping for a speedy recovery.
  15. MikeyC

    Ibuprofen - Cautionary Tale

    The NHS, the UK's health service, advice is to wait 48 hours after a sprain, strain, etc... before taking ibuprofen. As you rightly say, this is to allow the body to start the healing process naturally.
  16. MikeyC

    Another shoe/blister thread

    I hiked in sandals as my hiking shoes were giving me blisters on the toes. My wife used her shoes in the morning but switched to sandals after our lunch break. Air your feet at every opportunity. Vaseline as a preventative measure. Tape any hot spot as soon as you feel it.
  17. MikeyC

    Medical first aid kit

    Even if you could the so called technique involves passing the thread through the blister and leaving the thread ends hanging loose to drain. Come morning the thread has to be removed from the blister and involves drawing the now mucky thread back through the blister. Not having done it myself I...
  18. MikeyC

    Medical first aid kit

    Although by the time you reach the albergue that hot spot from 5kms back may now be a rather large blister!
  19. MikeyC

    First aid kit for helping others

    Can I reinforce the benefit of pilgrims carrying electrolytes or oral rehydration solution. Imbibing vast quantities of water can, as noted, produce its own dangers. The worst I have felt on the Camino was on a 28C day when walking between Villadongas del Paramo and Hospital de Orbigo. We had...
  20. MikeyC

    Medical first aid kit

    Just a reminder that the Camino (Frances) is not wilderness hiking and pharmacies are easily found. Spain has 22000 pharmacies and that works out at 47 per 100000 population which is more than twice the UK and USA figure. Pharmacies can be identified by a green cross. They operate on a rota...

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