I am devastated.
In preparation for my long-anticipated Camino pilgrimage, scheduled to begin from SJPDP 9 days from now, a month ago I was hiking 5+ miles a day, walking rapidly for maximum aerobic effect, with no problem, and feeling more fit every day.
Today I couldn’t walk from the bed to the bathroom without a total loss of breath. Putting on my hiking boots required a 10-minute recovery.
When I first started noticing these symptoms, I immediately entered a state of denial, which only ended this morning. I kept telling family, friends, and myself that everything was copacetic, no problem, good to go. As the symptoms became increasingly severe, I finally had to let my wife know what was going on. But I was still determined to soldier on, declaring that even if I had to walk 100 yards, rest, and repeat for 500 miles, then that's what I would do. This morning I finally gave up, and am waiting for a call from the Labor Day weekend on-call doctor to figure out what's going on and what to do. As I wait, I'm cancelling hotel, B&B, and flight reservations, each cancellation a fresh disappointment.
Whatever this turns out to be, and whatever the solution, I'm more determined than ever not to let the dream die.
In preparation for my long-anticipated Camino pilgrimage, scheduled to begin from SJPDP 9 days from now, a month ago I was hiking 5+ miles a day, walking rapidly for maximum aerobic effect, with no problem, and feeling more fit every day.
Today I couldn’t walk from the bed to the bathroom without a total loss of breath. Putting on my hiking boots required a 10-minute recovery.
When I first started noticing these symptoms, I immediately entered a state of denial, which only ended this morning. I kept telling family, friends, and myself that everything was copacetic, no problem, good to go. As the symptoms became increasingly severe, I finally had to let my wife know what was going on. But I was still determined to soldier on, declaring that even if I had to walk 100 yards, rest, and repeat for 500 miles, then that's what I would do. This morning I finally gave up, and am waiting for a call from the Labor Day weekend on-call doctor to figure out what's going on and what to do. As I wait, I'm cancelling hotel, B&B, and flight reservations, each cancellation a fresh disappointment.
Whatever this turns out to be, and whatever the solution, I'm more determined than ever not to let the dream die.