Final 40km?

[SallGar]

Hello everyone - we hope you are experiencing a Buen Camino.
My wife and I (both mid-70’s) started in St. Jean on September 4. With about 40 km to go, she tripped and fell just short of Ribadiso. We are now in Santiago (via ambulance) waiting for fibula surgery on Friday. Our Camino is obviously finished for this year, but with only 40 km to go, we’re planning to return next year to finish these final km.
Can we start from where she fell or must we start from Sarria? Any advice will be most appreciated!
Thank you, all. We are so impressed with everyone we have met. What a great experience we have had! A special thank you to all the Camino angels who were always there when we needed help!

 

[Bradypus]

You can start again from where your journey was interrupted and still receive a Compostela. You do not have to start again from Sarria. When you do eventually return to walk again then try to get your credencial stamped and dated in the same town/village where your last sello was received. That is the usual practice for those who walk their Camino in stages and is well understood by the pilgrim office.

Wishing you both well!

Pax et bonum.

 

[Bradypus]

PS: I do understand the need to return to finish what you both have started. A long time after walking the Camino Frances I felt the need to walk from home in Wales to SJPDP. To complete the journey from home to Santiago in a peculiar order Unfortunately I fell about 20km from SJPDP and the result was a prolapsed spinal disc. Game over for a few months! But I had a few days to spare on an Interrail pass some months later and used them to travel to the Basque country to walk that last 20km. It would have gnawed at me not to have done so! Wishing you a happy and successful return when the time is right. Ultreia!

 

[K_Lynn]

Yikes! Wishing your wife a speedy recovery. I can't imagine how frustrating it would be to be so close and have to stop.
Buen Camino to you both! The path will be there when you can return.

 

[SallGar]

You can start again from where your journey was interrupted and still receive a Compostela. You do not have to start again from Sarria. When you do eventually return to walk again then try to get your credencial stamped and dated in the same town/village where your last sello was received. That is the usual practice for those who walk their Camino in stages and is well understood by the pilgrim office.

Wishing you both well!

Pax et bonum.

Thank you for the good news. I appreciate you getting back to me so quickly.

 

[SallGar]

PS: I do understand the need to return to finish what you both have started. A long time after walking the Camino Frances I felt the need to walk from home in Wales to SJPDP. To complete the journey from home to Santiago in a peculiar order Unfortunately I fell about 20km from SJPDP and the result was a prolapsed spinal disc. Game over for a few months! But I had a few days to spare on an Interrail pass some months later and used them to travel to the Basque country to walk that last 20km. It would have gnawed at me not to have done so! Wishing you a happy and successful return when the time is right. Ultreia!

Thank you, again. After all we went through, it’s just ironic how we were thrown such a curve! Things were going so well so this must simply be another challenge to meet. You take care!

 

[SallGar]

Yikes! Wishing your wife a speedy recovery. I can't imagine how frustrating it would be to be so close and have to stop.
Buen Camino to you both! The path will be there when you can return.

Thank you, K.Lynn - I have to admit we were both down about it, but planning to return helped.

 

[nycwalking]

Hello everyone - we hope you are experiencing a Buen Camino.
My wife and I (both mid-70’s) started in St. Jean on September 4. With about 40 km to go, she tripped and fell just short of Ribadiso. We are now in Santiago (via ambulance) waiting for fibula surgery on Friday. Our Camino is obviously finished for this year, but with only 40 km to go, we’re planning to return next year to finish these final km.
Can we start from where she fell or must we start from Sarria? Any advice will be most appreciated!
Thank you, all. We are so impressed with everyone we have met. What a great experience we have had! A special thank you to all the Camino angels who were always there when we needed help!

Heal well.

Take care.

Buen camino.

 

[trecile]

So sorry about your wife's accident and injury. My Camino was cut short last year when I broke my wrist, so I can commiserate.
Sending healing thoughts.

 

[Tony Bobcat]

Hello everyone - we hope you are experiencing a Buen Camino.
My wife and I (both mid-70’s) started in St. Jean on September 4. With about 40 km to go, she tripped and fell just short of Ribadiso. We are now in Santiago (via ambulance) waiting for fibula surgery on Friday. Our Camino is obviously finished for this year, but with only 40 km to go, we’re planning to return next year to finish these final km.
Can we start from where she fell or must we start from Sarria? Any advice will be most appreciated!
Thank you, all. We are so impressed with everyone we have met. What a great experience we have had! A special thank you to all the Camino angels who were always there when we needed help!

Hello SallGar. Back in 2018. My wife and I got as far as Castrojeriz before having to call it off due to requiring a Knee replacement. I completed the Frances this year but it’s always been on my mind to go back and complete it one day. Hopefully 2025 will be the year.

 

[RRat]

Hello everyone - we hope you are experiencing a Buen Camino.
My wife and I (both mid-70’s) started in St. Jean on September 4. With about 40 km to go, she tripped and fell just short of Ribadiso. We are now in Santiago (via ambulance) waiting for fibula surgery on Friday. Our Camino is obviously finished for this year, but with only 40 km to go, we’re planning to return next year to finish these final km.
Can we start from where she fell or must we start from Sarria? Any advice will be most appreciated!
Thank you, all. We are so impressed with everyone we have met. What a great experience we have had! A special thank you to all the Camino angels who were always there when we needed help!

Medical question. I'm assuming you're leaving for home immediately after surgery. Wouldn't it had been better to stabilize the injury and have surgery performed at home where follow up is convenient?

 

[SallGar]

Medical question. I'm assuming you're leaving for home immediately after surgery. Wouldn't it had been better to stabilize the injury and have surgery performed at home where follow up is convenient?

That was our first thought, but the orthopedic team recommended against a long flight and for immediate surgery.
While it’s on my mind, I would recommend to everyone that you always carry your travel insurance card with you. Our cards were in a transported maleta with our medical equipment and the ambulance crew took us to a community hospital in Santiago because we had no proof of insurance with us. That experience was a nightmare and we spent 30 hours waiting for approval to move to a private hospital. A hard lesson learned!

 

[Saint Mike II]

Hola, so sorry to hear this news. I am not sure where your last over night stop was or where you received your last stamps. So maybe you can pick one of those two places as your resumption points. I am more than blown away to hear how positive you are about coming back to finish your Camino. So real big hugs and Buen Camino to you both.

 

[dbier]

Medical question. I'm assuming you're leaving for home immediately after surgery. Wouldn't it had been better to stabilize the injury and have surgery performed at home where follow up is convenient?

In my nurse's opinion, very few doctors would recommend a long non-medical evacuation flight home (they're from Seattle, I think) with a broken leg, with no opportunity to avoid deep vein thrombosis in flight. Also, the nature of the break could be such that surgery is the *only* way to stabilize the bones for healing.
If it's comminuted, for example...

Regarding travel insurance - so sorry you went through that, OP. I bought GEOBLUE insurance for my last Camino particularly because the app - and my insurance card - were stored on my cellphone. Didn't have to use it this time....

OP, best wishes for a speedy recovery and return. You now know that you can, fates (or the Lord) willing...

 

[SallGar]

In my nurse's opinion, very few doctors would recommend a long non-medical evacuation flight home (they're from Seattle, I think) with a broken leg, with no opportunity to avoid deep vein thrombosis in flight. Also, the nature of the break could be such that surgery is the *only* way to stabilize the bones for healing.
If it's comminuted, for example...

Regarding travel insurance - so sorry you went through that, OP. I bought GEOBLUE insurance for my last Camino particularly because the app - and my insurance card - were stored on my cellphone. Didn't have to use it this time....

OP, best wishes for a speedy recovery and return. You now know that you can, fates (or the Lord) willing...

Thank you to you both. Yes, we are from Seattle area. (Are you by chance the nurse who checked my eyes after my fall near Pamplona?)
Again, we were so impressed - and blessed - to have had help from so many wonderful people!

 

[dbier]

Thank you to you both. Yes, we are from Seattle area. (Are you by chance the nurse who checked my eyes after my fall near Pamplona?)
Again, we were so impressed - and blessed - to have had help from so many wonderful people!

No, not this year - I was on the Primitivo. Although a Spanish ER nurse helped *me* after my fall, day 1 ;-), and I've done that eye check many, many times in the field...

Lots of health care workers on the Camino, from my observational bias

 

[witsendwv]

In my nurse's opinion, very few doctors would recommend a long non-medical evacuation flight home (they're from Seattle, I think) with a broken leg, with no opportunity to avoid deep vein thrombosis in flight. Also, the nature of the break could be such that surgery is the *only* way to stabilize the bones for healing.
If it's comminuted, for example...

Regarding travel insurance - so sorry you went through that, OP. I bought GEOBLUE insurance for my last Camino particularly because the app - and my insurance card - were stored on my cellphone. Didn't have to use it this time....

OP, best wishes for a speedy recovery and return. You now know that you can, fates (or the Lord) willing...

For the past several years we have been members of MedJet- it gives us peace of mind knowing that we can have a medical evacuation flight home if necessary with no other expense than the membership fees.

 

[Trekker One]

Sorry to hear about your wife's injury so close to the 'finish line'.
Out of curiosity do you both use trekking poles?
I use mine 100% of the time and they have saved me numerous times from falling particularly in wet and muddy conditions.
I am always conscious of the fact that one wrong misstep can put me out of action.
Hoping your wife has a speedy recovery and best wishes for your completion in 2024.

 

[SallGar]

Sorry to hear about your wife's injury so close to the 'finish line'.
Out of curiosity do you both use trekking poles?
I use mine 100% of the time and they have saved me numerous times from falling particularly in wet and muddy conditions.
I am always conscious of the fact that one wrong misstep can put me out of action.
Hoping your wife has a speedy recovery and best wishes for your completion in 2024.

Trekking poles are just amazing. We use them faithfully and I agree 100% with you. No telling how many incidents they saved us from in the past.

 

[Trekker One]

Trekking poles are just amazing. We use them faithfully and I agree 100% with you. No telling how many incidents they saved us from in the past.

If you come back next year to finish the final 40 K, consider walking to Finisterre and Muxia as well.
I just completed this section a week ago and it was well worth it.

 

[SallGar]

If you come back next year to finish the final 40 K, consider walking to Finisterre and Muxia as well.
I just completed this section a week ago and it was well worth it.

They are both on our list of “must-do’s. A question, though; what were the trails like?

 

[trecile]

They are both on our list of “must-do’s. A question, though; what were the trails like?

The trails to Finisterre and Muxía are similar to the Camino Francés - a little bit of everything!

 

[SallGar]

The trails to Finisterre and Muxía are similar to the Camino Francés - a little bit of everything!

Thank you!

 

[dbier]

That was our first thought, but the orthopedic team recommended against a long flight and for immediate surgery.
While it’s on my mind, I would recommend to everyone that you always carry your travel insurance card with you. Our cards were in a transported maleta with our medical equipment and the ambulance crew took us to a community hospital in Santiago because we had no proof of insurance with us. That experience was a nightmare and we spent 30 hours waiting for approval to move to a private hospital. A hard lesson learned!

How did surgery go?

 

[SallGar]

How did surgery go?

It went well and we will be on our way home in a couple more days (fingers crossed). Thank you for asking. Cannot recommend Hospital Rosaleda highly enough. Everyone has been concerned, caring and highly professional!