- Time of past OR future Camino
- CF: April/May 2018. CF Aug/Sep 2018. CF May/June 2019.
CF: Aug/Sep 2019, CF: Aug/Sep 2020
I've now been home from completing my second Camino Frances this year and am extremely unwell.
On the first I left SJPDD on April 15th and arrived in SdC on May 18th.
The second started in SJPDD on August 7th arriving 33 days later on September 8th.
Camino 1 was an absolute joy, no blisters, great weather, fantastic people etc and I felt as if I was walking on air for weeks after my return to the UK. Hence my decision to do it all over again as soon as I could and that opportunity presented itself quite quickly.
Camino 2 was equally great, apart from shin splints on my right leg which resolved itself after rest, ice, elevation and ibuprofen.
A couple of days before O Cebriero I began to notice some swelling and pain in my left wrist, but put this down to, rightly or wrongly, a possible sprain from swinging my backpack on and off several times each day.
Ibuprofen helped with the discomfort and locally bought Radio Salil helped with the swelling.
The 'sprain' then mysteriously spread to my right wrist and I began to suspect that this was a more serious form of inflamation.
Since returning home to the UK the swelling has not abated, neither has the pain, and Ibuprofen no longer works.
My left knee is now swollen and this is spreading to the upper calf.
Both sides of my neck ache and I have developed a 'frozen' right shoulder.
Quite frankly I'm now hobbling around in a lot of pain, unable to perform the simplest of tasks that require any form of wrist action, am fatigued and the polar opposite of how I felt after Camino 1.
My doctor ordered blood tests and the CRP is considerably elevated; indicating that my body is fighting 'something'.
Lyme Disease was suspected but the blood work was negative.
So here we are today, wrists still swollen almost one month later - with no sign of letting up and no clue as to what is ailing me.
I am otherwise a fit 65 year old, one who cycles regularly (although have no chance of doing that right now), eats well, doesn't smoke and drinks red wine in relative moderation, and never goes running off to the doctor without a very good reason.
It seems clear that I 'contracted' sometime between August 7th and the end of that month.
Was I bitten ?
We live in a global village, and the Camino brings people together from across the globe.
So was I infected by another pilgrim ?
My fear now, understandably, is that this might well spread further and that it might take weeks for my doctor to come up with the correct diagnosis and prescribe a course of treatment.
If any of my symptoms sounds familiar, please respond soonest - I feel genuinely debilitated and unwell.
Many thanks.
Mike
On the first I left SJPDD on April 15th and arrived in SdC on May 18th.
The second started in SJPDD on August 7th arriving 33 days later on September 8th.
Camino 1 was an absolute joy, no blisters, great weather, fantastic people etc and I felt as if I was walking on air for weeks after my return to the UK. Hence my decision to do it all over again as soon as I could and that opportunity presented itself quite quickly.
Camino 2 was equally great, apart from shin splints on my right leg which resolved itself after rest, ice, elevation and ibuprofen.
A couple of days before O Cebriero I began to notice some swelling and pain in my left wrist, but put this down to, rightly or wrongly, a possible sprain from swinging my backpack on and off several times each day.
Ibuprofen helped with the discomfort and locally bought Radio Salil helped with the swelling.
The 'sprain' then mysteriously spread to my right wrist and I began to suspect that this was a more serious form of inflamation.
Since returning home to the UK the swelling has not abated, neither has the pain, and Ibuprofen no longer works.
My left knee is now swollen and this is spreading to the upper calf.
Both sides of my neck ache and I have developed a 'frozen' right shoulder.
Quite frankly I'm now hobbling around in a lot of pain, unable to perform the simplest of tasks that require any form of wrist action, am fatigued and the polar opposite of how I felt after Camino 1.
My doctor ordered blood tests and the CRP is considerably elevated; indicating that my body is fighting 'something'.
Lyme Disease was suspected but the blood work was negative.
So here we are today, wrists still swollen almost one month later - with no sign of letting up and no clue as to what is ailing me.
I am otherwise a fit 65 year old, one who cycles regularly (although have no chance of doing that right now), eats well, doesn't smoke and drinks red wine in relative moderation, and never goes running off to the doctor without a very good reason.
It seems clear that I 'contracted' sometime between August 7th and the end of that month.
Was I bitten ?
We live in a global village, and the Camino brings people together from across the globe.
So was I infected by another pilgrim ?
My fear now, understandably, is that this might well spread further and that it might take weeks for my doctor to come up with the correct diagnosis and prescribe a course of treatment.
If any of my symptoms sounds familiar, please respond soonest - I feel genuinely debilitated and unwell.
Many thanks.
Mike