COVID Walking a Camino with 'Long Covid'.

[Older.pilgrim]

I think I may have contracted Covid in Jan/Feb this year. Before that I enjoyed long walks. Now it's a struggle for me to walk 2 miles. The reason for this might be my age, Long Covid, or a combination of both.
Am I being overambitious to consider an Autumn Camino starting in Pamplona?

 

[SabsP]

I think I may have contracted Covid in Jan/Feb this year. Before that I enjoyed long walks. Now it's a struggle for me to walk 2 miles. The reason for this might be my age, Long Covid, or a combination of both.
Am I being overambitious to consider an Autumn Camino starting in Pamplona?

Hi and welcome here on this forum.

Take into consideration that from now on some albergues will close or prepare to close for winter. This means that you have to be prepared for walking longer stages or taking public transport / taxi when a certain stretch proves to be too daunting. It also depends if you have enough time and money to walk a slower Camino.

But most importantly, only your GP can answer this question for you. It might be a good idea to consult him before you start on this adventure. Also maybe consulting a specialist?

Happy planning!

 

[C clearly]

Welcome to the forum! Are you thinking of a Camino in autumn 2022 or in 2023? If you are struggling to walk 2 miles now, in October, it does seem overambitious to plan to walk 500 km this year.

However, many people are able to train and manage various disabilities so they can walk the camino. Perhaps you should focus on smaller daily goals, consulting with your doctor. In 6 months you might find you are stronger and have more confidence.

 

[lt56ny]

May I mirror what others have said. None of us are doctors (that I know of) or know your symptoms, morbidities or can gauge your overall health. Talk to your physician and see if he/she believes you should also consult a specialist regarding your health and fitness to undertake a camino. Take care.

 

[WhiteLotus]

I think I may have contracted Covid in Jan/Feb this year. Before that I enjoyed long walks. Now it's a struggle for me to walk 2 miles. The reason for this might be my age, Long Covid, or a combination of both.
Am I being overambitious to consider an Autumn Camino starting in Pamplona?

Retired Nurse in my 60’s and I have been dealing with LongCovid symptoms for almost 2 years, it has got a tiny bit better this summer but the fatigue, nausea, breathlessness and dizziness etc still remains and flares up on any type of prolonged exertion. My daughter and I were all booked to walk the Camino in 2020 when everything was cancelled due to the pandemic so we then planned for this past spring but it was clear I was still not strong enough. Our plan was to walk Spring of 2023 but that would leave me just over 6 months to work on building my strength back up and I just finally had to be completely honest with myself that if I’m still winded walking up a flight of stairs or still dealing with fatigue flare ups after exerting myself then I needed more time to work on my recovery and building muscle strength back up especially in my legs. I just didn’t think it was fair to my daughter to maybe have to cancel last min because I needed more time or stop and return home because it was too much and my daughter agreed who by the way was left with some fatigue herself after Covid for several months but not as bad and recovered so she completely understood.

I am hopeful that I will recover from this as I’m not an invalid by any means but just pretty fatigued and winded especially if I overdo it. I’ve just started working on building my leg strength by using a Cellerciser rebounder a few mins each day which is helping a lot. It‘s a slow process and even my Dr agreed this is what they are seeing in people who have this that it’s just taking a long time to get back to normal and that there is no cure other than time and some are being offered steroids and that’s just not a healthy option for me at all. So my only advice to you is if you are feeling fatigued doing housework, walking upstairs etc then maybe you should visit your Dr for advice, wait and just mentally and physically start to work on getting your strength back by doing a little bit more each week until you can do your daily activities, go out for walks lengthening how far you walk a little each week without feeling so fatigued then you and only you will know if you can handle these activities at home building your strength and endurance up so you will have a more enjoyable Camino. For me I know I need this next year to work on building my muscles and endurance back up and not rush the process as that just causes more flare ups and sets you right back so I’m taking it bit by bit and I already see a difference so it’s working. I’m also drinking more water, taking vitamins and adding electrolytes to my water. I’ve taken the pressure off myself and worry for my daughter that I may not have been able to finish it next year so we both decided to wait until Spring 2024 while I keep my eye on that target to walk the Camino strong and healthy again! Whatever you decide I wish you luck!

 

[Older.pilgrim]

Thank you all for your answers.
A couple of weeks ago, despite serious misgivings, I bought a ticket for a flight from Dublin to Biarritz. Had things worked out I'd be on the plane now with an ETA of 12.30. It cost less than £20, so no great loss.
I've accepted I'm not going to be walking any time soon. I can only hope it's not going to be a case of 'we'll go no more a roving'. Time will tell.
Buen Camino, to all capable of walking it.

 

[Former member 102963]

Thank you all for your answers.
A couple of weeks ago, despite serious misgivings, I bought a ticket for a flight from Dublin to Biarritz. Had things worked out I'd be on the plane now with an ETA of 12.30. It cost less than £20, so no great loss.
I've accepted I'm not going to be walking any time soon. I can only hope it's not going to be a case of 'we'll go no more a roving'. Time will tell.
Buen Camino, to all capable of walking it.

Good luck and best wishes! I’ve not had Long Covid but I have had fatigue related illnesses over a long period which I self diagnosed as CFS which I know is topical and controversial in the medical world ! Hopefully with self care both physically and mentally you will recover sooner rather than later. I don’t know if reading about CFS helps at all. It’s a perplexing illness and needs focussing on. I think stress/anxiety played a part and always a recommendation to alleviate stress and anxiety is exercise, but with CFS the opposite advice is given. Sorry slight tangent I know!

 

[robert hailwood]

I think I may have contracted Covid in Jan/Feb this year. Before that I enjoyed long walks. Now it's a struggle for me to walk 2 miles. The reason for this might be my age, Long Covid, or a combination of both.
Am I being overambitious to consider an Autumn Camino starting in Pamplona?

Yes you probably are. Test yourself this next 2 weeks by walking a mile extra every 2 days, with a light pack also.

 

[Former member 102963]

Yes you probably are. Test yourself this next 2 weeks by walking a mile extra every 2 days, with a light pack also.

Shouldnt you get a diagnosis! Don’t think many folks get long Covid do they compared to other fatigue related illnesses? ?

 

[JabbaPapa]

Even with none of us in here being competent to assess your situation, medically, the long covid is particularly difficult, given that it's basically a group name for a variety of virus provoked autoimmune conditions individual to each person.

Personally, it made my knees hurt a lot more than usual, but that's still just my own personal experience.

But I did also find that walking did help to get rid of the symptoms.