Just a quick post to let you know that today my cast on my left wrist has been removed. I have been discharged as the doctors feel happy that the wrist has healed. As you can imagine, it feels very strange and tender now, having been restricted for a month and a half. I had a session of physio following the removal of the cast and I was given some homework to do. My wrist is pretty stiff at the moment but hey! it’s making progress. I’m back to the physio in a month by which time I will be able to do handstands (or at the very least use my pacerpoles).

So now it’s time to get cracking on the exercises given to me, and feel glad that I can eat Christmas dinner with both hands.

Ouch!!

Hi folks! An apology is in order for the lack of posts here. A certain wrist is making that a little difficult, but I hope to be on the mend this side of Christmas. I am able to type with the cast on however, but I hope you don’t mention that to my doctor. The words “cast” “rest” and “upright position” were mentioned by him to me when I last visited him on the 28th. I return to him on the 19th of December to hopefully have the cast removed and physio can begin after Christmas. I write this with a positive tone however. I’d love to be able to eat Christmas dinner with both hands!

However, I have been keeping myself occupied over the last month and I have a number of things in the pipeline. I plan on writing a number of articles on “the best of 2016” Camino sites. I realise that it is impossible to give a top 5 or a top 10 as everyone’s opinion is different and there will be a number of websites I will leave out. However, it’s just my opinion. I hope to cover blogs (including forums), twitter, instagram, and youtube accounts. So I have a number of weeks to work on this which is plenty of time. However, I need your opinions, and I’m sure you have plenty! If there is a website / twitter account / instagram account that you feel does a great job promoting the Camino, please comment below.

I have mentioned also in the past of Andrew Suzuki’s project “Beyond The Way“. He has created 10 amazing videos after his time on the Camino in 2014. There isn’t a day that passes that I return to his website and watch one of his videos. Everything is independently produced which is pretty impressive. However, it’s not a series that discusses the sights and cities. Andrew talks to pilgrims and we hear their personal stories. It’s not often you get that in a Camino video. Anyway, after the last episode was released (so to speak), he put a call out that he was to make a second series. An Indiegogo campaign was started with a promise of goodies once a certain amount was contributed. To cut a long story short, Andrew completed the Camino Portuguese a number of weeks ago and I received a package of goodies via email and post. It certainly picked me up while in healing mode. I’d encourage you to “like” Beyond The Way’s page on Facebook as Andrew is in the process of creating a 2nd series for his most recent Camino.

And finally, the gears are well and truly in motion for a return to Spain in 2017. More news on that in the future!

Hi all! I suppose I am posting this to update you on how the wrist injury is going. Since the fall on the 6th of November, it has been frustrating trying to manage with the one arm. The injured wrist has been in a cast and sling. Even putting on a coat can be a struggle! Ok yes, it’s not like I’ve lost a leg or broken my neck but there are a lot of things I can’t do that I took for granted. I am also relying on other people which can be extremely frustrating, especially as I like to do things myself. I haven’t been out walking since the event but I look forward to the day I am given the “all-clear”! I am somewhat restricted in what I can do in work also but I am glad my writing hand is in good order!

I hope to have the cast removed by the 19th of December, but as long as I can eat Christmas dinner with both hands I will be happy!! I have just paid a visit to the Out patients today in the hope that the cast would be removed however, after a further x-ray, the doctor was not happy and wanted to keep the cast on for another 3 weeks. Even with my non-medically-trained eye, I could see a shadow of a crack in the bone. I did mention in my previous post that I had broken 2 bones – the ulna and the radius. The radius is the larger of the bones and this is what I am relating to. The ulna can mend itself in time.

So there you go now, as well as being a blog dedicated to the Camino de Santiago, I am passing on medical facts to you! I should have been a doctor!

In other news, I have received my Pacerpoles in the post. I will test them out when the wrist is back to normal. I have also purchased a Raidlight bottle & holder which can attach to the chest strap of my backpack. It’s worth a try.

And just to finish, if any readers would like to contribute a guest post to this blog, please email me on clearskiescamino@gmail.com. Take care!