Oct 2
Another night of leg pain. I’ve applied “BioFrost” an icy-heat ointment and alternated with Ibuprfin topical cream, but the leg pain persists and is nearly debilitating.
Last night I decided that if it wasn’t feeling better by morning, I would see a doctor.
Morning came and the pain carries on. I found a hospital in Tui about 2km away. I summoned a cab and got a ride.
As I’m writing this, I’m seated in a waiting area. Waiting for my number to appear on a video board indicating it’s time to be seen in consult room #209. It’s hard to say how long the wait will be as numbers do not appear sequentially and the video monitor doesn’t yet show me in the queue.
I anticipated a long wait (what else do I have to do anyway) and brought my phone, ear buds and the back-up power supply, so I’ll be good for as long as it takes.
While I wait, I am thinking through contingencies. I assume I either have shin splints or a stress fracture. Either way, I’m guessing I’m not going to walk to Santiago any time soon.
If I learn that more walking isn’t going to cause more harm, I’ll walk as much as I can stand and then take a bus to Santiago. I have a hotel booked there beginning October 6 and would like to be there to greet my friends as they arrive.
My room here in Tui is booked through tomorrow and I don’t think I’ll extend any longer. The hotel location is isolated from other services and taxis are both expensive and hard to get. My 2 kilometer ride today cost over €7 and I waited nearly an hour.
In less than an hour, I had been seen, sent downstairs for x-rays and called back into consult again.
There is no fracture and the doctor said as long as I could tolerate the pain, I could keep walking. She prescribed some acetaminophen – which is not available over the counter and wished be well.
I waited nearly as long back downstairs to check out. When I explained to the registrar that I had travel insurance and would need to pay them and then submit the claim for reimbursement, she tore up the papers and said “no charge.”
Two consults with a doctor, two X-rays, a prescription and a cab ride for under €9 – and most of it was the taxi.
I stopped by a farmacia to get my meds, then had a tasty lunch at a nearby juice bar.
Then, I walked a couple blocks to the Tui Cathedral to get my pilgrim credential stamped.
By this time, the meds had kicked in a little, so I decided to hike back up the hill to the hotel as a test.
The test proved that I can walk with only minimal discomfort, so now it’s back to planning the next few stages.
After resting the remainder of the day with my leg elevated, I celebrated the resumption of my walk with a nice dinner in the hotel dining room.
