A strange series of events.

A very strange series of events have taken place over the last few weeks and it all started on Saturday 22nd June at 6:15 am as we got up and ready for a D of E bronze expedition in the Cotswolds. I was tired from a working week and my pain was moderate. We drove to the Cotswolds full of excitement and anticipation of what the weekend would bring. I love being part of a team taking students out in the hills. It’s lovely to see the impact nature has on young people and how transformative it is for some. We dropped a group of students off at Broadway and we embarked on a walk of 15.8km intersecting some of the planned routes and finished with us seeing the students into camp.

We saw some fantastic orchids and incredible meadows.

We were blessed with great weather and wonderful views. The view from our camping spot were amazing looking out over the Cotswold hills. 

The students all did very well and it was pleasing to see the students who struggled in practice come into their own and to have tightened up on their navigation. Early in the day I brushed off a horsefly that had decided to feast on me just behind my right knee. I immediately covered it in antisan hoping it wouldn’t itch me into insanity and I thought no more of it and continued on our way. Upon reaching camp I was so pleased to see that there was no evidence of a bite at all. I thought I had escaped because I had immediate application of the cream.

Sleep the first night was sparse, my pain kept waking me and I was very restless. This is something I’m very used to after a walk and I have learnt to manage this pain emotionally and physically. The next morning we packed up our tent and headed out for another walk repeating the day before along a different route ending at the coach pick up point.

Half way around we sat and rested in a lovely teashop in Guiting power where we enjoyed a coffee and a gorgeous piece if cake.

It was during this coffee that I realised my horsefly bite had started to swell. By the time we got to the coach my shorts became tight around the bottom and I started to feel quite sick.

After a coach journey home the red hot inflammation had continued to grow to about 25cm in diameter spreading down over my calf and up over my thigh. At home I elevated my leg and soothed it with ice only the next morning I was feeling very strange and my knee had continued to swell and give off intense heat. I was extremely lucky and managed to get an early morning appointment with the doctor before going to work. When at the doctors I discovered I had a high temperature and I was given antibiotics to help with infection. I started my antibiotics immediately. I continued to go to work despite feeling ill knowing I would be just putting in some office hours and nothing too taxing. By the time I got home I was starting to get awful cramping in my stomach.

Continuing with the antibiotics as instructed I became sicker and sicker. I was due to head out on silver Dof E exhibition on Thursday after work, but Weds evening I felt terrible. I hadn’t eaten for 2 days and my stomach was cramping and causing cramping across my upper back. I felt terrible and thought I would have to cancel my participation in the trip. That evening I stopped taking the antibiotics because I felt so bad and thought it might be adverse side effects.

Thursday morning arrived and I woke up feeling 100% fine. I ate breakfast and still felt fine. As I went through Thursday I became better and better enabling me to go ahead with my trip to the black mountains. Arriving in the Black mountains on Thursday evening I felt really good, but started to feel beyond good. I realised the heaviness of my chronic pain had lifted. My joints, muscles and bones were free from pain. I felt 20 years younger! I thought maybe it was because the previous few days had been so awful giving the illusion of being better than I was.

Friday morning arrives and as a staff group we decide to walk together. The weather was glorious so we headed to the top of Pen Twyn Glas (646) then over Pen Allt Mawr(719) and finally over Pen Cerrig-calch(791).

It was a wonderful day with plenty of sunshine. As we climbed we were met with a strong wind blowing Sun hats off and sending them hurtling through the air over the hillside. Forcing us to take a firm grip as we walked into the wind. At lunchtime we huddled together behind a pile of stones sunk down out of the wind. I stopped and instead of feeling an instant tightening of every muscle I felt myself relax and soften. None of this felt real.

We sat and ate lunch then proceeded to walk the final peak before heading down. Views across to sugarloaf were superb. On our route down we were forced to beat our way through bracken which is often a real pain for me as my legs struggle to shift weight and the uneven ground forcing my muscle to contort and stretch beyond a normal stride. But this time it didn’t hold me back.

I constantly expected to feel pain but was met with none of what I was so used to. Pain that had been my way of life for so long. We ended our walk feeling a tiredness that was normal after a 10 mile walk. We went to the campsite to see the groups arrive.

Due to the extreme heat we were still in the campsite into the early evening…. By which time everyone was ready for bed through exhaustion….i was so full of energy. Bed time did arrive and lying in the bed I felt no pain. My normal state would feel like my lower body was being tightened in a vice beyond compression point. The worst time of the day for me has been when I stop and rest, but this time nothing….lying down ready to sleep with no pain meant I got 6 days of beautifully deep sleep. ………………….as I sit here a few weeks later typing this sadly the pain is back…….