At Last...

At last I'm able to report that the blisters on my hands have finally cleared up...after a month.

When I wrote about them I initially thought that they'd been caused by some sort of allergic reaction, to pine needles or sap, to bracken spores, or maybe they even ant bites,.

Well, after researching online, and as has been suggested by several people on various internet forums where I post, it seems that I most likely caught a virus in the Peak District, something called the Coxsackievirus, also known as 'hand, foot, and mouth disease.' I experienced all of the symptoms, starting with a fever, aching muscles, shivering, and a chest infection...progressing to blisters appearing on my hands, feet, and buttocks. Although I didn't have any blisters in my mouth or on my face, my oesophagitis acid reflux cough flared up and so I'm assuming I must have had blisters right at the back of my throat where I couldn't see them.

The virus is actually quite difficult to catch, especially as an adult - it's usually very young children who pick up the infection. Thinking back I'm convinced that I caught it when I nicked my left wrist on a gate latch and drew blood - someone who was infectious must have also cut themself  using this gate too, someone who is in regular contact with toddlers.

I'm feeling fine now, and have done so for the last three weeks; my hands and feet burned for the first couple of days...but that's all. The coughing was the worst symptom, lasting for about a week, but I managed to keep on going with my everyday life all throughout this period.

My Medical Conditions And How They Affect My Walking

My main medical condition, and the reason why I'm classified as being disabled and have been given a free travel pass and allocated my support workers, is my Asperger's syndrome. It doesn't really affect me that much when I'm walking, apart from the occasional abuse hurled at me because of my unusual posture and gait.

I also used to suffer from acid reflux oesophagitis which meant that if I bent down stomach acid would spill out and burn my throat causing me to cough for the rest of the day - since losing a lot of weight this isn't a problem now though.

Since my diagnoses of severe vitamin D deficiency nearly eighteen months ago and my subsequent treatment and recovery I've been feeling a lot better but there has been long term and permanent damage to my bones and muscles and so I need to be careful when I'm walking because the consequences of any accident will be far worse for me than for the average person.

Also in 2016, I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes; the only issue this presents when I'm walking is that I always need to remember to bring my tablets with me, which I need to take every time I eat a meal.

Overall my physical health is good at the moment, probably the best it's ever been, which is pretty impressive for a man of 55. I wish my social wellbeing was in such a healthy state though; I'm lonely and unfulfilled in my life. Walking, taking photographs, and writing for the blog does help though by giving me some sort of purpose in life; additionally I've joined a Facebook group for people who are over forty and are planning to walk over a thousand miles this year - so far I've only managed to log seventeen miles on two walks. The group should be good though; we'll be able to report on our progress and provide support and encouragement for each other.