My big toe hurts!
Whenever I was sick or expressed discomfort my father used to tease me by asking about my big toe. It was funny at times, but also annoying. We have been one week in Cuenca. Lots of new stuff running around in my head. I am not looking for sympathy, but I thought I’d mention a few things that are making my big toe hurt.
Altitude sickness is a real thing! At first I thought I was having panic attacks. But as the week went on it was got worse and sleep was getting harder to come by. My yoga breathing was extremely difficult and seemed to make things worse. We went to the pharmacy yesterday and got some pills to help get more oxygen in the blood. They are helping but not without side effects. The lack of sleep and fear of putting my head down is exaggerating all my other homesickness. Yes, all is not perfect in this paradise and I am taking a moment to complain!
They say it can take some people up to a month to adjust to altitude. One solace is that Steve is having symptoms too, particularly a dry cough and trouble breathing. He deals with it by hyper-focusing on Spanish. Me, I need to complain.
I know I am expecting too much of myself and I am in to big of a hurry to adjust. I now have a way better understanding of people who suffer from panic attacks and I cringe at the powerlessness they cause.
I got Steve up at 7:00, we went to breakfast and to the museum which he will post about, met some people had a great lunch and I will now try to nap!
You will adjust to the altitude and time is all it takes, but feeling short of breath or finding it tough to yoga breathe is hard. I feel for you. Homesickness…well, it’s something that doesn’t happen when one is traveling on holiday but when one knows this is it…for a while anyway…it’s a lot harder. xoxoxo
Altitude sickness. We flew into Denver some years ago and Jody immediately collapsed in the airport. We took her to the hospital and Ben and I went to Marie Callenders for pie. Ben was about 8 years old and I thought that eating pie would be more fun than sitting at a hospital. Jody sort of recovered and we managed to make it to Aspen that evening. But I have never heard the end of selecting pie over Jody. Hope you feel better soon.
I think you are very brave and adventurous! A little complaining is ok. A Little homesickness is, too! Besides, I’m sure you are over it by now.
Hi Ellen,
I am catching up on your posts. Oh yes, the altitude sickness is so miserable. I am sorry you are going through this. It must be scaring you both to have breathing problems. You do know about yoga breathing and panic. So glad you asked for help. The story of the doctor and pharmacy that Steve wrote was so interesting. I just tried to get Ben into his family doctor for a bad cold and they are booked for days. Good heavens our medical system is different. The good and bad news of it all. I went to Colorado to ski with friends and our kids about 5 years ago. They were experienced mountain skiers so they had little trouble with the altitude. I went up the mountain the first time and on the way down I was dizzy, my legs were going out on me, I got so scared, it was a long way down and I did not have control over my body. Yikes. I really could not figure out (does not matter really) if the panic was from being fearful and out of sorts or if the altitude produced the panic. I kept trying and had to stop at every turn. Then nausea. Ugg. Just as our trip was winding up I started to feel more adjusted. I think, much like training for a marathon or other athletic events, the blood oxygen has to increase to keep things balanced. I am not a doctor but I remember this being the explanation when training for Grandmas marathon. I over trained one week and got so sick. Anyway, I am thinking about you both. I am so intrigued by this move you have made. It has opened my thoughts about trying a move like this some day. Who knows. Love you both.