So, today was rather tough, all in all. Lidia’s feet are not in the greatest of shapes these days. In fact, just as a reminder for myself for later, let me put in two things here. First: get her to sign a paper next time we walk anywhere together, that she will be reasonable about her pace, also when she’s feeling fine.
Second, as a cautionary tale for someone who must remember to not overstep his or her abilities, here’s how you treat a blister.
Are you still there and conscious? Okay. A blister is full of liquid. When you have your supplies ready, you can pop it with a sanitised needle. For more advanced users (and, yes, it works and you should do it) have a sanitised thread in your needle and put it through the blister twice, so there’s a loop on one side and two ends on the other (this is just for mechanical reasons)
No, it’s not painful, you wuss. The skin over the bubble is not sensitive. You need the thread to prevent the hole from closing (then you will just have another blister) and to help drain the liquid from the blister. Sidebar: if it is anything other than clear watery liquid there, go to a clinic or to a pharmacy, because you will likely need antibiotics then. Put iodine on the thing, for disinfection and to help dry the skin. If you’re resting, don’t close it up with anything, let it dry as best it can. When you have to put on your red shoes and dance the blues again, keep the thread, and put a bandaid over it. Compeed – don’t bother. It costs more than your feet. No, just kidding – only more than your accommodation on the Camino. What you really want is thin silk band which will not rub against things around it and make more blisters. It’s not too expensive in Spain, actually. Put on your socks, your shoes and out you go on your little bloody stumps.
I’m blessed with not having any blisters, but I’m not mentioning my socks and shoes brands until they start paying me like an influencer of some kind. Just joking, Altra Lone Peaks and Darn Tough with some padding. But you might want what suits you best, so it doesn’t matter.
It’s a bit worse if infection gets in and you start getting inflammation. It’s painful and dangerous. See a doctor. Don’t do what we do. Lidia, a resourceful little cookie that she is, had a couple of tablets of an old (ancient, in fact) antibiotic, which can be applied locally. So we crushed half that pill between two spoons, powdered a couple of her blisters that went slightly nuclear during the night, patched them up and moved out of Ponferrada. A bit late and lazy (7-ish?) because we had a booking, had a light 24 km stage ahead, the weather is cool, bla-bla. Lidia was struggling a bit (a lot), having pain in her feet. But still somehow she managed to convince herself and me that another 9km up to Trabadelo will be a good idea. It worked in the end, but maybe it wasn’t necessary for her, to be honest. Only for her self-esteem, not for her feet. I’m very proud of you, honey, I know it was difficult today, and you were at the end of your patience, still trying to look cheerful. I hope it’s easier tomorrow.
The blisters didn’t get worse, thankfully, and she says the feet are better. We’re in a private room, so the rest will be better, maybe. By the way, a fantastic place, stylish, clean, convenient, great food with greens from the owner’s garden. A Dutch lady runs it alone. Honestly, it’s very good: Pensión El Puente Peregrino in Trabadelo.
Tomorrow it’s a 30km stage, and a 700m climb over 5km early in the morning, should be fine. Would maybe stop sooner than 30, but O Cebreiro looks very big and busy for our taste, and a lot of places soon after it are very slim pickings for accommodation… that’s why. 30km should be fine, even with the climb.
We are walking into Galicia tomorrow, big day. The nature around us is amazing. Mountains, valleys, rivers, it’s all so much grander and more beautiful than the grandest of the cathedrals! Should be a fine day with a bit of rain, too – just like home!
Looks amazing! Good job on the blister management:)