Gardoms Edge

Having been more or less confined to the settee since Wednesday evening apart from two trips to the hospital, one for my cataract post-op appointment and one to the Ambulatory Care Unit**, I decided that I needed to get out and do something just to see if I could.  Mary and I are going to the Gower soon and I wanted to see if it would be possible for me to go or whether I'd better give it a miss.

It was club climbing sunday for Skyline M.C. and I went along to Gardoms Edge in the Peak District mid-morning, to see them and chat, not to climb.  I mainly wanted to see if I would feel ok after an hours drive,  a 20 minute walk and a couple of hours sitting outside... and I did, so I think going to the Gower will be ok.  Extras one and three taken at the crag.

**Both my cataracts are fine now and finished, and I have an appointment (in the not too distant future) with Surgical Outpatients for my hernia.  But last weekend's walks resulted in me developing a rash (see extra number two) over most of my skin that was exposed to the dry, harsh, vegetation and to the sun over the two days. 

I could've coped with the rash, which is a typical allergic reaction type, but then on wednesday evening I began to feel ill and rather flue-like and my joints were painful.  On friday I managed to get a GP appointment.  She couldn't find out where my high temperature was coming from and sent me to hospital, where I had full blood tests, an ECG, chest x-ray and urine sample taken.  I had to wait a couple of hours for the bloods and the only thing that showed was that my white blood cell count was a little low... which could be serious but I'm hoping that it's just because my body's gone a bit mad trying to deal with the allergy.  I have to go back in just over a week to get the last results including a test for autoimmune diseases, so fingers crossed please!

Edit Monday: the rash has gone from my arms and I've hardly any joint pain - which was what was concerning me most.