Cornwall - Day 5

Wherein My Health Wins

I’ve come to the conclusion that a chronically ill person must be incredibly brave to travel solo as I have done, incredibly stupid, or a combination of both.

One of the hallmark symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (also known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) is post-exertional malaise, or PEM. In layman’s terms, if I push myself too hard physically or mentally, I can expect my body to respond by sending me into a flare: it feels like every cell is drained of energy (and to be fair, scientists believe that’s what is really happening - my cells do not metabolize energy properly). No amount of sleep helps. Instead, one can expect to feel like they have the flu: tender, swollen lymph nodes, lack of energy, complete and total exhaustion, joint pain, a sore throat, and stomach issues. Worse, sometimes the symptoms don’t show up the next day, but take a few days to really kick in.

Here’s what I know: I am probably doing long-term damage to my health by taking this vacation. The way I pushed myself on Day 1, where I was on a flight for seven hours, then took a train for four hours, then had to walk steep, winding hills to get to my accommodation, was not smart. But when I made these plans, I certainly thought it would go far easier than it did. In hindsight, I should have 1) booked a room in a London hotel and rested that entire day, 2) taken the 4-hour train ride to Cornwall the next morning, and then 3) hired a taxi to take me from the Par train station straight to my Fowey accommodation.

But I didn’t want to spend an entire day doing nothing but resting while in London. That’s where the stupidity (okay, let’s go with sheer stubbornness instead) kicked in. When you only have a limited amount of time on vacation, especially in your very favorite place in the world, you don’t want to waste a day resting! You want to get going, go see and do things!

But at what cost?

Live and learn, I suppose.

Yesterday, I felt great and had an awesome day. This morning, not so much. In fact, I woke up at 9:30 and decided that nope, I needed more sleep if I was going to be at all functional. So I slept until nearly 2 p.m. Did I want to? Absolutely not. Did I have a choice? Absolutely not.

I decided to rest all afternoon and if I felt like it, take the very short walk to the nearby beach. I read more of Frenchman’s Creek (seriously, I love this novel. Do I love it more than Rebecca? Maybe . . .) and did some writing. Around 5:30 or so, I made my way to the beach. There were a handful of people there, a few kids building sand castles, dogs chasing after balls into the water, and lads playing in the water. I did a bit more writing, journaled, and threw some crackers to a hungry seagull. I then decided to climb the hill a bit. I was rewarded with this gorgeous hydrangea bush (side bar: hydrangeas are my favorite flowers in the world. Though they are native to East Asia, they came to Cornwall via ports in the 19th century). These flowers are all over Cornwall, and every time I see one, I feel a burst of joy.

I didn’t go any further because the climb only became steeper, and I didn’t want to lose my footing, either (I mean, look at those stairs! Not for the faint of heart . . .) However, if you continue, you’ll eventually make it to St. Catherine’s Castle, a 16th century artillery fort built by Henry VIII. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to see it as I don’t have the physical health to do it

Though I didn’t stay long at the beach, it was a gorgeous spot. I might go there again tomorrow if I’m feeling up to it.

On my walk back from the beach, I stopped to read a notice board for upcoming activities. A flyer announcing a craft fair caught my attention, and I saw that yes, indeed, the next date for it is tomorrow! I am ridiculously excited to attend this. My grandmother participated in craft fairs, and I always remember going to visit her. I can’t wait to see what I can find. I need to buy a few souvenirs!

This evening, I am watching Midsomer Murders on the telly, and plan to do a bit more writing. I’ve already written 1,000 words already today - yay! - but I’d like to do a bit more since I’m on a roll.

Tomorrow is my last full day in Fowey. I want to make the most of it, so I’m glad I was smart and didn’t push myself today. And yes, I already made a taxi reservation to pick me up right in front of my flat and take me to the train station for Friday! See? I’m learning! :-)

Join me the rest of this week as I write about my holiday in Cornwall!