Via Jacobi - An Update

First I wish to thank everyone who sent me their well wishes either through comments on the blog, Blogger contact form, direct email or phone call. Your support and encouragement has meant a lot to me in what has been a challenging time period. It has made a huge difference.

Here is something that I received from "my friends at Eckler" which was both appreciated and delicious!

My eye injury was a retinal tear with a partially detached retina...hence the need for immediate attention. I arrived late last Sunday and on Monday morning around 8:00 or so the surgical procedure was completed (thanks Heather for your coordination efforts!). 

In the space of a day or so I went from the most concentrated physically, and in some ways mentally, active time period in my life to the least active over the past week. In Geneva and Montreal I needed wheelchair support (man do you motor through security etc. quickly) to ensure no unnecessary pressure to the eye was applied. Since the surgical procedure, due to the insertion of a gas bubble in my eye to aid the healing process, I have had to lie on my right side for 45 minutes out of every hour for the past 5 days! No TV, no reading, minimal iPad usage. Torture!

I have to specifically thank my brother Marc who gave me an electronic book Louis L'Amour tale of the Wild West...15 hours of people murdering each other for gold and silver. This does not count the additional hours backtracking through the CD for many parts missed due to dozing off. I highly recommend this tale for someone in a semi comatose state...in the end it almost became enjoyable trying to guess who would be killed off next. 

Prognosis for full recovery is very good...will have a better sense in a week or so. The best news was a statement from the physician...this has nothing to do with your backpacking trip...it has everything to do with age and nearsightedness. I have never been so happy to know that it's because I am old!

Dawn and I have talked about completing what has been started...Dawn first suggested it and is very supportive which I really appreciate. One possibility, assuming medical approval, is for me to return in late September and go as far as possible in France (over 1,100 kms) and then return in spring 2014 to complete what is left, including Spain.

I will just have to see what is possible and reasonable to do and take it from there...I will not force an early return if it doesn't feel right.

If in the end this becomes possible the original idea of doing it in one go will have changed however the adventure will still very much be there.

One positive is that I will have a chance to review what worked and what didn't (I.e blister protection) and adjust.

So hopefully at some point in the future my next blog entry will be something like:

Day 18 (xxx yy) - Nyons to Geneve

Great to be back....now where were those darn route signs again...how can I possibly be lost...what was that strange animal noise I just heard in the forest.....