for those who may have not read my first entry, I am confirmed transverse myelitis at my T8 and confirmed first lesion on my brain and I have had a lumber puncture which came back positive but consultant won’t confirm Ms until I have my second lesion… I take Gabapentin 700mg 3x a day and Omoparzil 20mg I walk for a living with a superstore and have difficulties getting into car at end of shift as feel very stiff but no pain as such…have had what was termed as a ‘neurological spike’ which made my legs pins and needles and knees tightness gradually get worse over a 3 day period enough to make me go to gp’s who short term up’d my gabapentin to 1000mg … I and familly are thinking about walking up mount snowden train track route can anyone offer any advice…??.. please…
Hi,
I’m not sure what kind of advice you’re seeking. There are hardly any rules about what you should or shouldn’t do with MS/probable MS (one of the very few redeeming features of it).
So really, the only issue is whether you feel up to it. Have you experimented with less ambitious climbs/distances, to see how you get on with those? I certainly wouldn’t recommend doing it “from cold”, with no idea what your limits are. You should build up to it, so you can be reasonably confident it’s within your capabilities, as you don’t want to find out the hard way it isn’t - when you’re halfway up!
I’ve done Snowdon as a kid, but not since, so I can’t really remember how demanding it is (I assume not terribly, if a little girl could do it - and I wasn’t a very physical child).
It may not be relevant to you, but oddly, I find getting down from places often a lot harder than getting up - I think mostly from balance issues. Getting up there, the issue is energy/stamina, but downwards, the issue is fear of falling.
From time-to-time I take part in some organised local walks. Sometimes they are listed as: “contains a steep section”. If it says that, I always ask: “This steep section, is it an UP-slope, or a DOWN-slope?” (they are circular walks, so you won’t usually have to negotiate the same section both ways). If they say: “It’s an UP-slope”, I’m actually much more confident with that than a DOWN-slope, as balance is a bigger issue for me than stamina, and I don’t like going downwards on a muddy path, or one that has lots of loose surface gravel.
Tina
x
hi ade
i’m really not the kind of person to be able to give advice on this.
enjoy the walk anyway - wonderful scenery.
tina - i’m the same
much better getting up steps than getting down.
wonder how many more msers feel the same.
carole x
thanks Tina for answering my little plea, only you and Pigpen(carole) actually did…I’ve never had a problem with heights so that’s not my issue. I’m new to this Ms stuff so to speak, got a double dose of the flu nearly 3 yrs ago which started all my bodily differences so I’m learning as i go day to day…I hate the way my legs decide whether to heighten my pins and needles or make my knees feel so swollen or make my thighs feel freezing cold or all three at the same time(this one most of the time)… the ‘hug’ around the waist is so annoying.!.. fatigue is fun…not…!!..
Adrian…
Hi - the walk up Snowdon should not be underestimated by anyone - it is challenging and in poor weather conditions can be dangerous. Saying that if you are suitably dressed for the conditions and have maps etc this can be attempted by many and is - the crowds at the top don’t all get there by train!
The route up Snowdon following the train track is long and not the shortest route - I have used the miners track and this is a steady climb on excellent paths until the trickier and steep scramble to the summit area. As Anita says it can and is done by young children - I took my own two girls up when they were about 7 and 9 and the older one is climbing it again this weekend at the age of 23 with a group of friends for the fourth time. Amazing this as when we used to walk as a family they did a lot of moaning - now they walk for pleasure!
The important thing about hill walking is you should never be afraid to turn back if the weather deteriorates or you know you don’t have the energy
There are lots of websites with info about climbing Snowdon with difficulty ratings and other useful information. Choose a day with good visibility - pack gloves and hat for the top - enjoy the views - have a wonderful day.
Helen
we had a go at the mountain last year via the pig route and where it meets up with the miners we had to give up, so decided to see if the train route would be more gentle on the legs and if anyone had a personal ideas that worked for them…and i hate the ‘hug’…my last hug lasted 4hrs around the waist and made breathing more difficult so to protect myself from it I just might take the 1000mg of Gabapentin…
Are you saying you’ve done it, but opted for the train in the end?
As for the gabapentin, not quite sure what you mean about that either. It’s not an “on-off” drug, so you can’t just decide to take 1000mg, if you’re not using it at the moment. You’d have to build up to that level.
Also, I’m not too sure about gabapentin for “the hug” anyway. I don’t think it’s technically nerve pain, so a neuropathic painkiller might not make much difference. It’s actually a spasm of the tiny muscles between the ribs, so you might do better with a muscle relaxant.
Sorry if I’ve got the wrong end of the stick anywhere.
Tina
x
Hello Tina
i take gabapentin 700mg 3 x a day without fault…the Dr put me up to 1000mg to counter attack my neurological spike just as a short term thing not to get use to it…and he said it helped out with ‘the hug’
as to Snowden…we tried the pig route last year but where it meets up with the miners route we had,had enough and went back down the miners…this year the wife and I are thinking about going up via the trains route, we know it’s longer but supposedly easier but I wanted to see if anyone could give me a bit of advise as to how to tackle it.
as to you possibly getting the wrong end of the stick…don’t worry about that it’s just nice to have someone to talk to.
Adrian… X
The steepest part of the ‘train route’ is the roadway right at the start. On average it takes 3 hours to walk up and 2 hours to walk down if the starting point is LLanberis.
There are shorter routes - one starts at Rhyd-Ddu on the Caernarfon-Portmadoc Road or the Watcyn path from Beddgelert.
(The ‘pig’ track should be PYG Track as it starts at Pen Y Gwryd)
Hi Adrian
I had a look on a website about the track up from Llanberis - it is about 1.5 miles longer than the miners - this site said it was nine miles long and would take 5 - 6 hours
http://www.snowdonmountainguide.com/llanberis.html
The site also has you tube footage which means I can say I have ‘walked’ the route!!
It also says it is the ‘easiest’ of the routes up Snowdon plus like before you can always start off and if it is not your day you can turn back but at least you will be able to say you had a good crack at it. But on a more positive note there is a hot cup of tea waiting for you at the top - always a good incentive for me.
My daughter and friends went up the miners track two weekends ago - they got to a similar place to you and everyone coming down said they had turned round as it was snowing on top and the rocks were very slippy - sensibly they also came down and said it wasn’t going anywhere so they would come back.
I love the hills and have walked in lots of different areas of the UK but now I am unable to do it - my advice is get out there - I have enjoyed recently ‘walking’ in the Lake District using walks on their ‘Miles without stiles’ website. This has 42 walks on it - I used my mobility scooter which is not really designed for rugged paths more supermarket shopping but where there is a will there is a way - and had a fabulous time - getting into wild open spaces - was wonderful.
Good luck
Helen
Hello Helen,
thank you very much for that…I’m definitely going to give it a go again…if my legs are buggered on the day I’ll just have to except it but I want to have a go…
Adrian. X