Today I called my doctor first thing in the morning and left a message for his nurse. I had checked my email throughout the day yesterday but did not receive a reply the entire day. I left him another email message and then thought – now what? I’m no closer to knowing what to do next. So I decided to go eat some breakfast and spend a zero day in Truckee.
Jax Truckee Diner
I headed to Jax Truckee Diner, a historic cafe that was transported to Truckee all the way from Philadelphia. My stomach hasn’t been very happy lately and I don’t have the same hiker hunger that I did when I was on the trail. I looked longingly at the pancakes and eggs but ordered a bowl of oatmeal with brown sugar and raisins instead. I know, I know – I eat oatmeal every day on the trail, why would I eat it in town? I like oatmeal. I eat it pretty much every day at home too. Oatmeal makes my tummy happy.
I spent most of the day laying low and waiting for the doctor to call me back. I was still tired and worn out from the trail and didn’t have much energy to explore town. So I worked on my blog and took a little nap.
Chilling in the attic library at the Redlight Hostel
Eventually I received a call from my doctor’s nurse around 2:00 pm. It turns out my doctor is currently on vacation which is why I hadn’t heard from him yet. His nurse consulted with another gastroenterologist on staff and proscribed Prednisone which is a steroid that will (hopefully) bring down the inflammation in my colon. Apparently the treatment is generally thought of as a last resort, but since I’m experiencing blood in my bowel movements and it’s not going to be very easy or convenient for me to bring along individual enema bottles on the trail, she decided to go with Prednisone. The good news is that it comes in pill form which I can take orally (yay!) and it’s way cheaper than the other medication option.
So I headed over to the drug store to get my prescription. The pharmacist advised that I should take the medication before 9:00 am as it can cause trouble sleeping in some people. This means that I can’t start taking it until tomorrow. Blarg. But at least I have medicine now and I know I don’t have to leave town to get treatment. It’s a step in the right direction.
That evening Mass Hole and I went to Old Town Tap by recommendation of the staff at the Redlight. It was definitely the nicest meal I’ve had on trail so far – a foodie’s dream. Not typical hiker fare as the portions were sized moderately and it was on the pricier side, but the food was amazing. We sat at the bar and got to chatting with the owner who was tending the bar. Near the end of the meal he figured out we were PCT hikers and gave us free ice cream. He hiked the PCT in 2005 and was delighted to have us in the restaurant. He gave is big hugs when we left. Aww 🙂
Not a bad way to spend a zero day in Truckee.
Scallops at the Old Town Tap
PCT 2017 Stats
PCT Day 96
Tuesday July 18
No miles hiked today
For more on my experience hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, visit my Pacific Crest Trail 2017 page:
Hope the medicine helps quickly.