Loose tooth

Appointment

Deciding to have my teeth checked before travelling to Nepal, I was x-rayed and told there were fillings necessary. Funny though as there has been no discomfort to date. From time to time my gum has been a little sore, but I didn't connect this with a potential filling. However, I am now back at home, having had two fillings on Monday... and now I do have discomfort... also one of the teeth filled wobbles in its socket.

The dentist was very rough when drilling out the old amalgam, probably the roughest treatment I have ever had. I know, as I never have injections and can compare exactly how gentle they are when giving treatment. Though it did seem a very deep cavity. The two teeth took about four refills of the amalgam tool - she might have been better using a concrete mixer.

So what do I do now? I have telephoned the receptionist who is going to speak with the dentist concerned. Unfortunately though, she has no appointments for weeks, so I will have to phone to obtain an emergency appointment. The receptionist took my telephone number and will get back to me if something can be done on a regular appointment. I won't expect to pay for remedial treatment though, so I hope they don't try charging me again.

I carried out a test pack of my Jagged Globe holdall yesterday and everything fits in - and well within the weight restriction as well. Thank goodness. I was worried I might have to leave stuff behind. I am frightened that I might forget something, so have been meticulous it preparing lists and making sure I have everything I might need. I am slightly worried my bag might go missing on the domestic flight to Heathrow, but this is just an irrational fear and I shouldn't let it dominate my mind. I still have some small items to pack... but these are major in their importance... toilet roll for example. I mustn't forget these!

Team building

Exercises

This morning we were introduced to some teambuilding events (very similar to those I have encountered with the military). These were fun and helped us to get to better know our trekking partners.

It is nice to think we will at least have some familiar faces at Heathrow when we arrive for the flight. After lectures on Altitude Mountain Sickness and Health and Hygiene in Nepal, we departed for home.

Four hours or so later I walked through the door.

Breakfast

Introductions

This morning at breakfast, I recognised many faces from the bar the previous night. I introduced myself to the table, served myself with cereal, fruit and yoghurt and sat down. I started to chat to the various people to break the ice, before making my way to the local Community Hall for the morning's lectures.

At about 11.00am we were split into two trekking groups and led out into the hills. Fine and sunny at the bottom, we steadily climbed upwards into the mist and driving rain. It stayed like that until we descended again. At least it gave my new items of kit a good workout.

After showering down back at the hotel (where the hot water stopped working just as I had lathered up everywhere!), we met up for dinner. A presentation followed about a successful summit climb of Ama Dablam... an awesome mountain. The presenter, one of our trekking leaders, was the first lady ever to summit this Himalaya peak in Winter conditions - amazing.

Introductory weekend

Wales

I set off in the pouring rain for Betws-y-coed and Capel Curig. Visibility was horrendous and my wipers were squeaking mercilessly. I found the hotel without any trouble and checked in. A nondescript room awaited me. My thoughts raced back to the many times I had stayed in grotty hotels, working away from home... more than often without other tutors and lonely.

I also remembered the time I was billeted at Capel Curig Army Camp - once with 4QLR in the early 80s - and later with the ACF in the late 90s. It was here that I remember chatting to a guy who had applied for Special Forces selection and was waiting to see if he had been accepted. A really nice chap. I think I was on guard duty that night, so I looked around my room again and decided it was certainly much better than the alternative down the road.

Although we were not due to meet up with the trekking party until 9.00pm, I decided to go to the bar and buy myself a pint. I started chatting to a guy at the bar, only to find he was nothing at all to do with the trek. He was a musician who was spending the week up in North Wales with his band, writing a new album. I discovered we had climbing and walking in common and he was very interested to hear about the trek to Everest. He was very widely travelled... I just wish I had asked him his name and his band. For some reason I had the impression he might well have been well-known in music circles... but I was never to know!

I left the bar to go to my room and came down again later... ordering a coffee and blueberry muffin. Despite the fact that 9.00pm came and went, no formal announcement had been made to greet the trekkers. The bar was full of people eating and drinking, but short of standing up and announcing who I was, or going round each table in turn, I didn't know how else to find out who was who.

A little later someone else arrived and I overheard him asking about the Xtreme-Everest event, so I introduced myself and started chatting. He was a young lad, aged 27 with a Batchelor's Degree in Computer Science. Currently he is developing software and code for the new generation of 4G mobile phones. I must say I was slightly in awe of him, but we managed to have a really interesting conversation about his job, after which I retired to bed at about 11.50pm.

Everest on Sky

TV Programme

My son has recorded 'Everest'... a series about an American team attempting the summit. This programme freaked my wife out somewhat as there were a number of instances of altitude mountain sickness.

Maria is already worried enough about me trekking to Everest Base Camp, without seeing the effects of AMS in others. I tried to reassure her by pointing out these climbers were much higher on the 'hill'. However, even at EBC one can suffer from AMS if you haven't acclimatised properly.

Our trek has plenty of time built in for this and we are under close medical supervision because of the research nature of the expedition... so no worries... I hope!

Sponsorship

Donations

More sponsorship money arrived today via my best mate. He has done a sterling job on my behalf raising funds towards the £500 donation to the Everest research. This has helped no end. This 'adventure' of mine will have cost in the region of £4000 by the time I go, so it had better be worth it.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - it won't happen again. I really can't justify it. In future, any holidays will be jointly enjoyed with my wife - it is only fair. She understands my yearning for this particular adventure, and as such is OK about me going. She is a wife in a million and I love her so much.

More inoculations

Medical practice

I rang the doctors this morning to make an appointment to see the nurse for my inoculations... and was surprised to get an appointment for 4.30pm. More injections. MASTA recommend having immunisations for Polio, Hepatitis A, Typhoid Fever, Tetanus... and consider having Hepatitis B and Diphtheria. I'll feel like a pin cushion when she has finished with me.

To enable me to get down to Heathrow (and back), I have looked at various means of travel. British Rail and National Express do not seem practical with the timings and luggage, nor is it fair to ask my family to take me by car. It seems a domestic flight will be best, but I must allow sufficient time for check-in and luggage collection.

Letting the dog out this morning, I noticed the pond was iced over. It must have been cold last night. I ventured out in just my tea-shirt... good practice for my Everest trip. Looking at our electronic weather station, it shows the outdoor temperature as minus two. Cold enough. I don't think I'll be doing this at Base Camp where the temperature can get as low as minus fifteen during the night.

Nepali Embassy

Visa

I visited the Nepali Embassy for my Visa and bumped into one of the medical staff who is 'manning' one of the testing stations at Namche. A South African, she has climbed to 4,500 metres and has summited Kilimanjaro. I felt slightly envious, wishing I had done these sort of things when much younger.

The flight information for the Everest trek arrived too. It seems we depart from Heathrow at 2030hrs on Gulf Air and arrive at Muscat 0720hrs (their time). We do not depart Muscat for Kathmandu until 1310hrs, so it looks like we'll have some time to kill - but I reckon we'll be restricted to the airport concourse. We are due to arrive at Kathmandu 1850hrs and then transfer to the hotel, where we acclimatise for a day and complete the first of our tests. A long period of travel.

The return journey is also quite interesting. We depart Kathmandu at 1900hrs on Gulf Air and arrive in Bahrain at 2120hrs. There is a short delay before picking up the transfer at 0110hrs to Heathrow, which arrives at 0625hrs. This will be very inconvenient if the family choose to meet me, as they will need to travel down in the early hours of the morning.

There are fourteen people on our trek, plus our guide. Three clearly are doctors, but I am expecting others to have a medical background as well. Our guide has an interesting CV. She is aged 37 and has been climbing for over 20 years. She began high altitude mountaineering in 1993, during which time she has climbed in Bolivia and North Peru. Working in the outdoor industry since 1989, she has led expeditions to Morocco, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Borneo, Nepal and India. She is also a qualified Advanced Wilderness Medic and has much experience of altitude related illness.

If you take into account the Xtreme-Everest medical staff at the four testing sites as well, somehow I don't think we'll be short of qualified medics on our trek!

Sea-level testing

Back in the smoke

Arriving in London on the 30th January, I settled down to finalising my wife's 50th birthday treat. The family have all managed to keep this quiet since September last year and I am hoping that it won't be spoiled right at the last minute. I am half expecting one of the them to bump into her as she wanders down Oxford St, whilst I am absent attending my base-level testing.

I wake on the day of testing (31st), conscious that I have to locate the UCL site where I am to complete my Xtreme-Everest medical tests. Following a light breakfast, I said 'bye' to my wife and set off running for Highgate Hill. I managed to stay on route, dodging the traffic and people as I navigated my way along the main roads. It was a steady climb up hill and after about 4 or 5 miles and three quarters of an hour, I reach my destination.

Upon arrival, there were a couple of presentations. One about the testing day itself and the other about the medical background to the project. I was weighed and measured (67kg and 169cms respectively) and was then made to fully exhale through a machine, and then fully inhale again... apparently my lung functions at 144% that expected of a man my age and weight/height. Comforting to know... the result of having never smoked and regular physical exercise I understand.

I was then passed over to the lady carrying out a neurological examination. Memory tests, dexterity tests, problem-solving tests, brain function tests - all were thrown at me. About one and a quarter hours later I was taken back to the main testing clinic. My skull was measured every which way, my eyeballs were photographed, copious amounts of blood taken, blood pressure measured and my pupil response tested. My day finished with the bike tests, where I was rigged up with electrodes and sensors, with a breathing mask to measure my lung input and output under physical duress. This testing was 'ramped up' for me, due to the level of my fitness. This was to enable me to reach maximum output earlier, because had I had the settings for a man of my age and weight etc, the doctors would have been waiting for ever for me to reach exhaustion... apparently.

Overall, the day was intensely interesting. I particularly enjoyed the neurological and physical tests, although carrying these out at sea-level was hard enough. Goodness knows what it is going to be like as we gain altitude in the Himalaya.

I jogged back to the West End, the lactic acid feeling heavy in my legs. During the journey, I stopped to watch a film being made, where a stunt man threw himself out of a plate-glass window into the street. It could only happen in London.

Returning back to my wife, I need not have worried. Her day had been uneventful. The surprise on her face as we came out of the lift into the foyer, to find all the family sitting there... all I can say, is that a fish out of water has nothing on my wife. She stood for a good couple of minutes, her mouth opening and shutting, with no sound being uttered, as she struggled to understand how/why everyone was there in her hotel in the West End. Excellent.