Dave,
Impressive that you're contemplating such a worthy endeavor! Bravo
I wonder if you couldnt do a week or two long trip that is hotel to hotel rather than camping. Lot to unpack in that I'm sure but hotel rates seem a bit low right now because of covid . . . and my tolerance for well less than 4-star accommodations when I'm solo is noteable. My requirements are; "clean bed, shower, towels & access to food . . . and low risk of contracting Hep C!"
) My standards go up if I'm rolling with a friend or if I'm being met by my girlfriend . . . but mostly "cheap with a bed & shower" is ok with me. Also means that you gotta pick a route with some lodging/food options. Not super hard but not something to "figure out as you go" unless you're under duress and running away for some reason
I have a heart condition (had a cardiac arrest 15 years ago and was one of the 3% that survive and one of the .03% that dont require assisted living afterward) and I've been having a number of related arrhythmia problems/procedures. My cardiologists are great but I'm not their typical patient. I sent my garmin heart rate graph to my cardiologist after doing hill repeats once and his response was "wow. I'm glad you can tolerate that but I wouldnt tell you to go do it."
I've come to the conclusion that their other customers dont really look like me. I like them just fine and have been seeing them (at a research institution) for 15+ years. But they dont really know. Not their fault but there are big gaps in what they're able to provide actionable info about. So, I listen to my docs and if they say "absolutely do not do xyz," I pay attention. But Im also aware I own the machine, have a better sense of what's ok and what's probably not than they likely can . . . and then I go do my thing (with more caution & vigilance than I might otherwise.) The drugs are tough mentally. They doubled up my beta blockers recently which further restricts my already suppressed heart rate. Which is a thing actually. So, you know, there's stuff to keep figuring out. That's just true for me and I imagine you live in a similar world.
So, I'm not one of the fast kids. I'm 53 and as a younger man I was quite a bit more speedy. Simply not true today. I'm pretty slow. I recently completed a 360 mile 8 day ride from San Luis Obispo to San Diego along the pacific coast. I took off (undertrained) after a series of heart procedures over the previous 3 months. I was anxious and didnt know how it would go. I was grateful that I'd planned a hotel to hotel trip and ended up hauling about 15 pounds of stuff. Frankly, climbing up a steep 10 mile schlep over the mountains out of Solvang, 15 pounds might as well have been 100. I stopped 1/2 dozen times. It was hard; not soul robbing but I could see soul robbing from where I was. In the end, I was happy to have done the ride. It boosted my confidence that I can sustain and that my resilience hadn't totally evaporated . . . and I feel like it left me with a bit of a rebuilt base that I've been capitalizing on.
So, I guess my opinion is you're totally ok to make your decisions with the information you have, hear the "don't kill yourself & sue me" advice from the docs but appreciate that you're not necessarily being irresponsible if you make decisions that are not 100% aligned with their preferences, and maybe find a way to get more data about how it'll be for you. You know, by knocking out 40-50 miles loaded to see how it goes. I could have done a better job of that before my short trip and wish I had. I waived it off because I'd done +/-20 days similarly loaded; and I didnt know what it would be like in the condition i was ACTUALLY in when I took off. Dunno that I would have done much different but it would have helped me manage my mental game more effectively on the bike ("Why the hell can't I go any faster! Oh my god I'm slow!")
Impressive you've got your head in the game. Especially given the challenges you're dealing with. I'm sure it's not easy and I think your intentions and grit are admirable. I hope you're able to find a way to go do your thing. I think you're 100% right to think it matters.