It's a long time to wait......

 

A very similar week to the previous one. Although the fatigue has improved I am still not back to any form of normal. 

Yesterday I had a 1430hrs chemotherapy appointment. When we got there I was told that they were running an hour and a half late. We decided we would go down to the hospital cafe and waste an hour there.

 Two coffees and two cakes and eleven pound sterling lighter we got back up to the outer ward waiting area with about half an hour before the promised delayed time. At 1600hrs I wandered into the inner waiting area and the girl in reception told me to take a seat in a small waiting area just opposite reception.

 And there I waited until 1820hrs. A couple of times I reminded them that I was still there and hadn't been seen but it was a long time to wait. When you are already very fatigued and pretty ill three and three quarter hours is a long time to wait to receive treatment that is going to make you feel even more fatigued and even more ill...... 

All the staff on the ward are working flat out but they are currently operating with at least six members of staff short. Apparently more staff have been recruited but it takes over six months for them to be fully trained..... It looks like there won't be an improvement for sometime to come... 

 The campsite was busy during the first few weeks of October but it has now gone into winter mode with just the odd one or two visitors every now and again. They are usually campervan campers they stay for a couple of nights and then they are off again......

 90+ years old Mike is preparing to head off down to Spain for three months but unlike previous years when he towed his small Hobby caravan down through France this year he is planning on taking the Ferry down to Northern Spain and save time and hassle. .... 

We are expecting Debbie and Mark to arrive back on site from Italy anytime soon. They always overwinter here because where their property is in Italy the winters are worse than here plus they have family in the area here.  

I now have a two week break from the Chemotherapy before it all starts over again....... 

A Week on and a Difference

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A week further on and a major difference. 

Still suffering with some minor fatigue but on a different scale to last week. Still have a bit of a problem with my calcium levels but it is going in the right direction.

 The top image shows the infusion that I had yesterday. It's for a drug called a Bisphosphonate which helps strengthen my bones and reduce the pain. 

The exact one that I am taking is Zoledronic Acid. 

It is given as a drip into my hand shown in the next image. 

The infusion can bring on a mild flu like symptom and a feeling of nausea . Sometimes Bisphosphonate can cause damage to the jaw bone. This is called Osteonecrosis of the jaw. This is why I had to have dental treatment a few months ago so that my jaw was prepared for this possibility. 

Luckily I have avoided this so far.

 The next image is of the Future Inn Hotel on the outskirts of Plymouth. I have to visit there once a week for my weekly blood test. 

The NHS Phlebotomy service is based there currently and is a very quick and efficient service. 

This morning I received the latest report update on my current condition. The MRI scan I had on my thorax has confirmed that the lump on my sternum is consistent with Active Myeloma.

 There are also other Lesions in my Ribs and Vertebrae. 

They say that it is not surprising given that I was off treatment for a period of time whilst I was undergoing the Thyroidectomy. 

It is reassuring to note that this lump has improved since restarting treatment. 

I've still not managed to get out on the bike again this week although it was weather and not cancer holding me back. 

I have now set up the turbo again ready for the winter period so getting out on the new bike is not so crucial as I will have the option of riding the Turbo Tifosi. 

Just to finish off this week.....

 A couple of friends have told me that they are having problems posting comments here on the blog. I have checked it myself and all seems ok and those of you who left a comment this past week obviously didn't have a problem. If you do have difficulties let me know via my Google ID.... 

No cycling or anything else.

 This has been a bad week.

 I have not done any cycling or anything else come to that. I have been so ill that my whole week has been spent in bed. Total fatigue and really ill.

 It has been the worst week I have had since back in last December when it was thought that I wouldn't make it. This past week I didn't think that I was going to make it either.

 The terrible thing is that I wouldn't have cared less. I really felt as if I had lost the will to carry on .......

 Yesterday I was back at the Chemotherapy day ward for another round of toxins. I explained how I had been to the Doctor and we talked everything through and some adjustments were made to my regular daily medication. 

Looking at how fit I was at the top of the Swiss/Italian Alps in the photo at the top of this post I cannot believe that it was me. I would love to feel that fit again but it seems impossible at the moment.....

 Sorry there is not much in this blog post this week but I don't have the energy to write or the clarity of mind due to all the brain fog..... ....... 

A bit of an obsession...

 I thought that I would tell you about a bit of an obsession that I have. I have always been really interested in cycling culture and have had a bit of a thing for the history of cycling jerseys.

 Not only is it a bit of a thing but I have always felt the need to add to my  collection even though you can only wear one jersey at a time.

 Now I know that you can get a lot of cheap copy jerseys from China but they tend to be just that...cheap. 

Back in 2009 I became impressed by what was then a new company called 'Shutt Velo Rapide'... (SVR). I bought a couple of items of cycle clothing that were in vintage styles and I loved not just the look but also the quality of their clothing products.... Since then I have been a regular customer adding to my collection on numerous occasions.

They are described as a boutique cycle clothing company and as such are probably similar to Rapha in as much as they have their own distinctive signature strip and produce quality items although they do tend to be a little cheaper.... 

When we sold up in Bournemouth and started touring I did prune my collection of jerseys as there was obviously a limit to the number that I could cart around in a small Eriba caravan but since lockdown and cancer I have started to add to my collection again.

 Recently SVR have introduced a limited edition range of Countries and Counties jerseys and I was rather taken with the Devon county Jersey which is based on the Devon County Flag..... Cornwall (Kernow) is another of this collection which I like although I did resist the temptation to purchase that as well. I figured that if I  was going to be riding the killer hills in Devon I might as well show that I am based down here in my adopted county and not a tourist :)  

With the white cross on the front and also the rear it does make the jersey pretty visible to other road users.

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I would like to point out that other than as a regular customer I have no connection with SVR and am just sharing my experience of this company with other cyclists.....Shutt jerseys are made in Italy and the latest range is manufactured from Repetita 100 per cent post -consumer recycled yarns. Google Shuttvr.com or Shutt Velo Rapide and check them out....

As for my health this past week it's been a bit up and down. I had a growth in my throat. and my throat started closing up and I was finding it really difficult to swallow. I saw the ENT consultant who checked my throat and says that all is well and the growth seems to have now disappeared. He made an adjustment to my Thyroxine dose so hopefully that will sort out my fatigue.

 The staff levels at the Chemotherapy day ward have been halved and yesterday I had to wait two and three-quarter hours to be seen. The staff were working flat out but due to staff shortages due to illness and staff leaving they are desperately trying to treat everyone. I had taken pain killers before I went but due to the huge delay to be seen they ran out before I was seen. I was in agony and they had to give me more paracetamol to help with the pain ....

I need batteries....

 I thought that I would add some more images from Anne's colourful flower display at the head of this weeks blog post as my lack of energy and total fatigue continued this week.

 I really do need some batteries as if I sit down for any length of time I just fall asleep. When I wake up again I find that I am confused and my mind and body don't appear to be working together. 

On Monday I decided that I would go for a ride and as with the week before it was obvious early on in the ride that I was going to have to limit the distance due to the fatigue that I was having to deal with. 

There were road works at the top of the lane blocking the road entirely and not even a bike could get past. A diversion had been put in place making all traffic travel an extra three miles along single track lanes instead of the couple of hundred yards from the top of our lane to the campsite. The route was so narrow with traffic trying to travel in both directions that it was impossible for caravans and motorhomes to get to the site as the diversion was in place for four days it had a real impact on the caravan site. 

When I set out on my ride I did find a very narrow rough gravel track that avoided the diversion and gave it a try however it was so rough and I was riding with Continental Grand Prix 5000 tyres that were really unsuitable for that kind of surface that I felt that if I came back the same way I would almost certainly end up with a puncture so I decided that on my return I would follow the diversion. 

Well it was bad enough on a bike but I really would not have wanted to drive the route. First it was downhill all the way to the village of Buckland along single track lanes that even on a bike meeting something coming the other way was pretty terrifying then there was more level single track lanes as far as Buckland Abbey and to finish off there was a mile and a half of uphill all the way up to the Campsite... .

I did it but it was three miles instead of a few hundred yards but at least I saved my expensive road tyres from a puncture.....

 I had two sets of blood tests during the week as it seems that my fatigue is being caused by me no longer having a thyroid and the doctors not being able to find the correct balance of thyroxine to maintain my energy levels.... This coming Monday I will be seeing the Consultant so will find out those blood test results so hopefully the situation will be sorted soon.....

Gears and Fatigue....

 

I thought that the photos for this weeks blog post could reflect some colour. The week has been very dismal and dull weather wise so it's nice to check out some of the flowers in Anne's flower bed at the front of our pitch. We have had a good showing of colour there since early Spring and most of the flowers have been planted from seeds from the previous years flowers....

The dull weather also reflected my health this past week.... I suffered with a real deep fatigue for nearly the whole week. We are not talking just being tired here, no... what I am talking about is a total breakdown of having any energy at all.

 It's been like trying to move through wet thick cement and not being able to think straight.... I had planned to go for a ride on the Wednesday because it was due to be the better day of the week. I would have liked to have gone for my next distance and ascent target but after just cycling for only 200yds it was obvious that an easier shorter ride was all that I would be able to achieve.

 In the end I managed a 10.8 mile ride and that was the absolute maximum that I was capable of. It took me the rest of the day to recover but I was so glad that I had actually attempted to get out on the bike. It gave me a real psychological. boost to have attempted a ride ....

Talking again about bike riding It was interesting to hear that Shimano have decided to remove mechanical gearing from their top two groupsets DuraAce and Ultegra.

 In future the first tier that you will be able to obtain  a mechanical set of gearing will be 105. Now you might say why would anyone want to use mechanical gearing when the electronic gearing is so good. It is consistent with perfect gear changing at the push of a button. Perfect gear changing every time. Totally reliable and for the racers very slightly faster ... 

I have ridden a number of bikes with electronic shifting and have been blown away by how good it is. Before I bought my Focus I tried out Ultegra electronic shifting as I was unsure what to go for and it really was impressive.

 In the end I decided on the 105 mechanical set. 

Two main reasons.... 

Pushing a button works perfectly but it gives no feed back. You cannot tell what gear you are moving to as every button push feels the same. When I push the lever on a mechanical set I get a feedback in a very slight change in lever tension that I don't get with an electronic button push. Agreed it is very slight and probably only an experienced rider would be able to pick up on it but it is definitely there and seems to keep me in touch with my gear changing in a more organic way which I like.

 The other reason of course is the amount of money I saved by sticking with mechanical...... If you want the best most consistent and reliable gear changing around then you can't beat electronic but if you want to retain a more organic feel to your gear changes then it will have to be 105 in future. ....... 

Miles or Kms and a new bike....

 This turned up outside the awning a couple of days ago......Surely I haven't bought another new bike after all I have sold on two of my bikes this year. Both the Touring bike and the Felt have gone to new owners who I hope will look after them with all the love and care that I lavished on them......  

A couple of peeks into the box reveal something that looks a little bit like a mountain bike.....

No, I wouldn't have bought a mountain bike ..I bought one back in 2013 but it didn't work out too well. 

An attempted ride along the South Downs Way route with my friend Howard proved that mountain biking wasn't our type of cycling and on the second day we found a nice comfortable campsite to base ourselves. 

The next couple of days were spent going out from the site riding on tarmac and enjoying a couple of local tourist attractions. So much nicer than hike and bike struggling to ride up steep gravel strewn muddy tracks. 

Before you ask I won't be buying a Gravel bike either...even the name sends shivers down my spine. Lol.

So this was what was in the box.... 

A bike yes but it's a bike for Anne's grandson who this Christmas will be moving up from the balance bike that he has been riding for the past couple of years....  We thought that we better buy it early due to the shortage of bikes following the COVID-19 problems.

There would be nothing worse than trying to buy a bike for him in December and not being able to get hold of one. He is my last chance of having a young cyclist in the family as my own grandsons have let me down by only being interested in kicking a ball around in something called football...the result I think from a level of brainwashing from their Everton supporting father.    

Moving on....I didn't manage to get out and beat my  distance and climbing target this past week.

The nice dry weather that the forecast had promised us just didn't materialise. We had wind and rain instead and that knocked my attempt on the head. 

What it did do was get me thinking about why it is that I always measure my distances in miles. After all kilometres is the official measurement of cycling and I don't use it. I think in miles...My Garmin is set to record in miles although I actually record ascent and descent in metres.

 Most odd!!

 However the more I thought about it the answer became clearer. It's all a hangover from my younger years when my cycling discipline of choice was time trialling and being a peculiar British sport in those days the distance was always measured in miles. So...even to this day I still think in miles although I do find it easy enough to convert to kilometres in my head if I need to as I ride along ... I wonder if other ex time triallists from the late fifties and early sixties find themselves doing the same.