Hey all, did my first race of the year here in AZ. It went ok. I’m a year fitter and a year more recovered from cancer.
Blogged about the race here: New home state. New Team. First race of the year!
-Hugh
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Second race of the year this past Sunday. Went well for the team. Not as well for me. Just never really recovered from racing the previous week. Blogged about it here: Race number 2. Same venue, completely different race.
How are you all doing?
-Hugh
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Just discovered your blog and really enjoyed reading it all. Fantastic achievements.
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Two time cancer survivor here. First was head and neck cancer with surgery followed by chemo and radiation. That sucked pretty bad. It took some time to come back from that major surgery and then the radiation and chemo. Ego took a huge hit to set my FTP back but I was where I was but I did get the newbie gainz after so that was very encouraging. I’m getting to marginal gains now.
Then diagnosed with a melanoma less than a year later. That one was surgery and immunotherapy for a year after. The immunotherapy was’t bad for my case. Just an infusion every month for a year. No really bad side effects.
I’m faster than ever now.
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Thanks!
You’re a warrior man! Way to stay on it!
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I have been blessed with good health so far. But my wife has had skin cancer, and we’ve lost five family members to it. So last April I started riding to start looking after myself better, and committed to ride 52 miles this February for the Dolphins Cancer Challenge X.
I highly recommend this experience of training, fundraising, and riding as a source of support for the cancer community. I’ve seen how cancer fighters and survivors simply glow by seeing three THOUSAND people riding and running to create a better future for them (and for all of us). I’m going to make this an annual project from now on.
The DCC sends every penny of participant-raised funds directly to cancer research: the Miami Dolphins cover all the overhead and costs of the campaign. Here’s my fundraising page if you’d like to donate or to share it with others: https://fundraisers.hakuapp.com/rodolfo-paiz
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I’m still blogging. Just updated my blog: Gambling on success.
Hello Hugh,
Happy to see you, one of my uncle had lymphoma, after some time he completely recovers, you will be recovered soon.
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Thanks for chiming in! I’m mostly recovered. They tell me I’ll never really be in remission but that it can be managed well for the rest of my life. My oncologist says “people die WITH this cancer, not FROM this cancer.”
-Hugh
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I updated my blog gang!
-Hugh
https://cat1-to-cat4.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-time-i-was-in-breakaway-with-paris.html
After a relatively healthy lifestyle but still only 42 years and a stable 65kg, I aged overnight and started to get Chronic fatigue, especially if I took my HR above 70%. My mates told me that at times I looked like the living dead. I battled through things but after doing the LEJOG but getting forced into the support car on two days (thank goodness folk didn’t listen to “put me back on my bike”) and what should have been a relatively easy sportive trip (and a long talk with one of my mates) shortly after I finally went to see the docs. Who done a simple blood test.
I forget the numbers but its something like 135 parts of iron are normal, 35 parts are worrying, 15 parts are catastrophic; I was 12 :-o I got a worried phonecall from the doc the next day (thank god she took it more serious than me).
She commissioned urgent tests. They all came back negative and as she put me on iron tablets I started to feel normal again. But I also decided the one thing that was missing in my diet and a cause of the iron deficiency was red meat. Thats when the extreme sore stomachs happened, first once a month, then once a week or more :-o I was still cycle commuting 28miles a day but slowly, stupidly telling my self it cant be that bad if I could still do that (perhaps I was just overtrained).
Then after 3 or 4 months another test came through (this urgent test had got lost in the system) it found it straight away. Bowel/colon cancer. It had been blocking my bodies iron absorption. They rushed me in for an emergency operation (which coincidently was 2 years yesterday, 1st April 2019).
Fortunately for me they were able to do it by keyhole and I was up and walking the next day. They kept me in hospital for the next three days as things weren’t functioning internally. They decided though eventually they’d function better for me at home.
I spent the next month walking, eventually they were up to 12miles.
Then I got a call from the oncologist, although my scans were clear and they were pretty certain they had removed everything, they were putting me on chemo and I should get back on my bike ASAP to give my self a mental picture of what I’d get back to post chemo. He didn’t need to tell me twice but I have never got back to that level. I’ve been building ever since I left his office and when I read about the vicious circle of chemo (rest=more symptoms=more rest needed=more symptoms, etc ect) I decided to attack it head on and keep exercising through it (although I did arbitrarily drop my FTP by 50w and didn’t retest it). Towards the end of the chemo I set what was then my fastest 10 and 25miles (I’ve since beaten them).
Annoyingly my chemo wrecked my finger tip nerves but apart from that a year on from chemo (and two years on from surgery) I seem to be fitter and stronger than I’ve ever been. Oh and the instant loss of 3kg for a bit put me just through the 5w/kg barrier for a bit (I’m below that now but it coincides with me starting to use ERG so maybe I can get some of it back by switching it off, I still seem stronger against my peers and external pb’s are still improving 
)
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Never had cancer but always had a fear of it. When I saw this thread I scrolled past it with shivers. Then I thought if the people who had it had the courage to fight it, to post their story here, and to train hard, then I should at least read their stories. And now that I did, I am in owe of you.
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Shortly after my operation, whilst awaiting test results at the end of my first year in remission, an elderly lady in the waiting room turned to me and said something that I swear will never leave me.
‘Cancer is the invitation to a club that no-one ever wants to join.’
Thankfully, with the care, expertise and dedication of many medical professionals, family and friends, more and more of us are find a way to leave the ‘club’.
I left my remission programme last year and have been cancer free for six years. I hope that everyone in this thread gets the same great news as I did 
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I’ve been in remission for 13 years now. Best club leaving party I ever had.
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I debated with myself about whether I should post this question and decided that if it is not appropriate for the thread it will get modded out. So here goes:
For those of you who got the invitation to the cancer club (not my phrasing, see above) and live in the US, what lessons have you learned about insurance coverage?
Thank you in advance for your thoughts.
Ooph! Insurance coverage here in the US is a nightmare. I’m fortunate to have had very good insurance throughout this process. But, others are not so fortunate. We’re like the only country in the world where people go bankrupt from medical bills.
As for remission, after 3 years and a “complete response” to treatment, I’ve yet to have a doctor tell me I’m in remssion or that it’s even a possibility. Lymphoma (slow growing) is not really curable but IS very manageable.
Cheers to those of you who were kicked out of the club! LOL!
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I am in the USA, California and you can go to covered cal or medical ( www.lacare.org ) they offer services thru insurance partners so low cost to no pay medical services. There is a catch all your bills are kept by the state upond death your estate goes first to the state this is the same for Medicare to they get first leans on all estate.
The key is if the insurance company does not agree with the doctor for services you need they will not pay and you have to wait for approval. This can be frustrating for you and your doctors.
Have not left this club yet. Bu the training has helped keep me going.
Hope this post might be of some use.
Thanks for starting this thread Hugh. It’s good to read people’s stories of strength and resilience. I have recently been diagnosed with Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) - non invasive breast cancer.
I was due to get the results of my surgery today - whether they have created a wide enough margin around the cancer or if I need more surgery.
It’s been delayed till next week as pathology haven’t processed it yet.
I could be in a bad mood, but I’m not really. I spoke to a specialist nurse yesterday, who told me that exercising through radiotherapy will help me beat fatigue and she can be there to walk me through that. She was so pro exercise, saying that it reduces cancer recurrence by 40% .
Such a change from people suggesting I take it easy…it has helped my outlook in an instant, like someone holding a door open for me, into the great outdoors 
The anesthesiologist was very awesome. I’ve had a few surgeries lately and my anxiety around it has grown. She guided me through a meditation as I went under. I was riding a MTB in BC…worked a treat.
I’m very early on the journey. From what you are all saying, cycling/training seems to be the best medicine at any stage…
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Bullseye just read your post after walking home from radiation therapy and yes exercise works hope you results are negative and they got everything.
KEMO if you get it takes a toll on you but you will be stronger and better with the exercise IMHO I did a 50 miler at the end of my 2nd week of therapy was tired but felt happy and alive, an yes was told I am nuts
May you do fantastic and quick recovery and the same goes for everyone else who’s fighting this battle…
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