Or catch up, a post to catch up on some events over the past little while.
So, a while back, somewhere around mid November 2021 I started to notice that I was getting much more tired than usual when riding the bike on the trainer. In fact, on one ride I had to stop 4 times to catch my breath and wait until my heart rate dropped in order to finish the ride. Not normal.
Then on Wednesday November 24th I was out on my regular outdoor FROG (fast old retired guys) bike ride with a friend. It was cold at -13ºC with a wicked north wind that made it feel more like -20ºC. I’ve ridden in these conditions before without any problem and I was dressed warmly for this kind of ride. About 15km into the ride I’m feeling unusually tired and cold. A little further along and I say to my friend that we need to take the shortest route home ASAP. I’m getting more and more exhausted, and more and more cold and I’m starting to shiver. I thought briefly about laying down in an open field to rest, but we push on. Now I’m shivering uncontrollably and we make it to the YMCA on Fermor and stop to warm up. I call Shirley to get picked up. Calling for a ride for only the third time ever. Not normal.
I call CancerCare about a previously scheduled appointment and end up telling them about my symptoms, of which there are now a significant number of concerning symptoms. They send me for some blood work and schedule a visit with the doctor on November 29th.
On the 29th, after recounting my situation, it’s decided some additional testing is warranted so there is more blood work and a CT scan on December 17th with the results on the 20th. The CT results are basically good and there is no evidence of any tumour growth or any new tumours. The cell counts and hemoglobin continue to be low which is frustrating, however, by this time I’m feeling much better. Most of the symptoms have resolved, I’m feeling stronger exercising on the bike and my energy has returned. All in all 10-12 days of feeling pretty rough with symptoms that in the past have not been good. The oncologist is not sure what the issue was but the symptoms did not indicate the need to test for CoVid in case you were wondering.
There will be a PET scan on January 5, 2022 to follow-up. This was planned but moved up as a result of my symptoms and to confirm the CT scan results. Never a dull moment. Thankful for the recovery and that it’s in the past.