After Psycho in October 2023, I was feeling pretty good. I did however pick up a chest infection, probably due to the cold night air riding through the night. It didn’t seem to be a problem at first. Over the next four months however, I seemed to constantly have chest, allergy or stomach infections. Each doctor, for each issue, prescribed antibiotics or inhalers, but nothing seemed to give me much more than a few days of relief. I was more concerned myself of why I kept getting these infections, rather than just trying to treat each actual infection individually. We talked to my lymphoma team about it and agreed my IgG was very low, which could mean I was putting up little to no fight against any infections. To cut a long story short (not my usual habit 🤣), it finally worked. I began getting a monthly infusion of IgG at the Mayo and I stopped picking up infections or bugs and started to feel better after 6 months of antibiotics, inhalers and frustration.
As far as the cycling. Well I lost most of the gains I had made training for Psycho over the 6 months this took, but at least I was back on the bike. I then worked hard on getting my fitness back to something like normal and even had a week or two riding in Ireland in July. Psycho came around again, so it was a good chance to do it better this time, using all that I had learned from 2023.
Leaving no stone unturned I prepared the car for every possible scenario I could think of. I built a false floor for the back of the Range Rover which allowed me to clip in units for water, power, equipment and even two bikes traveling. Independent power in the back meant no worries with lights or sensors. It even allowed me to have a microwave to heat up food. I was ready for any and everything this time and feeling great.
As with life, the best laid plans don’t always work. I got to Bayboro NC a couple of days before the ride. Set up shop in rented house with Deirdre and a friend Caroline, who was also riding at Psycho. We all got ready to ride and I headed to bed the night before. Then it started. For the next few hours, I was in the bathroom. I have not thrown up for over 20+ years, not even through Chemo, but I did this night. It was obvious something I had eaten from the couple of takeaway dinners or prepared fruit from the supermarket the last two days wasn’t good. I was bad, really bad. About an hour or so before the race I had to cancel my ride. The idea of a 2 – 2.5hrs loop, with no bathroom within reach, wasn’t doable. The possibility of what that could mean if I didn’t improve wasn’t something I could imagine. Well I could, and certainly didn’t want to chance facing the consequences of what that could be like. So my ride was over before it began. Best laid plans out the window and the thoughts of a 10hr ride home with a dodgy stomach lay ahead.
I made it home without accident, road or personal.
