Diagnosed with stage 4 cancer - the long winding road it has become

[King_Crispy]

https://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/francois-marais

Thank you.

[Cois]

Got on the spinning bike this morning.

 

First time in 6 months 25 days that I go on a bike. The tumor did not like sitting up straight, so had to do the position 2 or 3, but felt great to bet my butt on a saddle again...

 

Now to build on the 15 minutes...

[Eddy Gordo]

Got on the spinning bike this morning.

 

First time in 6 months 25 days that I go on a bike. The tumor did not like sitting up straight, so had to do the position 2 or 3, but felt great to bet my butt on a saddle again...

 

Now to build on the 15 minutes...

Well Done, but that must have been ouch!! 

[RobertWhitehead]

Great to hear things are "getting there"  . This is a struggle and we'll keep on posting some "rainbows and sunshine" messages on the thread 

 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6s2do4CJx8lPfHV3PieRj1?si=RIK6dbYTQ_aeajx3VVHKIw - Maybe have a listen to this, I quite like this point of view

Edited June 24, 2019 by RobertWhitehead

[Cois]

Well Done, but that must have been ouch!!

I let out a little whimper to be honest.

The tumor did not like the session. Bleeding a lot more today. Bleeding more today than the week passed, and also a little tender.

 

But felt more energetic and more positive today than the last few days (okay few weeks as Depression started creeping in)

[King_Crispy]

https://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/francois-marais

Hope you're feeling better today

Edited June 24, 2019 by King_Crispy

[Cois]

Hope you're feeling better today

Had a chemo session yesterday

 

So flat in bed today. Nausea is the worst I have had. They gave me 3 kinds of nausea meds yesterday, but still getting to me. So intake is yoghurt and water today.

 

But all in all things are good. I am still here to fight another day

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

Had a chemo session yesterday

 

So flat in bed today. Nausea is the worst I have had. They gave me 3 kinds of nausea meds yesterday, but still getting to me. So intake is yoghurt and water today.

 

But all in all things are good. I am still here to fight another day

 

Great news, suppose they have you on the Zofer meds. Not good for your tummy.......

[Cois]

Great news, suppose they have you on the Zofer meds. Not good for your tummy.......

That is correct. Can feel my tummy is really not happy, have the worst heartburn as well, but could be the antibiotics as well

[Blackheart]

Hey. Great news you are turning pedals again. I sent you a pvt message, but I wanted to share this, just in case someone else might derive some motivation. I cant say enough about how being on a bike helped me recover/survive/stay sane (relatively). I was given a 2 week break between my last of 10 chemo sessions and the start of my radiation treatment. Smack in the middle weekend was the Argus. I decided to do it, a friend donated his entry and off we go. It took me 11 hours, and it really hurt, but it was wonderful.

 

Everything is possible, until it's absolutely not.

[RobertWhitehead]

Glad to see that we smashed the value Cois wanted to get to and still going! Great news!

[The Ouzo]

Effff meee. i dont open this thread often as everytime I do I get dust in my eyes.

 

But I'm glad I did today. Have been having a really crappy time workwise, but reading your updates has put things into perspective.

 

thanks for sharing your story with us. glad to see you've gotten back on a bike, however brief it was. Cycling has gotten me through some rather tough times.

[Cois]

Glad to see that we smashed the value Cois wanted to get to and still going! Great news!

Was astounded that we reached the goal and I can’t thank everyone enough for any contribution.

It helps a lot, left close to R1000 at CANSA just to be able to poo and that was for a months supply.

 

The medical aid decided to approve 4 of the 8 treatments of Erbitux. They want a CT or PET before they want to continue.

To be honest if I can get a break from Erbitux for a week, it will be great. It must be the nastiest stuff one can get. Been floored and could not get down the stairs to say goodbye to my wife this morning. Ventured out and had trouble getting up the stairs this afternoon to open the garage for her.

 

Found out why I could not get my pulse up on the spinning bike. The beta blocker did a very good job and limited my heart rate. I could not get it higher than 130bpm and was a huge thing because I am used to push it to 180bpm at least.

 

One piece of good news. ABSA life decided after 7 months to pay part of my credit card. I am classified as disabled and kind of a shocker, but it is the only way that ABSA would pay out my Life Insurance in my credit card. Dread disease should be covered, but ABSA decided to be hard assed about it. Just glad a contact decided to push ABSA to investigate the case again, as the medical team at Steve Biko Academic noted that I am unable to work due to the tumor, the treatment and the anemia, and they did mention that on the paper work that ABSA expected to be completed.

So it will relieve even more stress.

[Cois]

Effff meee. i dont open this thread often as everytime I do I get dust in my eyes.

 

But I'm glad I did today. Have been having a really crappy time workwise, but reading your updates has put things into perspective.

 

thanks for sharing your story with us. glad to see you've gotten back on a bike, however brief it was. Cycling has gotten me through some rather tough times.

I must say one thing I miss is the sun on my skin. I made the mistake of walking in the sun on Thursday to get to Dischem at Hazeldean. Got the worst sun burn in 4 minutes. Just by walking from my car to a shaded area.

 

I miss the bike under me, the trill of the whole thing. The dust, the cows at Cow house blocking the path. Seeing the mist in the distance. The open fields beckoning me to push a little harder. To explore the trails and attempting to beat the last time setup on Strava.

 

I miss the days where I was younger and very naughty where I took the trails outside Bronkhorstspruit as I was born (where I knew I was out of sight and you could hear and see traffic before being spotted by other people).

Where I could take the road bike and do a 100+km training ride. Where the farmlands called and the train tracks opened mile after mile of landscapes that can take your breath away. Where you could cycle and your thoughts could take flight.

 

I miss the nights with the D&D group cycling in the rain and spending time with friends doing what we loved. I miss the Guinness at the Spur after the ride.

 

But most of all, I miss the freedom!

[Cois]

Having a very tough week again.

 

Feel as though I struggle to recover more and more between treatments. I know that they say that chemo can have a build up effect, but man, this is starting to suck!

 

The stairs where I stay is starting to become an issue. I struggled more than ever tonight to get up the stairs. The tumor is also a pain the past two days. Spent most of today in bed. Sleep still eludes me most of the time and the cold weather is not my friend (and I love winter time, but this year I hate it)

 

At least the sun through the curtains helps a bit to warm up the house. Just wish I could sit in direct sun, but man, sunburn sucks big time and as soon as I get sunburnt the acne takes over the area and becomes very painful.

 

Medical aid requested a scan to proceed with treatment, but it sounds as if the oncologist that I see, was diagnosed with cancer. So I am seeing another doctor that just helps to reduce the load on the oncologist. So hope to see the oncologist so that he can decide if I must go for a CT, PET or MRI. Hope it is not the MRI as I can’t do the 2 hour scan again

[ChrisF]

VASBYT !!!!

 

 

Really hope the tide turn quickly and that you have a healthy summer !