Latest Watch and Wait (Sweat) came up clear.

Last week I had another regular MRI scan as part of my three monthly checkup regime and I am pleased to report that it came up clear once again. Phew!!!

Participating in The Ride to Conquer Cancer

Waiting for the start(I'm in there somewhere up the back

wearing a yellow jersey)

On Saturday morning as I stood astride my bike at the start line with the other 1,511 riders I was very conscious that I was only there as a result of my donors’ generosity, their concern and their caring enough to do something practical about this terrible disease called cancer. And when it was announced that the event had already raised $5.2M to continue the essential cancer research work being conducted at QIMR, I knew that we (both riders and donors) were part of something very big and very worthwhile.

The first day was certainly a slog battling a headwind much of the way with some agonisingly long hills where you would think you had reached the crest only to find it to be a false summit with another kilometre of hill stretching out ahead! Fortunately, at those times your fellow riders would yell some words of encouragement and you would keep working away. When the going got tough you would invariably see a bike up ahead with a yellow flag flapping around on the end of a long pole indicating that rider was a cancer survivor and that would certainly inspire you. What was especially poignant was to see a rider with a rose on their bike to say they were riding in honour of someone who had lost their fight against cancer. I saw far too many roses on bikes on the first day.

The whole event was exceptionally well organised and an army of volunteer helpers was there to welcome the tired and saddle sore riders when we eventually rolled into the Logan Inlet campsite at Wivenhoe dam 110Km from the University of Queensland where we started. My tent buddy turned out to be Anthony Smith who lives in Gladstone and made the journey to Brisbane with two of his mates who also did the ride. There were a couple of complementary beers waiting for us in a huge marquee so I joined the Gladstone boys to celebrate a successful first day. After a hearty meal of chicken pie, potatoes and salad followed by a big dessert we heard from Professor Frank Gannon - Director and CEO of QIMR. Prof Gannon explained how the funds from this event will be directed to cancer research only and will not used for other research taking place at the Institute. He also asked us to think about the ride as a metaphor for the life of a person with cancer. Just as we riders might dislike riding up a steep hill we were not expecting but still have to work our way over it, the cancer patient will have to deal with unexpected setbacks and gets no choice in the matter.

It was freezing cold at the dam on Sunday morning when we had to coax our weary muscles into action again to ascend a steep hill straight away to get out of the campsite. The wind had died down overnight and day two was promising to be a beautiful day. After a couple of kilometres the riders had strung out into a long line as we ascended yet another long hill when suddenly up ahead a huge adult Grey Kangaroo burst out of the bush and hopped across the road. It was a magnificent sight, even if it did scare the living daylights out of the riders up ahead of me. On day two we discovered that those long hills from the previous day were short and steep when approached from the opposite direction! Luckily there was a rest stop with food, water and toilets organised every 25-30 Kilometres which broke up the ride into four legs. This was fortunate as it allowed us to just focus on completing one leg at a time. I have to say that the return journey on Sunday was one of the hardest things I have ever done and when on the last leg, I encountered another first gear hill I was sorely tempted to get off and wait for the sweep bus to collect me. However, the words of the good Professor from the night before were still in my mind and I had to just dig a bit deeper and keep going. After all, cancer patients don’t get the option to get off and wait for an easy way out. Of course, I made it to the finish line in the end and did not let you down my dear donors. So we can all (riders and donors) pat ourselves on the back and say: “we did it together”!

No more Numbness and back to Watch and Wait(Sweat)

After three episodes in three days of numb fingers on my left hand there were no more episodes for the next two weeks. And when a followup MRI scan showed no Indication of tumour regrowth, Dr Walker thought that these symptoms were nothing to worry about. Now it is back to the "Watch and Wait" (or "Watch and Sweat" as I reckon more accurately describes it) regime.

New symptoms, a portent for a 3rd recurrance???

Some weird new symptoms started on Sunday and because they are affecting my left side it may well be related to the tumour on my right side of the brain.

SUNDAY

After I got home from a training ride I did on Sunday which at 43Km in 2 hrs was a bit shorter than the 50Km I did the previous weekend, the left side of my tongue started to tingle then go numb! Then my left cheek started to go numb too. It felt just the same as when the dentist gives you a needle and you cheek feels fat! Then the fingers of my left hand went numb! I was panicing a bit and because it was the left side, I was thinking the worst and maybe this a new brain tumour symptom. Of course I was feeling tired from the ride anyway so I just decided to lie down and have a sleep. A couple of hours later I woke up fine.

MONDAY

I drove to work that day but at night at home my left hand went numb again, not the mouth area that time! Luckily it only lasted half an hour or so and came good but I was getting a bit panicky and decided I better not drive or cycle any more and get myself to a doctor on Tuesday
TUESDAY
After seeing my GP in the morning, I sat on the couch and leaned forward to watch TV. Felt a tingling sensation starting in the left corner of my mouth where the lips meet. It spread through my left cheek until the whole cheek numbed up just like a visit to the dentist. Then my left thumb went numb, then the left index finger , then the second finger on the left hand, then the third finger on the left hand. It stayed that way for ten minutes then the fourth finger went numb too. The little finger stayed normal. Everything returned to normal after about half an hour.


The Doctors thought these symptoms warranted an MRI scan to check out if any signs of regrowth are evident. So we did that and when Dr Walker looked at the scans he found two things a) at the site of the last surgery there was just the slightest sliver of light on the contrast scan indicating possible regrowth - but a bit inconclusive. b) in a new location deeper down in the brain where he tells me it would be inoperable,there was another smudge of light indicating possible regrowth - again, very inconclusive.


So now the plan is to wait another two weeks and have another scan and see what happens with these numbness symptoms in the meantime.