I managed to go out for a ride with the Sunshine Coast Bicycle Touring Club (SCBTC) last Saturday morning. I decided to take the 30km option and we had 10 riders. Seven were normal club members and three of us were guests. We had a nice fide along the sea front at Kawana to the lighthouse and returned via the new Kawana developments around the lakes. We took about two hours and finished off with a sausage sizzle near the Surf Club. I enjoyed it and it was well within my capabilities. The two other guests were a couple of young mums who are trying to get fit for a 200km bicycle ride over two days later in the year. One will be OK even now but the other was new to cycling and had a cheap mountain bike which really wasn't set up properly. She will get it fixed and as I pointed out that in two hours she had done a third of one day's ride. With a careful built up of her fitness she will be OK. Both mums had family ill with cancer and they were trying to help raise money for research.
My GP's office called me last Friday to let me know that it was time for my six monthly check up. I have Type 2 diabetes which I control by exercise and diet but it is still necessary to check the extremities for circulation and the kidney and liver functions. I made an appointment for "next" Monday and I arrived at the surgery on Monday to find that next Monday was a week later and this was "this" Monday.
What happened next is difficult to explain. As I had entered the waiting room, which I had done many times before with Margaret, all the terrible things which happened before Margaret died came flooding back. When faced with the appointment mix up, which i normally would have laughed off, I became aggressive and told the receptionist to forget it and stormed out. I couldn't face another second in that place. I was having a full blown panic attack. It took me some time to compose myself before I could drive. I had some shopping to get and had coffee and cake afterwards before driving home. It took me most of the day to regain my composure.
Later in the afternoon I phoned the surgery to apologise for my rudeness and made an appointment for next day for the check up.
I had a chat with my GP, C, about the episode the day before and he said that he wasn't surprised and by coming back I had shown great courage which is a bit over the top. I passed all the physical tests except for my blood pressure which is unusually high. As I had to have some blood and urine tests done i shall return next week to review them and check if my blood pressure has returned to normal.
I have only managed a ride on my shopping bike this week but will join the SCBTC tomorrow for another short ride and if the rain stays away will take my new bike for a ride around Noosa later this morning.
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