Where has 2017 gone - a belated update

My last blog update was back in February following my hot camping trip.  Apart from my usual tiredness caused by my AF I was feeling very well, cycling 3 or 4 days a week and delivering Meals on Wheels at least once a week.

For many years I have followed a groups of cycling journals posted on a web site known as Crazy Guy On A Bike (CGOAB).  These are journals of real hard core touring cyclists  some of  them around the world rides. A few months ago the CGOAB owner started a sister site, Bicycle Life, which caters for "normal cyclists" going about their normal life.  To make things interesting they have "Challenges" and I decided to take part in the annual Bicycle Life Challenge.  For seven weeks one must make seven rides,  purchase some item, record the ride in a journal.  They must provide documentary evidence of the purchase.  My Journal of this challenge is at Bike Life Challenge  It has many pictures of my home town.

During the challenge I attended the annual Bike Friday Muster in  the NSW Southern Highlands south of Sydney. On April 3 I drove down for three days and slept in my little camper trailer on the way.  My AF doesn't affect my driving and I covered between 400 to 550 km a day.

My first stop at Tenterfield

Second stop at Musselwellbrook

My home at Moss Vale for a few days

My bike was ready to go

The little bikes began to arrive

More and more of them

and more

over 120 of them

because my AF makes me slow I took short rides and got held up for 20 minutes by this train

The end

I did manage to get to lunch with the others in Bowral

for a beautiful carrot cake.  It was a 40KM ride

We had our farewell lunch in this pub

and home via Tamworth

and Warwick

It was a great break but towards the end I was having problems with my Prostate with blood in my urine. I saw GP who said my PSA was very low and probably my motoring and cycling plus the fact I was on blood thinners had caused a mild Prostate/Bladder inflammation.

On May 19 I joined my Camper Trailer group for a weekend camp at Landsborough about 80KM from Tewantin.

I just set my annex and camped next to Gary and Les who I have become friends with over the last three years

they are preparing for a long outback trip and perfected their bread making

Most of the time was spent talking and sitting around the campfire with a glass of wine 

I returned to my normal MOW and cycling life.  In June I had another PSA test and visited my Urologist for a check up.  She was very pleased with a PSA of under 1.0 but as surprised that I was still  having blood in my urine.  She set up a Cystoscopy in a couple of a weeks time.

In the mean time I went on a weekend camp with my cycling club to Kenilworth, 40KM from Tewantin.

I just set up the tent and used my refrigerator pod as the kitchen

on Saturday we went for a ride along the Mary River valley

This unusual for us as we don't see Autumn leaves very often in Queensland

Frankie came along for the ride

but prefers sleeping

back pass the Autumn Leaves

to visit some cows

Terry made a friend

to our "pop up" coffee stop

We only camped Friday and Saturday nights but it was a great getaway with dinner at the local pub both nights.

By now I had developed a bladder infection and my Cystoscopy  was delayed two weeks to July 12.
This procedure uses a flexible tube with a camera  to view the urethra, Prostate and bladder for abnormalities.  I could watch it on the screen.  My urologist commented on the normal urethra  but as the camera got to the Prostate she explained, "What's this?".  The camera showed a bloody mass blocking the Prostate entrance. She aborted the procedure and booked me in surgery in two weeks.  It would have been next day but my blood thinners require 10 days to leave the system.

 I was told that Fred, remember him?, had lied about the  PSA tests and he had spread out of the Prostate to the outer Sphincter muscles.  Surgery would either remove the Prostate and the cancerous urethra or just carry out biopsies on the new cancer.

On August 4 I had the surgery.  My Urologist saw me next morning and the next news wasn't good.  She couldn't remove the cancer without destroying the Sphincter and causing permanent incontinence.  I would remain in hospital until the biopsy results came back an in the mean time I would have CT scans, bone scans and an MRI.  To add to my problems I had a suspected heart attack which put me in Intensive Care for three days.  On August 8 I was cleared of heart problems but told that the cancer had metastasized and spread to my bones.  This is incurable and the only viable treatment  is ADT or hormone treatment which was started immediately. I went home next day.

First ten days were OK as I was on tablets.  After this I had a Zoladex hormone implant in my tummy.  In two days my life changed. I lost muscle tone became weak and even more tired.  I had ridden my bike  on several occasions since my hospitalization but for the next six weeks couldn't even look at it.  I had to cancel my big camping trip  a couple of weeks ago and I haven't the strength to deliver MOW.  Louis I getting used to short walks and even then I have to rest in the park halfway.

I have just had full blood tests and a PSA .  The blood tests were OK and my PSA had dropped from 0.94 to 0.30 which indicates the cancer spread is slowing down but I will need more scans to prove this.  Apparently, I should be feeling better in a few months as I adapt to having almost no Testosterone in my system.  In the mean time I will just get on with life.  

I now have Advanced Prostate Cancer with a Gleason Score of 5+4 =9.