Although my blogs typically are about cycling, this one’s a bit
different. This one’s not about the bike—not directly anyway. This one’s a
special edition detailing my recent hospital stay.
Being a fairly private person, not exactly secretive, but certainly
reticent by nature, I tend to keep events of my life relatively quiet. But I
can’t help but notice that my health has become a somewhat public issue at the
moment.
Through the wonders of social media, news of my recent surgery has
spread rapidly, but partial information has left many confused and concerned,
and for those not on Facebook, possibly out of the loop entirely. I’ve received
so many wonderful messages of support and warm wishes, far more than I can
possibly reply to properly. After some consideration, I decided that the best
way to fill in the missing details would be my blog.
A brief backstory: For the past several years I’ve
struggled with poor health—frequent illness and a feeling of being not quite
right: constantly on the edge of (or immersed in) illness. Myriad tests have revealed
situation normal; nothing conclusive to pin the problems on. Late last year, an
ultrasound finally uncovered a potential culprit: a uterine fibroid.
Fibroids are non-cancerous growths within the wall of
the uterus. They are composed of smooth muscle cells and come in all sizes.
They’re relatively widespread, affecting about 40% of women between age 35 and 55,
and are the most common reason for hysterectomy. What causes fibroids is
unknown, although in my case genetics was a primary contributor.
My fibroid was difficult to diagnose because it didn’t
present the usual symptoms. In fact, it was really only found by coincidence.
However, upon discovery it had grown to an impressive 11 cm (almost 4.5 in) in diameter. Being
a highly dense mass of cells, the growth dominated my abdominal cavity,
essentially bullying other organs out of the way. The fibroid enlarged my
uterus to the size expected at 18 weeks of pregnancy. A dorsal location
resulted in the mass pushing upwards rather than outwards, shoving my stomach
into my diaphragm and gradually squeezing my lungs into a smaller and smaller
space. Effectively, my lungs felt like they were being compressed by a vice.
Interfering with necessary bodily functions, the mass
needed to go. Because of the size and extreme vasculature of the fibroid,
hysterectomy was necessary. Timing was not ideal. I had recently finalised plans
to race with the US pro cycling team Vanderkitten for the 2013 season,
beginning with an exciting (and gruelling) UCI tour in El Salvador in late
February. Should I proceed with surgery as soon as possible, probably
sacrificing the early season, or hold off till September, hoping to make it
through the season without further complications? Over a few short months, my
symptoms escalated, the pain intensified; the choice became clear. I wouldn’t
make it through to September. The time was now.
I booked the first available surgery date, 21 January,
giving me five weeks to recover. Not much. To add further dilemma to the
situation, Brian was scheduled to manage a team racing the New Zealand Community
Classic in the North Island that very week. He’d worked for months putting
together the team and raising funds to cover costs. I thought it silly for him
not to go to the tour. I know it tore him apart to not be there to support me
through the surgery. However, he certainly did an effective job drumming up
support in his absence!
I spent a total of four days in hospital, the first
day being dominated by surgery, plenty of vomiting following surgery (not
nice), and lots of sleeping. Having a catheter was quite nice because it meant
that, with food and drink arriving at 2-hour intervals, I didn’t need to get up
for anything. Day 2 post surgery, drain removed, I was up wondering the halls
of the hospital and adding in some careful sessions of lunges and squats. By
day 4, the doctor couldn’t come up with a good reason to keep me there so I was
released into the world (and on my stationary trainer for a 45-min ride that
afternoon). Since I wasn’t allowed to tackle the 5-hour drive home, I spent a
few days under the care of wonderful friends Vicki, Phil, and Max Novis until
Brian returned from the tour. Monday, he caught a flight down to Christchurch
and, eight days on from my surgery, we headed home.
Days 4, 5, and 6 I was on the stationary trainer and seven
days after surgery I headed out for my first ride back on the road (1.5 h). Now
two weeks on I’m relatively back to normal, although still requiring a tad extra
sleep, a moderate approach to work and other thinking tasks, and a bit of extra
care when moving about. A flexible schedule and working from home has
definitely allowed for a faster recovery.
The surgery was challenging, requiring four hours and
a bit of extra care to dissect out my right kidney which was partially engulfed
by the fibroid. My rapid recovery is a real testament to the excellent skills
of my surgeon, Dr Michael Laney.
In addition to Dr Laney, the surgical team, and the multitude of nurses who cared for me
while recovering at St. George’s Hospital, I owe huge thanks to all of you who
supported me through the ordeal. I feel truly blessed and loved knowing how
many people out there care about me. Special thank yous to the Whites—Sharyn,
Simon, Emma, and James—for lots of visits while I was in hospital, especially
Sharyn who visited me every single day!; to the Novises for ferrying me around
Christchurch and expertly looking after me following my release from hospital;
and to Brian Grant for flowers and treats every day I was in hospital, extra
attention and assistance in the past week and more to come, and for making a
special trip to drive me home.
I’m breathing easier these days, literally, and
feeling heaps better. I expect that all the blood that the fibroid was drawing
will find good use elsewhere in my body. A further happy outcome of the surgery
is that hip pain, which has plagued me for years, has diminished significantly,
possibly due to removal of endometrial tissue that was discovered during
surgery.
I’m on track to head to the States
on 17 February to kick off the 2013 season with a Vanderkitten training camp,
and then the Vuelta El Salvador. Keep abreast of my progress through the season
by following my blog: simply enter your email address in the box on the top
right labelled ‘follow by email’ to receive an email notification when I update
my blog. For those interested in supporting Vanderkitten, consider becoming a
Vanderkitten VIP. Alternatively, check out the contribute link on the VK
website. More info at http://www.vanderkittenracing.com/#
