Wednesday, the day after my last post, I not only felt well enough to work all day, my wife and I did 25.3 miles on the tandem that evening. Unfortunately, the weather turned bad yesterday, and Friday I had the day 8 gemcitamine IV, and felt really bad the rest of the day.
I felt better yesterday, with only a major headache left over, so I took a pain pill, and went for a 25.1 mile ride. That’s 63 miles for the week, not too bad I think, since it’s February and I’m being hammered with chemo.
Friday, February 15th was my 22nd wedding anniversary. I celebrated the occasion by spending 6 hours hooked up to an IV, receiving chemo drugs. This time, they used gemcitabine and cisplatin. I must not have felt too bad when I got home, because I finished installing my new carbon fiber seat on my Roadster, then did a short test ride (nasty weather getting close, didn’t want to wait).
Saturday, the day after chemo, I still felt pretty good, but the weather was way too nasty to ride. Sunday was better weather, but I started to feel sick, and had to bail after just a 13 mile ride. Monday, I went to work, only to leave and come home after four hours. Today, I lasted just 30 minutes at work, and had to come home. I finally seem to have figured out that one of the two anti-nausea drugs they are giving me is making me sick. Sheesh……. not only are the chemo drugs bad, the anti-chemo drugs are bad.
Well, my first attempt at chemotherapy did not go well. I had an allergic reaction to the first chemo drug they tried: Taxotere. 15 minutes after they added it to my IV, I started getting serious chest pain, broke out in a cold sweat, got dizzy and felt like I was going to pass out, and when my blood pressure dropped to 70 over 40, they quickly wheeled me to the emergency room, where I spent the rest of the day on saline solution to flush out the Taxotere. I go back next Friday, for another try with a different chemo cocktail. I can hardly wait.
Peggy, Steve, Ken, and Rick joined me on my 53 mile Kennedale – Briaroaks route today. We left Sonora Park around 10:00 am. It had already started to warm up by then, and within a short while, it was truly a beautiful day for riding. This is mostly a quiet, scenic route (with a few crazy drivers thrown in at the beginning and end), and the roads were great, as was the company.
The only part of the ride I didn’t enjoy too much was the downhill rough curve I tried to take too fast at mile 33. I was on my left side and skidding, instantly. It’s the first time I’ve ever gone down at speed on the Corsa, and another reminder of the need to pay attention at all times when riding. I knew this curve was rough, and had always slowed down for it before, but just didn’t think this time.
I knew I had some serious road rash on my left butt cheek, but I had no idea how much of the rear of my tights was gone. They should never have let me go in the Subway after the ride…..lol. I have road rash all the way across my rear, so I must have finished the slide on more than just my left side. The road rash on my left forearm and thumb are less severe.
We ended up with 52.3 miles, at a 14.3 mph average, and did 2,355 feet of climbing. It was my first ride of more than 25 miles since my surgery. I’ve developed consistent exercise induced asthma since the surgery. It happens whenever I ride hard. I start my chemo next Friday, and I’m betting I’m the only patient in the chemo room with road rash from a bicycle crash.
Today’s route
