"My Sister is a Thrilled Lizard"

From Janie:

 

This is a long post.  Some of you have heard this story.  If so, you can skip to the quote at the bottom.  If not . . . you can still skip to the quote at the bottom - but not if you want the answer to the question of:

 

How I Came to Be Riding Across the Country After Having Ridden My Bike Less Than 5 Miles in Over 5 Years.

 

Jody and I came to this trip by talking about bucket lists.  If you've read the first post on this blog, you know that the past couple of years have been pretty rough for our extended family.  Deaths, cancers, other health issues, major and minor.  When I asked Jody about his bucket list, riding his bike across the country kept coming up. 

 

When we moved to Iowa City in 2004, I stopped riding.  Narrow roads, no shoulders, no bike lanes, lots of traffic.  I missed the bike paths of Denver.  I thought my riding days were over.

 

But by the spring of 2012, bike trails were being added in Iowa City and elsewhere in Johnson County.  Bike awareness campaigns were being waged.  RAGBRAI (The Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa) might be calling.  Jody kept asking, so I thought I'd give riding in Iowa another try.  My Klein road bike was in Denver with Rachel.  My mountain bike was in Denver with Cokie.  I needed a new bike.  Off to the bike shop we went.  What kind of bike?  I knew I wasn't ready for an 'old lady' upright bike, but didn't think I wanted another road bike either, so I settled on The Fish, a Trek hybrid.  More upright than a road bike.  A good choice for tooling around town.

 

I was in Denver (for Rachel's wedding shower) when The Fish arrived in Iowa City.  By the time I got home, the Iowa City landfill was on fire, billowing black smoke over our home.  My asthma and I went indoors and stayed there.  Jody and I did take the bikes - Jean Luc and The Fish - west of Iowa City about 30 miles to the Amana Colonies and rode one day.  Short but sweet.

 

The landfill fire continued to burn, and I didn't ride.  In June, we went to Denver for Rachel and Scott's wedding.  Mmmm.  What a wonderful time that was!  But still no riding.

 

Jody and I returned to Iowa City, just as they were figuring out how to put the landfill fire out.  Good news all around. 

 

Jody and I talked a little bit more seriously about the bike ride.  He started riding more.  I was still just thinking about it - going to the gym and working out on the elliptical, which turned out to be a very good thing! - but still just thinking about it.  We couldn't go in 2013, because of Jody's obligations as President of his local Rotary club.  So we talked a little about 2014.  Yes, I could be in shape by 2014!

 

On Jody's birthday, Monday, July 9, 2012, I told him that for his birthday, I was giving him this trip.  'I'll make it happen for you,' I said.  'When do you want to leave?'

 

'Right now.'

 

'We can't go right now.  I have a meeting this afternoon.  Seriously, though, when?'

 

'Tomorrow.'

 

Get the theme?  Let's go in 2012. 

 

'OK,' I said.  'Let me work on it.'

 

I've written some about the scramble to get the routes, staffing and other needs figured out.  Jody bought a second bike.  I left for Colorado on August 15.  Jody left on the 17th.  The rest, pretty much is in the blog.  But here's the part about how I came to ride with no more miles than those in the Amanas plus five.

 

In late May, I had discovered what the doctors now think is diffuse adipose tissue (a/k/a fatty tissue) on the right side of my neck and shoulder.  In the process of getting that evaluated (a trip to the doctor and a CT scan), it turned out that I also have an enlarged node on my thyroid.  I had a fine needle biopsy done in early June (right before the wedding, so I didn't tell my family).  Results indicated no cancer.  I had discussed options with my family practice doc, who said unless it bothered me or was cancerous, there was no need for further treatment.  If it bothered me, she would send me to see an ENT for evaluation.  By the time we decided to do this trip across the country, the node was large enough that sometimes I would roll over on it at night, and I would wake up feeling like I was choking.  OK, OK, I thought.  I'll go see the ENT after the bike ride.

 

Part of getting ready for this trip, for me, involved moving a series of doctor's appointments out of the block of time between July 9, when we decided to go in 2012 and December 1, which is when we thought we would get back.  Starting on Tuesday, July 10, I moved appointments with the dentist, my family practice doc, and my allergist.  I also decided to schedule the ENT for December.  However, when I called on July 11, he had an appointment on Friday the 13th.  I took it.

 

So, here's how it went at the ENT on Friday of the week we decided to ride across the country in 2012:  Small talk.  Medical history.  He looked at my lab reports.  Put his thumb on my goiter (yes, yes, it was a goiter - what an ugly word!), and said, 'Swallow.' 

 

I swallowed.

 

He said, 'Oh my, that's big.'

 

And so it went from there.  Big and getting bigger.  Uncomfortable enough to wake me up at night.  Big enough that he couldn't completely rule out cancer.  (Flash forward - no cancer!)  He could guaratee me that it would bother me enough that he'd be taking it out sooner or later.  We could watch every couple months if I wasn't ready now.

 

Me:  'But, doc, I have this three-month bike trip coming up!'

 

Doc:  'When do you leave?'

 

Me:  'August 14.  Less than five weeks.  How about if I wait until January?'

 

Doc:  'Well . . .'

 

Me:  'OK, if I were your sister, would you drag me to the OR this afternoon?'

 

Doc:  'No . . . '

 

Me:  'Would you let me wait until December or January?'

 

Doc:  'No . . . I wouldn't recomend that.'

 

Me:  'How many days of recovery will I need before I can drive?  Travel?  Ride a bike?'

 

Doc:  'Two weeks minimum.  Two weeks, but I'd really prefer three.  Three or four.'

 

We were leaving in five weeks.  We left it that I would think about it.  When I stopped at the front desk, still sorting out options, I asked when he could do the surgery if I decided to do it.  'Thursday, the 19th, he's got an opening.'

 

I thought about it over the weekend, discussed it with Jody, called Monday morning to schedule the surgery.  Scrambled for three days to delegate my work load out to other staff and our outside legal counsel.  Three crazy days.  One two-hour surgery.  Unknown recovery.



 

 

A day or so post surgical - no stitches, just surgical glue.

 

This is how I felt - a frilled lizard!

 

My phone and my sister's phone corrected 'frilled' lizard to 'grilled' lizard.  The day I managed to ride my bike those five miles - which may have been the hardest five miles I'll ever ride - I became a 'thrilled' lizard.

 

A week post-surgical, still puffy.

 

And feeling like a prairie grouse.

 

I don't remember much of the first week.  I drank a lot of ice water.  Slept some.  Drank more ice water.  My niece, who was staying with us for a month, cooked.  I think.  Not really sure.  Bradley Wiggins won the Tour de France.  I had no voice.

I remember a little more of the second week.  My sister and my nephew came.  I know my sister cooked.  And baked.  I drank more ice water.  Watched the Olympics on TV.  Slept a lot.  My voice started to recover.  I did two business meetings, which totally wiped me out.  Slept a lot.  Walked up the street to the mailbox one day.  Went back to bed.

Week three - trying to decide if we could still leave on August 14.  Destination Cycling couldn't book our help or out hotels until we decided.  Worked a little bit.  Decided that I would leave on August 15, rest in Denver, drive to California.  See how it went.

Week four - worked a little more.  Rode five miles on The Fish.  Went back to bed.  Packed.

August 14 - flew to Denver.  Rested. 

Drove to California, via Bryce Canyon National Park, Red Canyon (where I rode 14 miles!) and Zion National Park.  Left California on the bikes on August 27.  I've ridden most, but not all days.  I saw my homeopath in Denver in early September.  She treated me for the hot and cold flashes and the lingering fatigue.  We got back on the bikes, and I've continued to ride most days.  That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger, and I'm getting stronger every day!

 

In Denver, early September.

The scar is barely visible, although still was tiring easily.

 

Me, today.

 

I don't think I'd recommend starting a trek like this without having some base fitness.  I had some, thanks to all the hours on the elliptical in the gym.  Fitness on the bike would have been better, but the message here is to just get moving, just do it.  No excuses for not starting now.  Don't wait - for anything! - until you're more fit.  Start now.  Start now.

 

One of the greatest moments in life is realizing that two weeks ago your body couldn't do what it just did.

     ~someecards.com