Just trying to get in touch with Dibbs.

Keen to discuss neck / cancer related issues and getting back on the bike.

Just got back from work, I would have missed this post if it hadn’t been for knottie.
How can I help?

Cheers Dibbs

I’m aware that you had chemo & radiotherapy on your neck last year and was looking for some insight in to how it went for you, recovery etc if you don’t mind. You’ll have to excuse my ramblings…

I had a fair bit of surgery last autumn for what was a malignant cancer on my neck, they’ve since been in and removed tonsils and slices of tongue etc but they’re ‘clear’. The general gist was that they wanted to avoid radiotherapy because of the life changing implications. Anyway, my latest PET scan suggests that the cancer is back in the original location so I’m waiting for a date for a course of radiotherapy on my neck and throat. I will lose my ability to eat a lot of regular foods (due to Rad damage to salivary glands, throat and the removal of all of my back teeth).

How did you get through it? When did you get back on the bike?
I’ve been told 3-4mths off work.

My email is in profile if you’d prefer ?

I think of myself as lucky, the cancer was only in the right Tonsil. They removed that and a bit of the surrounding tissue 17th Dec 2012, then on the 23rd Jan 2013 (a year ago this week) I then had four of my back teeth (one wisdom tooth on the left and three molars on the right.
The radio/chemotherapy started on 14th Feb, I was intially planned for three sessions of chemo but they said from the outset they might only give me two. The radiotherapy dose I had was 68 gray (the max allowed) spread over thirty four sessions. As you say the radiotherapy destroyed the saliva glands (but only on the right hand side in my case) and my sense of taste went for a while but that gradually came back although things don’t taste the same.
I finished my treatment on the 4th April and was back on the bike the following week, although it took me four days to recover from that first ride.
I lost two and a half stone during the treatment and it took several months to get my strength back, but in the end I rode over three and a half thousand (mostly road) miles last year.
I think I may have pushed myself a bit too hard in December though 😳
I’m at work at the moment but I’ll try and drop you an email when I get home.

Thanks Dibbs that helps a lot. Glad to hear that you’re on the mend. Hopefully I’ll still manage to get some decent Strava miles in in 2014

I’m meeting the radiographer and team on Tuesday to go through the plan. Then I’m in hospital on Thursday 30th to get all of my back teeth out (15!!). Two weeks or so for the mouth to recover and then the Rad starts.

The wife and I went out for a meal yesterday for my ceremonial “last steak”. The enforced change of food-stuffs doesn’t really bother me but I’d be very disturbed if they were to tell me that my throat couldn’t take strenuous exercise so fingers crossed.