[Closed] I think I'm about to be diagnosed with cancer, and I'm fairly scared.

You, sir, rock.

Ride on.

Great news and great attitude! Really, really pleased to hear it. Keep it up!

Just had the pleasure of riding with Mark on the South Downs Crimbo Ride and can i just say what a nice bloke he is and not at all afraid to laugh at himself or take the pi$$ despite being in what must be quite a scarry situation.

I am now more sure than ever that if anyone can nail this cancer to the floor and keep it there its you.

I look forward to seeing you out again soon Mark 😀

Great news, Mark, keep fighting.

Just picked up this thread... WOW !
"All the very best to You and Yours" for the future...
Bobsoff..

Great ride today with bigsi and a load of fellas from Sussex MTB. Thanks folks; enjoyed it muchly!

Just been to the GP's because I think I ripped a muscle two weeks ago in my abs. I had a different GP, who read through my recent case history with
his jaw on the floor. He turned to me and said;

"I simply don't know what to do Mr Fradgley"

And, as if the opportunity had been delivered by the gods themselves, I responded with;

"Doctor. You're going to man up and prescribe me some medication, because I need a bath and my arse hurts..."

Ahhh, those blissful sarcoma moments...

"Doctor. You're going to man up and prescribe me some medication, because I need a bath and my arse hurts..."

BTW - take it he did not bother to ask why your arse is hurting .... 😀

Glad to hear you had a good ride.
Regards to you an MrsF
C&S

Now there is an opportunity that doesn't occur everyday, glad you seized it 🙂

"Doctor. You're going to man up and prescribe me some medication, because I need a bath and my arse hurts..."

Absolutely 'kin fantastic- I'm crying with laughter!

PMSL 😆

Glad you enjoyed the ride Mark 🙂

Absolutley TOP Fella! "Thas a proper, reet real MON!" (as they say up here).

Nice one pal.

T

He kept looking me up and down, covered in clay/mud/grime, repeating the same thing.

"You're very ill according to your notes, but you certainly don't look ill, do you?"

Nice work Doctor. I can see the Nobel Prize for bloody obvious diagnosis winging itself to you in the near future. If he was a vet I'd probably expect a Bear/Defecation/Wooded Area statement around this time. Jesus...
Where do my taxes go?

Very, very funny.

LMAO it's amazing what comments Dr's come out with! Keep fighting it, it's obviously working! otherwise I don't know what else to say other than an inspiration!! all the best for 2010.

Is it just me, or can anyone esle see a TV programme in all this? Can you write a screenplay, Mark?

I can only just write my name; a screenplay will be far more challenging...

Mr Woppit, when/where do you ride?

"Doctor. You're going to man up and prescribe me some medication, because I need a bath and my arse hurts..."

Funniest thing I have read in a long time. And your previous post was startling wh its news - that's fantastic.

Surely, surely, this is now a matter of time only - great work, Mark (and Meg). Keep going!

inspiring as always,

"Doctor. You're going to man up and prescribe me some medication, because I need a bath and my arse hurts..."

😀 😀 😀 😆 😀 😆 😀 😆

i'm glad to hear that you are making a great recovery.keep kicking it's ass mate. ps have only just got back online after 3 months (saving some cash towards my new stumpy bike) i remember reading your thread at the beginning.that is some great news man. as i said before,if you are ever around devizes way (wiltshire),i would be happy to show you some trails.good luck to you and everyone for 2010.adam 🙂

petesgaff - Member
"Doctor. You're going to man up and prescribe me some medication, because I need a bath and my arse hurts..."

Outstanding. I wish I could think of words like than when needed.

Laughing like a madman too 😆

Is anyone hoping to do SSEC 2010? I've requested a place, but if I manage to get one I don't have anyone to pootle around with. Is anyone else hoping to do it? Fancy dragging my fat diseased arse around with you?

Hell, I don't even know how serious it is. Is it a proper race? I'm only doing it because I'm too lazy to fit a rear mech...

😯

Ha haa. Mark, you're cracked!
(in a good way)

Ha ha ha! I've just been sternly reminded that we're due to go on honeymoon during SSEC 2010!

SSUK in August anyone?

Pete, Meg, great news for the new year, all the very best... inspirational......

There has to be a ST article in this somewhere and as for that line telling the doc to MTFU......

Hope your arse is better.... !

More power to your elbow Mark, good on you! 🙂

Great to read your recent posts Mark, you really do have this ****er on the ropes now.

Keep kicking, keep fighting everystep of the way. The STW army are right there with you all the way.

Here is to you and Meg in 2010!

So what tyres do you use for riding a singlespeed with a sarcoma? 😆

petesgaff - Member

I can only just write my name; a screenplay will be far more challenging...

Mr Woppit, when/where do you ride?

Where: Surrey Hills (local). Wales: Occasionally.

When: Not often in winter/mixed with walking.

How: Not very fast (old git status).

Great news on your recovery Mark.

Your an inspiration to us all.

🙂

Pete, I don't know you, but your story really has struck a chord with me. I really do wish you a full recovery, and do keep posting on here.

All the best man

Col

Hope you and MEg are still fighting the good fight.

Very inspiring post Pete, thanks for keeping us updated.

Keep positive, keep posting, all the best 😉

Hi, great story about the gp!

Im a physio not too far away, I would be happy to look at and hopefully sort out any muscular pains you have.

Not looking for payment, it would be an honour to help you keep riding your bike. 🙂

Drop me a line at oxtedphysio

I've just had a phone call from Chuck Norris. He's been approached with a view to playing Petesgaff in a forthcoming biopic about how he kicked this sarcoma's ass.

Problem is, Chuck needs reassuring that he's man enough to take the part of on.

I just picked up on this thread earlier today, being a new member of the site---but wanted to pass along my best wishes for continued recovery. I had a bout with cancer 5 years ago and, while not pleasant and very unnerving, nothing compared to what you have been going through.
I think your willingness to share it is a great inspiration to people in general and to others dealing with the same. Belated congrats on the wedding---I know my wife contributed to my recovery in so many ways!!
Again, best wishes from the across the Atlantic and keep up the fight!!

Thanks guys! Some amazing support and very funny posts!

I'm due to update you allabout the state of play. I went for a CT and MRI scan last week, in order to establish a pre-chemo baselines (even though I've had two chemo sessions so far!). My chest has been painful for a while now, and its difficult not to be paranoid about whether the cancer has spread to my ribs and sternum. I know that I overstretched it prior to Christmas, and that there is a probability that the scar tissue from the heart op might well result in limitations in movement, but its easy to lose perspective when there are unknown variables.

I posted a bit ago about setting up a charitable foundation, to help raise funding for research into rare cancers, and providing opportunities for young people with cancer to participate in a range of activities. The responses have been honest and mixed; I've no doubt that it'll be very difficult to do, but its not like things aren't tricky at the mo anyway...!

So; I need ideas for raising funds. Have a look at my other post to see what I intend to do. If you can help, that'd be great. If you can think of barriers, raise 'em. We're not scared of tackling stuff head on.

Also, if you're in the London area on Sunday, I'll be joining the london ride meeting at Richmond bridge at 10am. I'd love to meet any of you that've supported us throughout, just to say thanks and make you laugh with my appalling cycling skills, chemo-tiredness from tomorrow permitting.

Mark and Meg

As always a pleasure to read your posts and bloody dust in my eyes again. Sounds like you've knocked it on it's arse so go and finish it off. Best wishes and if you come to the sswc then you have a bed and a van at your disposal.

It's been a week now since I visited the Marsden for my third Caelyx chemo. My old man came with me, and although there was a substantial balls-up in processing my bloods by my GP the day ran pretty smoothly.

Those of you that have followed this thread from the beginning will recall how my dad wasn't particularly helpful in the initial stages. We had a minor disagreement, mainly due to the difficulty he found in accepting the diagnosis. Since that moment, my father has been a rock. Absolutely bullet-proof, and unshakeable in his belief that I can overcome this.

This means a great deal to me - there are plenty of folk (family and friends) who, when discussing the fact that angiosarcoma is both incurabled and inevitably fatal, smile and tell me that they know that I'll beat it. But I've been a teacher for a fair while now, and I'm pretty good at reading people's eyes; and you can tell when they don't believe what they're telling you. Not my old man - he's convinced I'll be the first to beat it.

I mentioned in the last post about my concerns regarding the pain in my chest, and how I was worrying that the lesions had spread. I tried to put it out of my mind prior to the chemo, but little things seem to drag it back to the front of your mind at regular intervals. Therefore I was prepared for the worst and, after being weighed and having my stats taken, we went in for the consultation.

My registrar had the results from the previous week's MRI and CT scans, and proceeded to tell us that both showed a marked improvement in the lesions, with reductions in some of the larger ones. This, he explained was unexpected, and was far beyond the expectations of the team. I sat there dumbfounded, expecting to hear that the lesions had increased in number and size, but he simply smiled and said that although they couldn't determine why a reduction had taken place, the evidence was plain to see.

There are a number of things that go through your mind when you're expecting bad news but instead receive exactly the opposite. Panic, fear, disbelief, elation; you name it, I went through it! With my head on, the news is very encouraging, and certainly flies in the face of what they thought would happen. Either the tumour excision or the Caelyx, or a combination of both, but something is reducing the tumours on my skeletal system. Can't be a bad thing...

There's more stuff, and it relates to the chaemo and its effects, but precisely because of said effects I need to go to bed. I'll update tomorrow.

Thanks for listening!

Mark

great news, thanks for posting. Keep on keeping on, eh?

i cried reading that.

nice one Mark, onwards and upwards

Dude you are given this bastard a battering, such fantastic news. Sleep tight 😀

Never under estimate the power of self belief, Mark you have inspired my next tattoo! 😀