too bad we had to cancel and won't be racing next week at the ITU Cross World Championships.
So I have been thinking for quite a bit like I was having some sinus issues. When I’d bend down I’d have sinus pressure but nothing major and nothing worth going to the doctor for because I was pretty convinced, it’s just sinus and since nothing is dripping or clogging I don’t want to wind up on antibiotics that will wind up effecting my training with Worlds so close!! Plus it really only sorta bothered me while I was swimming. Total sinus, especially since they have been converting our pool from salt water to chlorine.
The other weekend, it was going to be so sunny out!!! Seamus was with grandma for the weekend, so eric, sirus and I went for a sunny, warm run and then we took sirus mountain biking at duthie. He tore up the trails, he is such a good rider! Earlier that day I had some record setting swim times, too. Since the weather was still going to be epic, on Sunday I met up with Sara for a 2:30 ride. We planned out a route to mayvalley and it was so beautiful and warm and totally no knee warmers, I was even in a sleeveless jersey – oh my!
At one point I hit a small bump on the road and I was like – ow!! That hurt my head. Just a quick jolt to the old noggin but enough that I was like what was that about?
Then I hit a few more bumps during the ride, each having the same kind of effect. Weird.
Monday was a rest day, as Mondays tend to be, but Tuesday I woke up early to swim. I think I set some more swimming world records that morning, but I noticed that whenever I went from standing to pushing off the wall, I would feel that same pain from the bike ride. While I was swimming it was fine, it was just when I went from standing to pushing off. That night we had a LUNA workout. I was planning on doing the 6 miler but wound up with only 3 because my head was hurting with every step. No fun.
The next morning I went to the doctor. I had 30 possible reasons for it all of which she said she didn’t think was the case, so she ordered an MRI which was scheduled on Friday afternoon.
That evening I went mountain biking. Why? Because I had already planned it and I was pretty sure the doctor was going to just wind up giving me antibiotics anyway and ITU Cross Worlds was now only 3.5 weeks away plus i was racing on saturday. I needed to get in some mtn biking. The noggin hurt some, but not a ton, and only when going downhill, hitting bumps and really I didn’t notice because I have to concentrate so hard on going downhill anyway. The bike was awesome tho. So much fun and I totally felt like I was flying! Yahoo! But then it started to get dark very quickly, then rain, and some thunder so we started to head back. I had already taken my glasses off 10 times to clean them, they just seemed to be so dirty and I was having a hard time seeing out of them. I assumed because it was dark, and because of the mud and rain, but really it was because I was starting to lose my vision! I didn’t realize it completely until Thursday at work, after some more record setting swimming in the morning. but I didn’t really believe it because although things were super blurry in my left eye, it seemed like I was still able to read just find. Weird again.
Friday afternoon I went in for the MRI. I had one before on my wrist so I sorta knew what to expect but this time they made me change totally into new pants and a gown and they strapped me in and put that scary cage thing over my face. While I waited to be pushed into the hole, I looked at the funny cloud pictures on the ceiling. Then finally in I went. I discovered very quickly that I should keep my eyes closed. She talked to me a few times and I talked back but for the most part it was uneventful. A few minutes in she asked me if the MRI was ordered by my primary doctor or a neurosurgeon. I was slightly alarmed by that but didn’t think too much of it. A few minutes later she pulled me out and said she was going to put the contrast in. hmm, didn’t know I was getting contrast. Back in I went.
Finally I was done and I asked the lady if she could find out if it was ok for me to race in the mountain bike race the next day. We were headed to Ephrata right after work for the Beezley Burn! She left, came back and said sure, that would be fine. I said, ok! There must not be any potatoes in there, because surely they wouldn’t let me leave AND race with a potato in my head.
We all piled into the brand spanking new Jeep that Eric had just picked up earlier that day and off we went. After a bit on the road Eric told me how he had gotten pulled over for speeding not even 5 minutes after leaving the dealer! Gah!!! He did just get a warning, and he and the police man chit chatted about the jeep and even shook hands at the end of it all, but I was like NOOOOO!!!!
A little later I noticed that my doctor called and left a voice mail saying she wanted to discuss the results. But seeing as she called after hours and she wasn’t going to be back in the office until Tuesday I was a little freaked out but also kind of like – why won’t she just tell me!!!
Saturday, I woke up in the morning and eventually headed off to the race site. I was pretty nervous about racing. I hadn’t done much mountain biking at all in the last year or more and mountain bike races always freak me out! My head hurt during my warm up but, they let me leave and said I could ride so everything must have been ok. Who cares that I couldn’t see out of my left eye.
I lined up for the beginner / cat 3 race. Ok, there was indeed some sandbagging going on, but we had brought the kids and I needed to make sure I was done in time for Eric to start his race. What I wasn’t expecting was to be starting after a guy on a unicycle. He started with the first wave which I thought was somewhat silly. And we were off. I took off and was caught behind the guy on the unicycle right was we headed into the first bit of single track. d’oh!! But I got around him and just kept going. I was having so much fun on the new Specialized Epic Pro 29er! I was totally going much faster and taking the descents much more aggressively! I was even drifting some of the corners – yikes!
Eventually I was done (and I won!) and then we hung out to watch the end of xtie’s race and Eric’s race. It was so warm and sunny and the kids had plenty of other kids to play with at the park, so all in all it was a fantastic day!
Then we got in the car and headed home. Sunday, I went for a 1:20 trail run by myself. It wasn’t as warm and there wasn’t any sun but I enjoyed it. I was going super easy and super slow but I could have run forever, and my head to be ok. I really like to run.
Monday was my birthday! Hooray! I got old!! Sirus wanted me to open his presents as soon as I woke up – an angry birds shirt to sleep in and an angry birds iphone cover! And Seamus made me a necklace, so I wore that to work. I also hounded the doctor’s office for them to give me the results but the doctor wasn’t in. I asked if another doctor could tell me and they couldn’t. Ugh.
So Tuesday first thing, I called the doctor again. She was with patients!!! So I called again later and they hooked us up to talk. Shore enough, she said, I had a tumor. A brain tumor. In my brain. I wrote tumor on the back of a purple envelope that I had with me, ya know, in case I forgot. She sent me some phone numbers to call, and then I called Eric to let him know. That is also when I stopped shaking my head every once in a while to see if it still hurt or not.
2 comments:
I maintain that you should wear the super suit to surgery. THAT would be an awesome Facebook photo!
Carrie, I am so sorry. We are thinking about you and hoping you are going to be okay!!!
Post a Comment