Pmarsh
07-17-2011, 01:47 PM
I thought I would use this forum to write about my progress towards a goal I set while I was in the hospital last October. First, a little about me and my condition... I'm 32 and was very healthy and active before diagnosis in October 2010. I was a competitive triathlete and road bike racer, and former international level swimmer. I started having sinus symptoms many months before I ended up with major bleeding in my lungs. I followed the route of many on this forum. Some time in ICU, pulse steroids, 6 doses of Cyclo, and lots of predisone. I made good progress through the winter, but had a flare up after switching to Imuran in April. This flare up resulted in nodules forming in my lungs. So, I started back on Cyclo in May, more pulse steroids, and upped the Pred from 7.5 to 50mg. It was a setback.
Back to my goal. While I was in the hospital I wanted to get from being basically unable to get out of bed, to doing something physically demanding as fast as possible. I set many small goals, but my big recovery goal was to race in and complete a big bike race in September 2011. It is a 125km bike race that runs from Vancouver to Whistler (Canada). It has some serious hill climbing along the route. I have a small team of friends who will do it with me, along with close to 7000 other people.
Unfortunately this setback has me training through higher doses of Pred and ongoing Cyclo treatments. Not what I hoped for at this point. It's been manageable though. I get out on the bike 2-3 times per week, and head to the gym 1-2 a week if the weather is bad. My longest training ride so far is 80km. I hope to continue building up my condition so that I am able to complete this ride, but also do it as quickly as I can.
I'm writing this to help me track my progress, but also I hope to show others what someone with WG can physically do - even someone with active WG and on heavy meds. It's not easy - I still have trouble getting used to a new pace - but it is possible. I know I can still ride my bike faster and further than 98% of the population. I'll keep posting about my progress over the next month and a half. Hopefully it provides some inspiration.
All the best!
Peter
Back to my goal. While I was in the hospital I wanted to get from being basically unable to get out of bed, to doing something physically demanding as fast as possible. I set many small goals, but my big recovery goal was to race in and complete a big bike race in September 2011. It is a 125km bike race that runs from Vancouver to Whistler (Canada). It has some serious hill climbing along the route. I have a small team of friends who will do it with me, along with close to 7000 other people.
Unfortunately this setback has me training through higher doses of Pred and ongoing Cyclo treatments. Not what I hoped for at this point. It's been manageable though. I get out on the bike 2-3 times per week, and head to the gym 1-2 a week if the weather is bad. My longest training ride so far is 80km. I hope to continue building up my condition so that I am able to complete this ride, but also do it as quickly as I can.
I'm writing this to help me track my progress, but also I hope to show others what someone with WG can physically do - even someone with active WG and on heavy meds. It's not easy - I still have trouble getting used to a new pace - but it is possible. I know I can still ride my bike faster and further than 98% of the population. I'll keep posting about my progress over the next month and a half. Hopefully it provides some inspiration.
All the best!
Peter