The start

1 minute read time.

I started my journey back in April.  I filled in a form online to go on  trial for acid reflux . I didn't think I'd  get asked to go on it. Then in may I got asked to go to a van in Tesco's carpark.  Had to swallow a small sponge on a string,  for 10 min. 

On holiday in Yorkshire in June, I got a phone call to say my oesophagus had narrowed and would need an endoscopy.  A month later I had the endoscopy,  where they found a nodule 1cm long, at the bottom of my oesophagus. They took a biopsy at the same time.  2 weeks later I had a CT scan.  Saw the consultant with my wife, he gave me the news it was cancerous,  numb. I don't think either of us took it in, yet we had both been thinking it was. 

Off to Norwich a week later for a PET scan. 

Another visit to see another consultant , all treatable,  so chem first then operation and chemo again.  

I have been waiting to hear from the oncologist and when and how my treatment will start.  Depression is not nice, is the waiting worse than the treatment? 

Had to ring my specialist nurse, who told me oncology had sent me a text...not received.  She told me I have an appointment with them next Wednesday.  Then my surgeon on Friday. 

It's been a whirlwind couple of months. 

I have had no symptoms at all, but looking back,  my parkrun times have dropped over the last 12 months,  energy levels dropped during my runs too.

In my head ???

Madiso
  • I have completed parkruns in lots of places including Japan and New Zealand. Always different but always recognisably the same. I mostly volunteered during the worst of my treatment related illness and recovery, but it’s been good to get back to participating, and in particular, parkrun tourism this year. I am rather battered after everything that has happened to me and am currently walking them, generally at or near the back. Mostly I get a good response when I introduce myself to the tail walkers and explain a bit about my situation.  But I have had the odd sniffy person, irritated that I might delay their morning slightly. Enjoy Helsinki and don’t worry if you are at the back. When I volunteer I usually timekeep and we had one of our regulars at my home event use it to recover from a stroke. It took him 1hr 45 minutes or so the first few times. When I relayed this experience to the sniffy tailwalker I met, her response was “it shouldn’t be allowed”. I wished he had stayed home on a few foul Saturday mornings, but generally we celebrate his achievement. 

  • Should say my profile photo is me at the Battersea parkrun finishing funnel earlier this year. When I became a community champion they wanted me to put something on my profile, and that’s the side of me I would like to represent. 

  • Hi Codfish, great name.  I've run one in New Zealand too, Puarenga,  very surreal.

    Luckily at Sandringham we have 5k your way group that is cancer survivors or family,  do parkrun in which ever way you can. The King supports it too. I met him while tailwalking one week.  My friend Sarah works in the Sandringham estate offices and got him to support the 5k your way walkers and runners.  I was walking with her husband.  

    The last person often finishes in over an hour..no pressure. 

    We will have to do one together,  when I'm out the other side