A Major Disappointment

This week I had booked annual leave off work and prepared the Alp for a long journey. You know the kind of stuff, new chain and sprocket set, new TKC80s and super HD tubes and of course the basic service items. I had booked myself onto the HUMM which seemed like an excellent opportunity to get some long mountain trails ridden in Spain with the added excitement of a little competition.

The event looked to be very well organised with nearly 70 points to locate all without the use of GPS. My team-mate and I had done a fair bit of route planning including the production of sectional maps. The Spanish and Catalan mapping agencies make 1:25000 maps available free of charge on line and they can be manipulated for your own use quite easily.

Anyway, I'm writing this at home having cancelled my arrangements and being unable to ride the motorbike. Two weeks before I should have been leaving for Spain I was diagnosed with a probable testicular cancer which was a bit of a shock to say the least. Well, I guess that's not strictly true, I had noticed a swelling a few weeks earlier and visited A&E but not got very far. As I was unhappy with the lack of progress I arranged to see a specialist privately and within 5 days was admitted to hospital.

The surgery isn't a big procedure but I was forbidden from lifting heavy things afterwards (for how long is rather unclear). Knowing my skill level and usual performance I knew I would have to lift the Alp at least once during the HUMM. I didn't fancy tearing a not-quite-healed wound whilst on a Spanish hillside; and of course, any travel insurance wouldn't have wanted to payout as the consultant had specifically said that I wouldn't be fit. To my surprise, 2 weeks after surgery I am still feeling weaker than usual and can only just stand up without a twinge of pain. So that was the end of the holiday!

Anyway, knowing that the most likely readership of this blog is male in the 4th decade of life I would urge you to be vigilant and seek advice from your doctor if you suspect any lumps or swellings to be present (testicular or elsewhere).

The pathology report diagnosed the tumour as a seminoma which is the best I could have hoped for. I have more follow-up appointments booked and may well need radiotherapy but there are other blogs on this so I won't bore you...