YR WYDDFA - THE RETURN - SPRING 2023‼️‼️

Grab a coffee then ☕️!

At the July 2019 Ras Yr Wyddfa the symptoms of my inoperable cancer became very apparent with stabbing pain during the race on my right rib, I was unable to get air in as little did I know 3 of my heart valves had also become compromised and after being diagnosed October 2019 with inoperable Stage 4 Neuroendocrine Cancer (primary is in my small bowel and secondary are in my liver)I went for open heart surgery in March 2020,3 weeks before covid.

Dr Muir did save my life. I went under for 1 heart valve operation and he noticed 2 others requiring replacing, several blood transfusions and a 7 hour shift from Dr Muir and team. I was in intensive care,wired up and listening to the mechanical valves tick.

3 weeks later and hospitals across the UK bracing itself I was sent home to start my rehabilitation and recovery.

The first 2 weeks we had to call on the emergency services several times as my body was having difficulties adjusting to the new heart valves, I was inbetween a rock and a hard place,as if I was to go into hospital I’d be at risk of catching covid and at my weak state of health on top of my tumour burden it was a huge risk, so each time after the medical team had checked my heart,bloods etc we stayed at home,saying goodbye to a possible life saving opportunity if my health worsened sits with me to this day and I’m humbled that we got through those first few weeks at home and as my heart professor told me this year ‘You had us all worried Huw’ so glad he kept that to himself till this year!

I spent the next 7 months practically housebound and on a hospital bed in the spare room, Carys in our room and the kids in Nain & Taids. For those of you living with someone with chronic illness your love and support is a tonic of unfathomable measures.

I’d refused a lung drain in hospital after my heart operation as I physically and mentally wasn’t ready and my heart had gone into AF which means that it now wasn’t beating correctly and would spike way over the 100s and drop to the low 20s all whilst just sitting down, this added to the fatigue of cancer and for several months I had difficulties thinking,another experience for someone who’s creative to not be able to do when you’re unable to physically get out was tough, one of the reasons I turned to LEGO, with Lego you get the colours,you get the instructions and you have an end result. This helped my mental capacity grow as well as starting a habitual future focusing. 

AF can be corrected with medication or need a De-Fib, I’d hoped for medication as the thought of a De-Fib sent my mind racing as when my mother died suddenly in 2010 a De-Fib was used to try and revive her,both completely different situations but Neurondicrine Cancer produces a variety of hormones and one of which is serotonin which is something Anxiety loves!

The De-Fib bit is in my book that’s out later this year!

Ten days after the De-Fib I went for a 10 minute walk to see how my energy was, shortly after starting my vision went in my left eye and my legs felt like led ‘Was I having a stroke here’ I thought. Carys took me to A&E and after waiting 14 hours I was given a bed and seen by a doctor. A clot had become loose when I had my De-Fib and ended up behind my eye.

More tests on my heart the end of 2022 and the start of 2023 and my heart was strong enough for PRRT Treatment. PRRT Treatment is this groundbreaking treatment when the radioactive goes up to the cancer cells shaped as a cancer cell then destroys it,You have 4 cycles every 7 weeks,radioactive for 14 days which meant back to the spare room and kids in nain and taids,my treatment symptoms was debilitating fatigue,huge drop in any fitness.

This went from April to November 2022

A year we had originally planned as a family to go on holidays in the UK went on hold.

At the start of the treatment I was taking a symptoms injection called Octride in my leg 6 times a day and now at the moment I don’t need that and I’m a stable stage 4 with slight reduction, I still have my main injection every 21 days and a host of AM and PM daily drugs as well as having my bloods checked every 2 weeks and a 2 monthly B12 thrown into the mix, but I’m Stable and that’s something I’m over the moon about.

My next CT scan is in 4 months, i

So! I’m in training to go back to Yr Wyddfa in 5 Weeks time (29th of April) I’ve been going for short walks up local hills to build up my base fitness and have visited Snowdon several times over the last view months to help bring this challenge into reality. If you like stats you can follow me on STRAVA here :- 

https://strava.app.link/nPzrgcKpvyb

That was this morning. Hills. Very very very slow to gauge my pace on the Mountain. If you had visited pwllheli this morning for the first time and seen me with my poles and backpack you’d have thought you’d arrived in an alpine holiday Destination 🤣🤣

Your support and donations are very very kind