Listen To Your Body

[westyswoods]

Good Morning To All

I have been gone from the site for some time and have pondered if it is even appropriate to post the following, and if so where. The following is being written with the hope that in some small way it may help someone in the future.

Last spring I had committed to a goal of doing a 10k OW swim by seasons end. One of the pieces of my quest was introducing a strict and regular routine of stretching to gain greater flexibility especially through my right side, plus help with stroke symmetry. This routine began in March and continued through the summer months with quite positive results. I definitely felt a more balanced stroke and although my speed did not increase ease did.

Shortly after beginning the stretching routine my right flank area developed a deep dull aching. My thoughts were simply that the pain was due to muscle strains as it was not painful to the point of being limiting. This aching never left as I just kept blowing it off, there were times it would subside.

Due to a partial amputation of my right index finger May 5, I was forced to stay out of the water for seven weeks. Continued my dry land routine.

My urinary patterns for years have been troublesome. Always attributed to BPH, this past spring and summer in the same time frame frequency patterns increased while volume decreased. Once again disregarded as just being a part of BPH, saw my physician about it and after a digital rectal exam and confirmation of enlarged prostate just lived with it. Urinary patterns got worse, flank pain stayed the same. Fast forward to the end of September.

Stepped outside my barn to pee and wow pure blood presented. To shorten a time frame which seems light years ago. I have been diagnosed with bladder cancer which necessitates a radical cysectomy Feb 18. I sit here with tube coming out my right kidney for drainage which has been in place for several weeks.

I write this post hoping you all may keep a couple of nuggets planted in the back of your minds. The first if you should endure any type of long term pain in your flank area, do not disregard. Consider it a possible warning sign, my right kidney had been telling me for months that it was not happy. The tumor had grown and occluded my right ureter opening which caused the kidney to swell and shut down. If urinary patterns change with increased frequency, decreased volume please have it thoroughly evaluated. I was told it was BPH plus given meds for a UTI.

Hindsight is always wonderful and I have no reason to believe I or any of the medical community were remiss. Once again I hope my very abbreviated story may place a seed in someones head which could help an earlier diagnosis than I had.

Going forward my prognosis looks good and I hope to be back in the water before OW season. I will be peeing in a back instead of polluting the lakes. One good thing I guess. If anyone would like some information about my journey (bladder cancer) and or discuss it in more detail please send me a PM. This is a very nasty and unspoken of cancer.

Thank You for reading and hope to be back in the water soon.

Swim Silent and Be Well
Westy