Day 784
Complications
When Tom and I broke our journey to return to the UK it was a physical and mental shock to us both. It made sense though, we expected a couple of months max, eyes sorted and back on the road. Life however, often isn’t as straightforward as we would like it to be.
Operation 1 went well, super quick and I could see without glasses, fantastic. The restrictions imposed on me to rest for weeks, not bend down, no housework, gardening, cycling etc. were frustrating to say the least. Tom kept busy, working hard landscaping, painting, and baking endless loaves of bread.
He also created another ‘Carla’s Heart’ for our fellow round the world cyclist, who is on another journey right now. Instead of cycling through South America she is on a journey dealing with a rare cancer with inspirational positivity.
We spent time with family, exploring London and the countryside. I reconnected with an old school friend, Jill, who I hadn’t seen since I was 18, and as our mutual friend Di said, she hadn’t changed a bit! We also met up with Frosene and John aka @pancakesandpanniers. They, like Tom and I, are cycle tourers and we have been in constant touch over the last two years though never met. They actually cycled through Scarborough and stayed with our friend Pam last summer. We hugged, chatted and ate as only good friends can!
Then it was Operation 2. It wasn’t as smooth or pain-free as the first. I came away from the hospital feeling as if I’d been punched. The next few days the pain didn’t really ease but I put it down to the operation. A bit of discomfort was to be expected. After 10 days I popped into Specsavers to check on my recovery, and hopefully get the OK to book our flights. Bad news, it turns out it wasn’t the ‘punch’ but high pressure that was causing the pain. I got an emergency appointment at Spa Medica, and discovered the pressure was so high my optic nerve was close to being damaged. They were wonderful, with eye drops and medication I left there with a much lower pressure. I then had a few days of misery as me and the medication seriously did not get on. Yesterday I was back at Spa Medica and all is looking good. I now have a week without medication and hopefully will be given the all clear when I return for a check up next week.
I feel so blessed to have such support from Tom, family and friends, and humbled when I think of how Carla has responded to dealing with her one-in-a-million cancer, but then, she’s one in a million herself!
