Groin pain

[Danneaux]

Matt,

I think you're incredibly brave, foresighted and proactive to consider these symptoms of memory decline and then take action on them. In my late father's last years (he lived in good health till a month short of his 98th birthday) he developed dementia characterized by memory loss (he remained his sweet-natured self throughout). His compensatory and coping mechanisms were so good, we realize only in hindsight how well and for how long he had covered for his deficits. Some shortcomings simply came across as quirky and he had a quirky and delightful sense of humor anyway, so they weren't noticeable till near the end, even to those of us close to him. I feel sure he would have been the first to ask me to share this with you.

Coping strategies certainly are helpful and do work. Lists aren't a bad thing if they help you keep track. Labels too and of course, being open and recruiting friends and family and riding partners to lend a hand when you need it. Deficits and shortcomings develop over the years for all of us.

You may wish to talk with your doctor to see if medications are having an effect. Here, a number of people have reported memory and sequencing issues after infection with some Covid variants. Our neighbor developed Long Covid and in her words, "It turned my brain to mush, memory all gone" -- until she participated in a special program setup at the state medical university and if she still have deficits, they are unnoticeable after a year in the program. She feels better and has regained balance and no longer uses her walker or cane. You might also wish to have your hearing checked as that is often mistaken for early signs of dementia in ways that are not obvious, as in trying so hard to hear that other things get lost from memory or never get logged. What I'm saying is there can be contributors other than age that can be addressed if they are identified. I think attending the local dementia clinic will open up a world of resources to you.

Knock on wood, I have not yet developed memory problems but I became near-obsessive about putting things away on my European double-crossing tour. I didn't carry that much so everything I had was essential and would have been terribly missed if lost. I got in the habit of not just laying an object or tool down but actually putting it away each time it left my hand. I think my diligence paid off as I never lost a single item.

As someone with a history of repeated traumatic brain injury due to accidental and assaultive trauma, I am always aware the next blow to my head could scramble my ability to ask for help, so I keep my name and contact info on me (and on a watchband tag, left hand as that's where pulse and BP are checked most often here) and a sketch of my overall and planned day's itinerary, the idea being such info might be able to speak for me if I can't speak for myself. I do check in with family at home periodically so they know my progress and intent and it brings us all peace of mind.

So..."be prepared" and keep things in mind and perspective as you travel and you should be fine. Wishing you a wonderful re-tour of Thailand and only good times.

All the best, Dan.

[Matt2matt2002]

But I've had increasing memory issues.
At 71 I guess we all decline a little. But what's a little or a lot?

Day to day I am fine and family haven't commented on a decline.
But I increasingly rely on lists of 'to do' things, to get me through the day.

I'm a couple of years older than you and I now need to write down reminders much more than a few years ago. At the moment I'm treating it as normal age-related deterioration rather than anything more worrying.

Thanks for sharing.
A positive attitude is essential unless you want to drive family and friends nuts!
My mother-in-law unfortunately did not cope with her own decline very well. A lovely lady but hard to love in her later years.
Having a glass half full outlook should smooth out things.
One of my pals had a phrase she used that helps me and makes me smile;
Ride the wave.

Best
Matt

[Danneaux]

Ride the wave.

I practice "Wave the Ride" myself, greeting everyone I see and pass with a pleasant wave and greeting. Has worked well so far and is generally appreciated. 

Best, Dan.

[Andyb1]

Matt - I am glad to hear that you are continuing with your trip to Thailand.
There are some wise words written in the messages above and all I can add is that IMHO you are not being foolish in doing the trip, and you are making a good decision to keep to familiar areas.
We all age and physical issues appear that start to limit us so the boundaries of what we can do will contract a little - a 40 mile ride today might feel as hard as a 60 mile ride a few years ago -  but we need to push up to those boundaries to stop them closing in quicker.
Enjoy your trip.

[in4]

As an additional thought and if appropriate: Try not to create a self-fulfilling prophesy. It’s quite easy to kind of ‘catastrophise’ things that are usually quite solvable with a cool, calm head in gear. I wouldn’t dare share the ‘muppets moments’ I’ve had through stressing the bones out of something!

 

[Matt2matt2002]

Ride the wave.

I practice "Wave the Ride" myself, greeting everyone I see and pass with a pleasant wave and greeting. Has worked well so far and is generally appreciated. 

Best, Dan.

Many thanks Dan
She was not a cyclist and I think the term to her was just to ride out any adverse situation.
( but perhaps you were aware of that ?)

But I also share your habit of greeting folks with a smile and a wave as we cross paths.
It brightens my day and perhaps theirs as well.

Best

Matt

[John Saxby]

Hi Matt,

Happy New Year to you and yours, and best wishes for your tour in Thailand.  Glad to hear that your groin pain is largely gone -- hope it stays that way.

And, thanks for being so open about Ageing and All That -- we all have to contend with stuff that happens after three-score-and ten.  Seeking comfort from friends and family, as well as professional advice, will help, for sure.

On the matter of memory:  First, a self-mocking anecdote from twenty years ago, when I was about 58. We were living in South Africa, and I had been out on some errands.  I took along a banana as a snack, and returning to the house, tossed the banana peel onto the kitchen counter & my car keys into the composting bin. 

In a more serious vein, a year or so ago I heard part of an interview with a woman named Lisa Genova, then based in New York. The subject was her recent book, Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting.  One brief comment she made on indicators has stayed with me:  If you have trouble remembering proper nouns -- place names, somebody's name, and so on -- don't worry about it, they'll pop up sooner of later.  But, if you have trouble remembering the names of day-to-day items, that's an important signal, and you should seek professional help.

And again from my own long experience, happily confirmed a few weeks back by my physiotherapist: He said that making lists, and especially, writing down items by hand, can be a big help in managing your days/weeks/etc. Here, I readily admit to confirmation bias:  I still have my Daytimer agenda wallet issued by my employer in May 1982, and I renew the daily/weekly schedule every year.  I don't bother with the calendars in my phone or laptop, and wave away suggestions about being an OWF (Old White Fart).

Cheers, mate.

John

[Matt2matt2002]

Hi folks,

Not sure if I shared with this forum but I have been receiving Chemo for stomach cancer since June/July.

Now awaiting a consultation with the surgeon next week for a future plan of action. Probably surgery.

For a few weeks during chemo treatment I coughed quite a lot. An awful lot partly due to the nasal tube feeding.
That was required due to my weight loss; 14 lbs+.
Anyway - my hernia/ groin pain referred to last year is now definitely a hernia, as diagnosed by the Doc last week. And weight now defiantly in the increase.

No pain from the hernia day to day and sometimes when laying down for a long period, it disappears!
But it's certainly there. Larger than before the coughing started. ( coughing now longer an issue but the damage has been done I think ).

Well, my question is, has anyone cycled with a hernia?

After surgery - possibly mid Nov. - I hope to get back on the bike as part of my recooperation.

Waiting times here in UK for a hernia op is 6+ months.

Thoughts welcome folks

Matt

[Danneaux]

Matt, heartfelt thoughts are surely with you for the quickest, most complete recovery possible from your diagnosed stomach cancer and the rough, ever so demanding treatment for it. All support and encouragement; you've come so far already!

As for the hernia, have your doctors indicated it is related, i.e. due to a weakening of the abdominal wall due to the tumor? If so, perhaps a hernia repair could be incorporated into the same op? I've had experience in the past with task-focused surgeons who viewed problems only through the lens of their specialty, so perhaps an interdisciplinary  team approach might be helpful.

There's different kinds and locations of hernia -- three major classifications, seven subtypes, as I recall from my nursing management days -- so it might help to get something more definitive in terms of specifics before proceeding.

All that said, yes, I've encountered cyclists riding with hernias to a lesser or greater degree of success. One gentleman rode with a sort of truss that applied localized pressure on his hernia and said it did wonders to contain the outpouching but the truss straps were problematic and caused chafing. The second one said he had good and bad days and adjusted his daily mileage accordingly. Both admitted surgery was the recommended remedy but was unavailable for various reasons, mostly scheduling and cost, though one said he'd prefer to avoid an op if he could. Two data points isn't much to offer you; sorry!

Bottom line, I'd seek more info and advice from doctors before embarking on much riding, even for rehab. I'm still on cycling restriction and a 3kg weight-lifting limit after my recent abdominal surgery. Hard to wait but better than risk compromising the outcome, so it is walk-therapy for now, with rest. I did two miles yesterday, then slept three hours. Hoping to improve the walk:sleep ratio this next week.

Thoughts are with you,

Dan.

[martinf]

Well, my question is, has anyone cycled with a hernia?

Yes.

I'm pretty sure my hernia was caused by lifting heavy furniture when helping house removal for a friend in summer 2017. I didn't do anything about it until February 2018, when it was officially diagnosed by my doctor. He didn't say anything about cycling, so I kept going as normal until surgery on 30/05/2018.

Immediately after surgery I was allowed to walk inside the hospital while waiting to be discharged. My surgeon said I should wait for one week before cycling short distances. Two weeks after surgery, no limits on cycling and I could restart "strenuous" activities such as digging the garden.

But I suppose it depends on the severity of the hernia, so best to take the advice of your doctor or surgeon. If they don't advise cycling, walking is probably OK. I made sure I walked as much as possile after my prostate operation in 2019, when cycling was forbidden for one month and painful for several weeks more.

[mickeg]

I started having some mild discomfort in May, five months ago.  Always was triggered by walking.  Intermittent, some days had it, some days not.  On days when I do not go to the gym or bike, I do a 3 mile (~~4.5km) walk.

A neighbor had a party in June, after doing my walk and had some discomfort, went to her party in afternoon, and after four hours of standing, the discomfort clearly was pain while standing.  Sitting helped reduce it.

Next day (still in Jun) called my Dr office (I think in UK you call that a GP).  Saw him four days later, he suspected hernia.  Sent me to the surgery part of the system - that took a month to get in. 

July saw a surgeon, he had me get an MRI.  Two week wait for the MRI.  MRI indicated two minor hernias and torn abdominal muscle.  He said the hernias were minor, too minor to cause the discomfort/pain, so it had to be the torn muscle.  He sent me to physical therapy, but in this case specifically to Sports Medicine.  The sports medicine group works on athletes, and my activity level apparently qualified.

Waited for a month, saw a Dr at Sports Medicine in late August.  He looked at my MRI, did an exam and said that the previous surgeon was wrong, it is the hernia.  During his exam, he said how does this feel and he pressed in a specific spot, and I said, that HURTS.  He said he was sending me back to surgery and telling them they screwed up the diagnosis.  I said this is now August, has been a problem since May, I have already canceled two vacaiton trips and now looking at a third.  I really did not want to go back to the guy that screwed up a diagnosis.  He then said he knew a very good specialist, he would call him.

And wait another month to see that specialist, saw him a few weeks ago.  And the result of that meeting and exam, scheduled for surgery to fix two hernias, this coming Tuesday.

In my case it has only been a problem from walking or standing.  At the gym I want to make sure I maintain muscle mass and bone density, so I push as hard as I can on several exercise machines, that has not triggered it.  This year have not ridden any Brevets (UK translation - Audax), so have not ridden any 200k rides this year.  But I have done a 90 mile, 75 mile and 70 mile ride this year, plus many shorter ones.  Those rides and no other activities have triggered the problem, for me the only trigger is walking or standing a long time.  Two days ago rode 17 miles, no problem.

That said, I suspect every hernia is different, so maybe cycling for you would be best done if you brought your phone with you so you could call someone and ask them to come and get you?

I was told to not do any core type exercises for two weeks after my surgery.  Since my exercise routine at the gym is quite robust, I plan to NOT do any exercises or bike rides for three weeks, not just the two weeks that was prescribed.  I was told walking is ok, but since that is what triggered the problem, I will limit my walks for the first couple weeks.  I am retired, so I do not have anything like employment that messes up my schedule.

I am 71 years young.  I did not do my backpacking trip this year,  the first attached photo is me on my backpacking trip last year.  Second photo, me again, Toronto Ontario in the background, last year.  Sorry, photo is of my Lynskey, not a Thorn.  Third photo, sunset on one of the evenings of my backpacking trip, was on the shore of lake Superior.  Fourth photo, a Moose on my backpacking trip. 

I will know more in three days.

[Matt2matt2002]

Thanks Mick and others. Very helpful. Yes, many types of hernia and best to take docs opinions / advice.

It was really a general question; anyone cycled with a hernia. Not the best situation and I certainly don't want to make matters worse.
I would probably have booked another trip to Thailand for next Spring but it looks like I'll be in recovery from the cancer stomach op. It was mentioned that there could be chemo after the surgery. Yikes. But at least I'll be ready for the awful side effects.

Cheers folks

Matt

[mickeg]

To expand a bit more on my previous comments, in my case bicycling is just fine.  But walking can be bad.  I often find myself walking a bike up a hill.  And on my feet several hours after I make a campsite.  And usually take a couple hours from waking up to finally rolling out of a campsite and some of that time is standing or walking.

So, I chose not to risk a bike trip, not because of they cycling but because of the off-bike time when I am walking or standing.  There were other unrelated reasons I did not do a bike trip too.