With the half-marathon under our belt, what was the next "bucket list" item? I decided I wanted to run a full marathon. Robin didn't have any desire to run a full, but she used to be a competitive swimmer and was thinking real hard about a triathalon. She is such a badass.
I picked my training intensity up and tried to continue shaving seconds off my time. I was also losing weight but still didn't worry because of the mileage I was running. However, the lymph node was still around and if I was being perfectly honest the little voice in my head had been telling me there was something else to it since before the White Rock. I called my GP, Dr. T.
That is huge, by the way. I used to joke that the only way I go to the doctor is in an ambulance. Like I said, I knew there was something wrong. He took blood for a full workup. He touched the lymph node in my neck one time and told me I needed to see an ENT. I think I had to wait a little over a week to get in. Before the ENT appointment I received my bloodwork in the mail. No bad news there (sigh of relief). I also went to a dermatologist with a "thing" by my eye that had me worried. He says "Oh that is nothing" and freezes it off my face. The good news is just rolling in.
Met my ENT, Dr. G (who I am nominating for sainthood). Dr. G. touched the lymph node in my neck one time and told me I needed a CT scan with contrast. At this point I am still not freaking out. We will just find the sinus infection and kill it, maybe sinus surgery, who knows. Had my first CT which is kind of cool. Did NOT enjoy the contrast. No headaches or anything, just didn't care for the sensation. Next appointment with Dr. G was the following week when the imaging was back.
Met with Dr. G again. He took Robin and I to his PC and fired up my imaging. Sure enough, I had several pockets of gunk in my sinuses that had been causing me problems and needed to be cleaned out. Then he said, "Now why don't we sit down and talk about your tongue."
That was when the good news stopped.
He saw a "thickening" in the base of my tongue that concerned him. He wanted me to go to the hospital. Now. I then heard him walk into the hallway and make a cell phone call. He had called a friend who happens to be a pathologist at a local hospital and told him he was sending a guy over for a fine needle biopsy of a neck lymph node. He told him to read the results to to the guy right then, don't make him wait.
Robin and I got in my truck and just sat there silent. This is not good. But let's not freak out until we know exactly what we are dealing with. I don't remember the drive to the hospital. While I don't remember waiting in the lobby at the hospital, I do remember it seemed like hours. I finally get called back and the doc describes what he is going to do. I remember thinking it didn't really hurt as bad as I thought it would. He brought in a microscope and mixed the sample with some dye.
Monday, September 26, 2011
2010
After the 300 lb. thing, I was happy to just leave things the way they were. That is very unlike me. I have a tendency to go overboard with things like I have with paintball....and fishing....and guitar. For whatever reason, even though I continued to lift I never max'ed again.
One day in early '10, the wife and I got out of the car at the gym and she says "You know what I want for my birthday?". I have to stop here for a minute. Only men will completely understand what a gift from God that sentence is. We all wish for crazy things but to be told what our wife/girlfriend really wants for her birthday, we don't dare dream it! On top of that, it was one of her "divisible by 10" birthdays. I get goosebumps.
"I want to run a half-marathon."
First off, had I listed 100 guesses I would have been wrong. Second, if that is what she has decided it was as good as done. Among her traits that I admire most are her tenacity and focus. Like I said, if that was what she decided to do then that was that. We bought a book on running marathons and began following the training plan. I had suddenly become one of those guys at the gym that doesn't know what they are doing and I was "helping" her. I immediately noticed the additional pounds I had put on from lifting and over the next several months also discovered they don't come off easy. The race she had chosen was the White Rock in Dallas in early December near both our birthdays. I will forever treasure the time we spent training together almost as much as the race itself.
Sometime around September I noticed the lymph node on the right side of my neck was a little swollen and hard. I also had a sinus infection. I know how to deal with that: a week of over-the-counter meds and viola! I was running my daily 7 mile routine and starting to see improvements in my times. I don't remember how much time passed (2 months?) but for whatever reason I touched my neck and the node had come back. Actually, it had probably never been gone.
Very shortly after that, I had another head cold which I assumed was the same infection from before and I just hadn't knocked it out. Called the wife (she's a dental hygienist) and had her bring home some antibiotics. (I know, I know...). I also noticed I was starting to drop some weight. With the pace of our training it certainly made sense and didn't throw up any red flags.
Next thing you know it's December and we are right on track training wise. Robin and I finished our half marathon (along with Elliott). I was so proud of her and Elliott. They had both worked so hard for so long and it showed on race day.
One day in early '10, the wife and I got out of the car at the gym and she says "You know what I want for my birthday?". I have to stop here for a minute. Only men will completely understand what a gift from God that sentence is. We all wish for crazy things but to be told what our wife/girlfriend really wants for her birthday, we don't dare dream it! On top of that, it was one of her "divisible by 10" birthdays. I get goosebumps.
"I want to run a half-marathon."
First off, had I listed 100 guesses I would have been wrong. Second, if that is what she has decided it was as good as done. Among her traits that I admire most are her tenacity and focus. Like I said, if that was what she decided to do then that was that. We bought a book on running marathons and began following the training plan. I had suddenly become one of those guys at the gym that doesn't know what they are doing and I was "helping" her. I immediately noticed the additional pounds I had put on from lifting and over the next several months also discovered they don't come off easy. The race she had chosen was the White Rock in Dallas in early December near both our birthdays. I will forever treasure the time we spent training together almost as much as the race itself.
Sometime around September I noticed the lymph node on the right side of my neck was a little swollen and hard. I also had a sinus infection. I know how to deal with that: a week of over-the-counter meds and viola! I was running my daily 7 mile routine and starting to see improvements in my times. I don't remember how much time passed (2 months?) but for whatever reason I touched my neck and the node had come back. Actually, it had probably never been gone.
Very shortly after that, I had another head cold which I assumed was the same infection from before and I just hadn't knocked it out. Called the wife (she's a dental hygienist) and had her bring home some antibiotics. (I know, I know...). I also noticed I was starting to drop some weight. With the pace of our training it certainly made sense and didn't throw up any red flags.
Next thing you know it's December and we are right on track training wise. Robin and I finished our half marathon (along with Elliott). I was so proud of her and Elliott. They had both worked so hard for so long and it showed on race day.
It's a really nice place to start..
I have promised several people a book and that is obviously NOT happening. So... a blog it is.
This has been an interesting year. That sums it up nicely yet that alone would be a waste of a blogging account and the cool URL. In many ways, this year started three years ago. It was about '08 that I decided to get serious about getting in shape. I was running full court basketball at the 24 Hr. and lifting weights when my mood was right (when the youngsters wouldn't let me play). Looking back, I may have been in the best shape of my adult life. My diet was, on the whole, pretty good. I had my weaknesses but was doing fairly well at keeping everything in line with the "in moderation" rule. One day at the gym, one of my twins (Nick or Elliott) asked "What is your max on the benchpress?" I honestly didn't know as I had not performed a single rep max since I started lifting. "Well, There's no time like the present...".
With their help spotting, I did 3 single rep lifts of progressively higher weight before tiring. "I think you can do 300" one of them said. I said something about that being a ridiculous amount of weight for me and that it was simply not possible. Several minutes later, a deal was struck. At the end of the summer, before they returned to class, I would attempt a single rep at 300 pounds. For the remainder of the summer, I became much more consistent in my workouts. I spoke about workouts with guys at the gym who knew what they were doing and dozens who didn't. I began supplementing with pre, during and post-workout mixes, pills and drinks. The sales guy at Vitamin Shoppe (who now sends me Christmas cards) and I became friends. Not surprisingly, I also began to gain weight. A lot of it.
As the time drew near, I thought about what would happen if I couldn't do it. It would be OK if I failed...as long as I *barely* failed. I didn't want to let the boys down so it was going to be my best effort, 110% percent and every other cliche I could think of. When the day arrived, I don't remember driving to the gym but I do remember wearing a sheepish grin as I did the "dead man walking" shuffle to the bench. We put on the plates, I added the weights 2 times to make sure it was right (either way, I was doing this ONCE). I remember not really having a plan. I mean it's just lifting weights, what is there to plan for. We counted up to 3, I un-racked the bar and immediately realized I needed a plan. Now. I had lifted close to this weight once before but the few additional pounds took it to a whole new level. I dropped the bar to my chest and neither of my sons touched it. I remember wondering if they were even concerned for my safety. I pressed it out, racked the weight and lay there a moment to make sure it was real.
I tried to remember another time in my life when I had set a goal that far in the future and worked every day towards it. Couldn't remember one. It was a life changing moment and I never want to do it again.
This has been an interesting year. That sums it up nicely yet that alone would be a waste of a blogging account and the cool URL. In many ways, this year started three years ago. It was about '08 that I decided to get serious about getting in shape. I was running full court basketball at the 24 Hr. and lifting weights when my mood was right (when the youngsters wouldn't let me play). Looking back, I may have been in the best shape of my adult life. My diet was, on the whole, pretty good. I had my weaknesses but was doing fairly well at keeping everything in line with the "in moderation" rule. One day at the gym, one of my twins (Nick or Elliott) asked "What is your max on the benchpress?" I honestly didn't know as I had not performed a single rep max since I started lifting. "Well, There's no time like the present...".
With their help spotting, I did 3 single rep lifts of progressively higher weight before tiring. "I think you can do 300" one of them said. I said something about that being a ridiculous amount of weight for me and that it was simply not possible. Several minutes later, a deal was struck. At the end of the summer, before they returned to class, I would attempt a single rep at 300 pounds. For the remainder of the summer, I became much more consistent in my workouts. I spoke about workouts with guys at the gym who knew what they were doing and dozens who didn't. I began supplementing with pre, during and post-workout mixes, pills and drinks. The sales guy at Vitamin Shoppe (who now sends me Christmas cards) and I became friends. Not surprisingly, I also began to gain weight. A lot of it.
As the time drew near, I thought about what would happen if I couldn't do it. It would be OK if I failed...as long as I *barely* failed. I didn't want to let the boys down so it was going to be my best effort, 110% percent and every other cliche I could think of. When the day arrived, I don't remember driving to the gym but I do remember wearing a sheepish grin as I did the "dead man walking" shuffle to the bench. We put on the plates, I added the weights 2 times to make sure it was right (either way, I was doing this ONCE). I remember not really having a plan. I mean it's just lifting weights, what is there to plan for. We counted up to 3, I un-racked the bar and immediately realized I needed a plan. Now. I had lifted close to this weight once before but the few additional pounds took it to a whole new level. I dropped the bar to my chest and neither of my sons touched it. I remember wondering if they were even concerned for my safety. I pressed it out, racked the weight and lay there a moment to make sure it was real.
I tried to remember another time in my life when I had set a goal that far in the future and worked every day towards it. Couldn't remember one. It was a life changing moment and I never want to do it again.
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