On some of my Strava workouts, you will have seen "feel like an old man", by that I felt that I was having to work so much harder to get my fitness back, during and after the runs I felt poorly at times.
I now have an answer to some of the problems that I have been having and was found out by good fortune.
For years I have suffered with psoriasis and in the last two years been having UVB treatment which is a clinical sunbed that I was subjected to 3 times a week for 10 weeks once a year.
After this years treatment, it didn't work well and my running was tough, in the follow-up session with the dermatologist we agreed to try using medication to beat the psoriasis, to have the medicine I had to have blood tests to check my kidneys and liver were in good order.
Those tests were done on the 24th June and told it would take 3 weeks for some of the results to come back and put it to the back of my mind.
The next morning I got a call from the GP advising me my calcium was high and to go straight to the hospital. Blood tests confirmed the calcium was at crisis level and was admitted after a chest x-ray showed something on my lungs (something I could see in the radiography room!)
For the next couple of days, more tests were done and I was treated for the calcium, by the end of the week I was back home and understandably whacked after being rinsed and did not cope well with the Pamidronate, feeling unwell for days after.
My kidneys were battered and had pain for a good month afterwards.
After a failed EBUS which is shoving a camera and needle into your lung and taking a biopsy, the calcium was that hard it bent the needles, something I can testify was unpleasant as they rammed the thing down my throat!
So a couple of weeks later I had a biopsy in the groin area and thankfully they got a good sample and then had a wait to my chest clinic a couple of weeks to get the results.
Happily, the results ruled out Cancer which was a great relief and the diagnosis was Pulmonary Sarcoidosis something rare but treatable and a much better condition to have.
Since then I have been trying to get back into running and popping in and out of the hospital to have the calcium treated when it spikes. At the moment the Sarcoidosis is not being treated as my lungs are clear and the Lung Function Test was good, this is a testament to keeping myself fit I think and plan to keep running, however, I may have to by the end of the year if the condition worsens.
I have signed up for the Bangor 10K in October to keep me focused on getting better and my here I am in my favourite new t-shirt!
I have had fun at Pwllweli parkrun which is all on the sand, with an out and back aspect!
After the run it was great to walk into the sea to cool the legs off, this is a parkrun I would love to do again.
I week later went to Heaton parkrun, so back on a hilly, tarmac course which was a relief.
So for the rest of September, I will try and up the mileage and wing the Bangor 10K.
