so, what happend really? -pleurisy
It's been 12 days since I went to the hospital in Oudenaarde, Belgium, becouse of cheast pain. I had been feeling more tired than normal since my 3days fever in the beginning of marsh and it felt worse and worse with my legs being filled of lactic acid way to early, every training and race. I knew I was better than that but I started to even doubt myself after a while when all I did was just shit. It was an awful feeling I had while raceing in Cholet, droped in the last hill when the lactic acid hit my whole body and I could barly move forward. Stupid as I was I continued like normal, an easy day on monday and than straight to a Max VO2 test at Bakala testing center with the national team the day after. I felt shit. And my test results was not top, even tho they where okay. After this test I was laying in my bed all day, sleeping, with a headache from hell, just TOO tired. The day after I was still very tired but determined to start at Waregem kermesse (Dwars door Vlaanderen). It was the so far coldest race of the year and also wet roads. I tried to stay up in the front like normal in the beginning, I just had to fight so hard and had no power what so ever. Tried for 3 laps and on the 4th lap I decided to step off, something wasn't right and I had hit the bottom. Coulden't even finish a 77km kermesse.
I was broken down mentaly and again, stuck in bed from tiredness. After team meeting and dinner I started to feel the presure over my cheast, I feel a sleep and slept for 4 hours before I woke up and couldn't sleep again from the pain. At around 5 o'clock I texted my mum who for some reason saw it straight away, got scared and called the health care info. They told me to call them and so I did, at 5 in the morning. I got told to go to the hospital when I could.
I was scared, in pain and stuck in Belgium, luckily my scandinavian partner in crime was there to keep me calm and i owe her for that! I could barly walk, atleast not faster than 2km/h.. But when I finally got to the hospital the doctors took me straight in to a room to see what was wrong, after that it all went really fast. I didn't have to wait for a long time in between the different tests until I had to go to a new one. Or acctually, be driven in a wheelchair. Had my own chauffeur, a guy who (as most people at the hospital) was very interested in cycling.
They did 2 ECGs, looked for blood clots, ultrasound on my heart, stomack and legs, loung x-ray and a bounch of other tests. They wouldn't let me go from the hospital until they knew exactly what was wrong and Im telling you, Ive never had a check up like this. It feels good, tho, to know that my body in gereral is in great condition! What they found was pleurisy (lungsäcksinflammation), an inflammation in the layer between the loung and the ribs. They let me stay the night for observation and to do some extra tests in the morning to exclude some stuff and confirm what they'd found and I got to spend a night next to an old lady who didn't know a word of english. The nurses told me she had been a cyclist in her younger days as well and that she already was a big fan of me, haha! In the morning in between the last tests I once again saw how big cycling is in Belgium, and what big respect cyclists get there. A nurse asked me for my autograph for her husband, I tell you that wouldn't happen in any other place than Belgium, haha!
When they finally let me go I made it back to the house and packed my bags, really slowly. They had told me I was not allowed to do any heavy work/lifting/training in 2 weeks and I booked a flight home straight away for the day after in the morning. Got medicine and I was ready to leave and rest in my own bed. Stef and Christina helped me with all I needed and I made it safe home and had some days just laying in bed watching series and tv, just being really tired and with pain.
Today, as I said it's 12 days since I went to the hospital and I've just been to the local doctor to see where I am at. What he told me was, it looks good from what he could see and Im good to start traning easily whenever I feel okay and the only thing I can do is to just see if it feels good or not and than gradually go harder and harder til Im at my normal training program again. So what I'll do is to wait til friday when it's been about 2 weeks and hopefully I'm back traninig in a normal level quite soon after that. Cross your fingers!
Ugh, this day whas just painful! Cholet. Photo: Velofocus
Ciao!
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