Ha ha! My guest has been buying lots of yummy supplies for us the past few days so I haven't lost any more weight since the last report, but he is off on Thursday and I'll be back to more mundane food like porridge and salad (in separate meals!).
He spotted 200g Galaxy bars for £1.19 in the local Co-op last night! He bought one 'classic' bar and one of the ones with caramel filling inside each piece of chocolate, so it was 1,000 Calories worth of chocolate each last night! Oh, and toasted cheese sandwiches for brekkie today instead of my usual healthy porridge ...
Just before b-in-law left today, he told me that he thought I'd improved in the 5 days that he was here. I think so too! I walked into town with him today on the way to the station. That was as far as I could manage but I at least I got another cafe visit in
and ... I did my own fruit and veg shopping at the local market on the way back. It has been 2 months since I last managed to do that!
The couple who run the veg stall said that they had been very worried about me. I've been a good customer of theirs for about 10 years and the last time they saw me, I could hardly breathe and was deathly pale. They know about my cycling and so were pretty shocked to hear how sudden and serious this illness is/has been.
I shopped for myself, but was still too weak to carry the bag home - a friend did that for me.
Baby steps, but I'm getting there ...
************************************************
Now then - I think I've
finally worked out where my clotting problem came from ... (
It only just occurred to me yesterday. How could I spend 9 days in hospital wondering about the cause, and not think of this ...? D'Oh! 
)
Background: A gradual reduction in my cycling from 2006 to 2012. From 5,000+ miles of cycling a year, 4 or 5 rides a week to 1,000 - 2,000 miles a year, 1 ride every 7-10 days. Weight increase from sub-13 stone to 16 stone-plus. Alcohol intake up from 10 pints of beer a week to 25+. Excessive time spent sitting down in front of PC and TV screens.
The final trigger: My legs had got fat. Round the house, I wear baggy tracksuit bottoms. Going out, I wear trousers which last fitted me comfortably when I weighed 1.5 stone less than my peak, so they are tight around the top of my legs whenever I sit down in them.
At the end of April/early May, I had a 5 day holiday in Wales and getting there and coming back each involved a 45 minute train journey, a 2.25 hour coach journey, and a 3 hour drive. I was sitting down with my legs stationary and my overtight trousers digging in to the top of my thighs and cutting off the blood supply to my legs for about 6 hours each way.
I reckon some small DVTs could have formed in my legs then. Not enough to cause any serious leg problems at the time, but enough to start a chain of events which eventually threatened my life.
Development: So, I now had DVTs developing in my leg(s). I was unaware of this, so I carried on with my stop-go lifestyle, lots of beer, lots of sitting around with blood pooling in my legs around the nascent DVT(s).
Eventually, it was time for another hilly forum ride. I planned a spectacularly tough route, which was actually way above my fitness level.
July 15th - Otley, or bust! I was not feeling right from early on in the ride. I was struggling to ride and talk at the same time. It was hard, hard, hard and the ride half killed me. Unbeknown to me at the time
- literally!
Crisis: July 19th - A 19 mile local ride exhausted me, and my breathing was becoming very poor.
July 22nd - My breathing was deteriorating rapidly but I still thought I could
MTFU! The same 19 mile ride had me gasping for breath as soon as I got to the foot of the first hill. Something was
very wrong.
Outcome: I collapsed a few days later. I am pretty sure that part of the DVT had broken off due to the strain of the Otley ride and moved on to my lungs Pulmonary embolism, fighting for breath, and a near-death experience including blacking out, collapsing and spending 3.5 hours unable to move on my bathroom floor!
Suggestion: The next time you travel, listen to doctors' advice about the risks of DVT! Move your legs about, get up and walk around if you can, and maybe wear support stockings during your journey.
Don't end up like me ...
)