My 3 year old has cancer, and what I'm going to do about it

[Big Jim]

William's still doing ok.
Here's a picture of him playing with a new toy.

It's still a case of watch and wait and the longer he stays well, the better.
Managed 120 miles on the bike this past week which I'm happy with.
Went to the Giant shop and the advice they gave helped my numb hands a great deal.

 

[Alex11]

This is highly commendable, I wish your son well :-)

 

[Big Jim]

Just a quick update on William.
He's now just over 12 weeks post transplant, and seems to be getting better as days progress. More energy, the rash is improving, more like a 3 year old really. So all is good.
Here's a picture from a moment ago.

The bike training is going ok. Have found that the Maxxis Detonator tyres that came with my Giant Seek 1 are puncture prone. So am just waiting for some new puncture proof tyres to arrive from amazon. I suppose training isn't just about fitness, it's also about logistics/ getting ready and solving any problems in advance. We've booked flights and the ride will start in Copenhagen on 13th September. Am hoping to upload photos on Twitter throughout.
thanks again for all the donations. Am nearly at £8K now, which is 8 x what I originally wished for.

 

[Octet]

Inspirational! Best of luck and I hope your son makes a full recovery!

 

[Big Jim]

Inspirational! Best of luck and I hope your son makes a full recovery!

thank you Octet. All is going well, so fingers crossed still

 

[AnneW]

I've not been around for a while Big Jim so this is the first time I've seen your post. I'm a Mum and can't begin to imagine what you've been through/going through with William He's looking pretty good in your latest photo Long may that continue.

My very best to you and yours.

As for your knee, I've had problems with my knee since I fell and landed (with all my considerable weight) on one knee a few years back. I found some exercises on the internet and they seem to help strengthen my knee - got me through C2C and London to Paris.

Exercises:

1. Sit on a bed, keep your leg flat and straight out. Bend your toes towards your head as much as possible and hold this position for ten seconds. Release. Repeat ten times.

2. Sit on a bed, keep your leg flat and straight out. Bend your toes towards your head. Raise your leg off the bed six inches and hold it. Keep this position for ten seconds and release. Repeat ten times.

3. Hang your legs over the side of the bed, raise the lower part of your leg so your leg is straight out and hold for ten seconds. Release. Repeat ten times.

4. Sit and swing your leg over the side of the bed or chair to maintain knee mobility. Do this for about 1-2 minutes.

5. Sit in a chair, place your foot under the bottom edge of a desk or bed with the leg almost straight. Slowly, lift the leg from the top up as though trying to lift the desk or bed off the ground. Your thigh muscles will tighten and become fatigued. Hold for 10 seconds then relax. Repeat 20 times and then do the same with the other leg. Repeat this exercise three times a day for three or more weeks.

6. Hamstring Lengthening Exercises: While sitting in a chair, put your leg straight out in front of you with your heel resting on the ground. Rest both hands on your knee and while keeping your leg straight, slowly slide your hands down the front of the knee towards the foot until you feel a tightening and slight pain in your hamstrings (tendons behind the knee). Hold for 10 seconds, then relax. Repeat 20 times with both legs and perform the exercise three times a day for three weeks. Your hamstrings will loosen and you will be able to move your hands further down your shin towards your foot.

You will need to restrict your athletic exercise and do the above exercises for a month to get an improvement. You may then gradually return to your normal exercise. The pain may recur. You should then follow the above exercises again.

Other exercises for chondromalacia focus on the hip (gluteal exercises) and flexibility exercises. An exercise that directly put force through the knee, especially the knee extension exercise may be painful.
If you find the above exercises too painful, then try the one below.

Lateral "monster walk." This requires a 20-inch piece of thick theraband or tubing tied in a circle and wrapped around both ankles. The patient will stand with the feet shoulder-width apart (never let the feet get any closer than that) and walk sideways across the floor against the resistance of the band. The knees should be slightly bent; the buttocks should be down and back. Stress should be felt in the quadriceps and in the gluteal (butt) muscles. Repeat 10 steps in each direction, 2-3 times.

Good luck!

 

[Big Jim]

I've not been around for a while Big Jim so this is the first time I've seen your post. I'm a Mum and can't begin to imagine what you've been through/going through with William He's looking pretty good in your latest photo Long may that continue.

My very best to you and yours.

As for your knee, I've had problems with my knee since I fell and landed (with all my considerable weight) on one knee a few years back. I found some exercises on the internet and they seem to help strengthen my knee - got me through C2C and London to Paris.

Exercises:

1. Sit on a bed, keep your leg flat and straight out. Bend your toes towards your head as much as possible and hold this position for ten seconds. Release. Repeat ten times.

2. Sit on a bed, keep your leg flat and straight out. Bend your toes towards your head. Raise your leg off the bed six inches and hold it. Keep this position for ten seconds and release. Repeat ten times.

3. Hang your legs over the side of the bed, raise the lower part of your leg so your leg is straight out and hold for ten seconds. Release. Repeat ten times.

4. Sit and swing your leg over the side of the bed or chair to maintain knee mobility. Do this for about 1-2 minutes.

5. Sit in a chair, place your foot under the bottom edge of a desk or bed with the leg almost straight. Slowly, lift the leg from the top up as though trying to lift the desk or bed off the ground. Your thigh muscles will tighten and become fatigued. Hold for 10 seconds then relax. Repeat 20 times and then do the same with the other leg. Repeat this exercise three times a day for three or more weeks.

6. Hamstring Lengthening Exercises: While sitting in a chair, put your leg straight out in front of you with your heel resting on the ground. Rest both hands on your knee and while keeping your leg straight, slowly slide your hands down the front of the knee towards the foot until you feel a tightening and slight pain in your hamstrings (tendons behind the knee). Hold for 10 seconds, then relax. Repeat 20 times with both legs and perform the exercise three times a day for three weeks. Your hamstrings will loosen and you will be able to move your hands further down your shin towards your foot.

You will need to restrict your athletic exercise and do the above exercises for a month to get an improvement. You may then gradually return to your normal exercise. The pain may recur. You should then follow the above exercises again.

Other exercises for chondromalacia focus on the hip (gluteal exercises) and flexibility exercises. An exercise that directly put force through the knee, especially the knee extension exercise may be painful.
If you find the above exercises too painful, then try the one below.

Lateral "monster walk." This requires a 20-inch piece of thick theraband or tubing tied in a circle and wrapped around both ankles. The patient will stand with the feet shoulder-width apart (never let the feet get any closer than that) and walk sideways across the floor against the resistance of the band. The knees should be slightly bent; the buttocks should be down and back. Stress should be felt in the quadriceps and in the gluteal (butt) muscles. Repeat 10 steps in each direction, 2-3 times.

Good luck!

Thank you for the advice and also the donation. Will print off and try the exercises.

 

[andy__]

So sad, i will gladly donate.

 

[Big Jim]

So sad, i will gladly donate.

Thank you Andy

 

[Big Jim]

Just a quick update on William. He's still ok, though had a blood clot in his neck where his Hickman line was inserted. The Hickman line has since been removed and a port inserted which is a lot less intrusive I think as it doesn't have big dangly lines coming from his chest. Anyway the blood clot was treated with daily injections and has since reduced in size a great deal. He has also had a stomach sickness virus, which he seems to have shaken off after a week. He's obviously lost some weight, but otherwise he's pretty much back to normal. His graft verses host diease (his itchy rash) is also improving and his steroids are gradually being reduced. Hopefully soon he'll be off the steroids completely and will be able to return to pre-school.
Here's a picture from a moment ago:

The fundraising is going well and currently sits at £8,319.00. Training has been ok, though I got really fed up with punctures on my Maxxis detonators, so I dumped them for some Schwalbe Marathon Plus which are superb. We're starting the ride on 13th September and I'm hoping my brothers phone will be able to tweet our progress. my twitter is @jameslyne1

I just hope my dodgy left holds up!!

thanks for the continuing support

 

[annedonnelly]

Thanks for the updates Jim. In all the recent photos William is busy playing games - that looks like a good sign. Hope he'll soon be back at pre-school and playing with his mates!

 

[Big Jim]

Thanks for the updates Jim. In all the recent photos William is busy playing games - that looks like a good sign. Hope he'll soon be back at pre-school and playing with his mates!

For sure. Eating and playing games is a very good indicator. He's good at the moment. Just have to hope the nasty cells don't take over again

 

[Big Jim]

I'm flying off to Copenhagen tomorrow, and starting the ride on Thursday. Just wanted to thank all the people who have supported me and donated, etc. I'll post one last time once it's completed.

William's ok ish still. His NG tube came out of his mouth when he was sick a few days ago, and we're trying things without.

Here's a picture:

 

[pubrunner]

Going by the picture, the little fella looks great.

Have a successful & enjoyable ride - you certainly deserve it !

 

[Big Jim]

Just a final message to say that we completed the 260 Miles ride on Monday 17th September, and I have just arrived back in England.

A very cheesy picture of us in the charity T-Shirts:

There are more + GPS positioning of where they were taken on my Twitter page https://twitter.com/JamesLyne1
The trip was pretty hard going especially on the Friday where we were cycling directly into very strong winds and rain (The winds were seen to be blowing trees down around Denmark). So it was hard work, but we managed to crack it ok.

So, Thanks again for those of you that have sponsored me. We are around £250 off £10,000.

I found the advice I received on this forum and Bike Radar invaluable so thanks for that. Particularly the advice about the saddles, clothing and tyres.

thanks again