A Heartbreaking Decision: Postponing Our USA Cycling Adventure for More Surgery

On June 20th, 2024, I shared a blog update here about my health journey and the surgery I had undergone. I also talked about something close to my heart—the importance of women advocating for themselves when it comes to healthcare. Too often, symptoms are chalked up to perimenopause or menopause, and many of us are dismissed by GPs who offer little help or guidance. I urged women to stand their ground and push for the care and answers they deserve.

At that time, I was just 11 days post-op, still in significant pain and recovering slowly. The first few months of 2024 had been incredibly challenging for David and me, but we were finally starting to feel some relief. After months of uncertainty, it seemed my illness had been identified and dealt with, allowing us to breathe a huge sigh of relief that this chapter was finally behind us.

With that, our focus shifted back to our ambitious summer 2024 plan: cycling the entire East Coast of America. This 3,000-mile journey had been in our hearts and minds for months, and we were excited to start preparing for what promised to be an unforgettable adventure.

To give a quick recap for those who are new here or haven't caught up on all our updates: in the summer of 2023, David and I decided on a whim that 2024 needed to bring something truly challenging into our lives. Out of nowhere, my wonderful husband suggested cycling the East Coast Greenway in America, a route that would take us along the entire length of the eastern seaboard.

Fast forward to July 11th, 2024—a little over a month after my surgery, and an important day for us. Not only was it David’s birthday, but it was also the day we had been anxiously awaiting since early in the year: our USA visa interviews at the American Embassy in London. We thought it would be the perfect day—a combination of the visa interviews and birthday celebrations, with the hope of receiving our newly stamped visas.

That morning, we set off for London, a bundle of nerves. The importance of the day weighed heavily on both of us, and we secretly worried about what we would do if our visa applications were denied. If that happened, our dream of spending over 90 days in the U.S. would be crushed. Still, we were excited to be doing something positive after the rough year we had endured.

Thankfully, the visa interviews went smoothly, and we were granted the visas. However, that’s where the fun of the day ended. Despite our good fortune, I was feeling exhausted, emotional, and still dealing with pain. I had little to no appetite and, although I tried to stay upbeat for David’s birthday, all I wanted was to go home, curl up with Heidi (our motorhome), and hide. David, as always, was incredibly kind and thoughtful. His concern was more for me than for celebrating his birthday, and he did his best to soothe my anxieties. He kept reminding me that recovery takes time. Yet, deep down, I had this sinking feeling that something wasn’t right. Sadly, I was correct.

After feeling persistently unwell, I requested yet another scan of my abdomen. The scan revealed a large gallstone and inflammation of my gallbladder, something that had been seen before my previous surgery but dismissed. My GP had incorrectly interpreted the results, believing the gallstone to be 3.2mm when, in reality, it was 3.2cm—a massive difference. This explained the ongoing pain, loss of appetite, and general unwellness I’d been experiencing. 

We found a new consultant, the wonderful Mr. D’Souza, who interpreted my scan results and then broke the difficult news to me: I would need another surgery. I can’t even begin to describe the fear and sadness I felt that day. I hadn’t fully recovered from my first surgery, and now I was facing yet another.  I felt so let down by my GP and totally frustrated that once again, I hadn’t pushed her when she dismissed my symptoms.  If I had of done, I could very well of had all of my issues dealt with at the same time but that wasn’t to be.

On August 10th, 2024, I underwent major surgery again. David and I dipped into our savings again and chose to have treatment privately, as the waiting list through the NHS was 18 months to 2 years long—an impossible timeline for us to endure. We naively thought that by having the surgery quickly, we could still stick to our plan of heading to the U.S. on September 1st 2024 to complete our cycling challenge.

However, it soon became apparent that after being so ill for much of the year, and with two major surgeries in such a short span of time, my body—and mind—weren't ready. The toll had been immense, both physically and emotionally. On top of that, the financial hit from unexpected medical expenses left us a fair few steps back in our planned budget. Realizing that our 3,000-mile cycling dream wasn’t possible anymore was heartbreaking. Admitting it to each other and then sharing it publicly was a painful and demoralizing moment. It felt like the world had come crashing down around us. I plan to write more about this in a future post because the way we live comes with unique challenges, and having dreams taken away like that can be incredibly tough.

Today, as I write this on October 7th, 2024, I’m 8 weeks post-op from my second surgery. It took a full six weeks for me to start feeling like myself again, but I finally feel like I’m on the road to a complete recovery. I’m eating well, I’m 90% pain-free, and I’ve even built up to walking 5 miles at a time. Most importantly, I’m feeling hopeful, joyful, and excited again about our USA cycling challenge.

Much to our relief, we were able to get a full refund on our flights, and we’ve already rebooked for March 1st, 2025! So, the dream isn’t over—it’s just postponed. I’ve always believed that everything happens for a reason, and this situation is no exception. As much as we wanted to set off for the USA in September, it wasn’t the right time. We were meant to stay here in the UK, close to my hospital, close to friends and family so that I could fully heal before taking on such a big challenge.

With my recovery now well underway, we can look forward to the future with excitement again.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us on this journey, especially our family and our wonderful and thoughtful friends Kat & Ewen who literally dropped their whole lives to be with us.  They dried our tears, lifted our spirits and held our hands until we felt ready to carry on.  We love you guys @thetravellingpilchards.

We’ve been through a lot this year, but we’re looking forward to what the future holds.