Category: Recovery

Race Pictures

I’m still very sore from the race. Basically – from head-to-toe. Like – my upper neck, all the way to my right big toe. But – it was worth it. I earned the pain! And I did it for you all!

IRONMAN Florida 70.3 Finishing Time: 6:05:05

Swim: 42:09

Bike 2:59:52

Run 2:12:29

Overall, I’m very happy with the race. No major issues. The wind was bad at times (20mph) and it was hot (91) but rained for about 5 minutes at mile 8 which helped for a bit. Thankfully, the IRONMAN staff was fantastic and had ice and water along the run.

 

IRONMAN Florida 70.3 Race Day Information – Sunday 8am ET

Race Day Information – Sunday 8am ET
  1. You can track me live on Sunday starting at around 8am/9am (ish) ET via the website or Ironman tracker app.
  3. Ironman Tracker App: IRONMAN Tracker by Dilltree Inc https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ironman-tracker/id1183983404?mt=8
  4. Look me up using name “Dylan Davison” or my bib number “1369” under the IRONMAN Florida event.
  5. The tracker updates every few miles so you can track the entire day.
  6. Race should take about 6 hours or so depending on the Wind and the Heat (20 mph winds on the bike and 90 degree heat on the run will both make the race challenging).
  7. During the race, I’m raising money for No Stomach For Cancer! So please consider a donation of any size to: https://give.everydayhero.com/us/support-no-stomach-for-cancer-and-join-me-as-i-race-ironman
  8. You all encourage me so much. Thank you for following along and donating to this important cause. ❤️❤️
I’m including some extra details for those of you who are new to this campaign!

10 Months Post Total Gastrectomy

Things are going as expected. I can’t believe it’s been 10 months since my total gastrectomy.  I have lost a total of 45 lbs. However, I can still race Triathlon and beat my old times! Next stop – IronMan and Marathon.

However, I haven’t been training as much as I hoped due to soreness after workouts. I also have lost a bit of weight so I’m trying to figure out how to keep the lbs on. My goal is to run the half marathon in January for the Charleston Marathon event.  I’ve run it before (with a stomach) and really want to beat my old time but the lack of training certainly will impact me.  We will see.

If you want to hear about certain topics, request them via Twitter –  https://twitter.com/GoWithoutYoGut

Stay tuned!

Stomachless Ironman 70.3

Hey Ya’ll

I have an exciting announcement! I’m going to be racing in an IRONMAN 70.3 Triathlon.

Event Details:
IRONMAN 70.3 – Wilmington, NC 10/13/2018
1.2 Mile Swim
56 Mile Bike
13.1 Mile Run
Goal time – sub 5:30:00

Today is my birthday and I’m really excited about this race and the support of all my family and friends as we try to raise money and awareness for No Stomach For Cancer. I have yet to do a race like this without a stomach and I’m sure it won’t be easy. Please join me in fundraising efforts and share this page!

Donate Here

Or the link below:

https://give.everydayhero.com/us/support-no-stomach-for-cancer-and-join-me-as-i-race-ironman

Keywords:

Ironman 70.3 triathlon cdh1 hdgc stomach cancer

No stomach for cancer

Total gastrectomy

6/21/2018 – Twenty-Four Weeks Post Total Gastrectomy

Ya’ll – I did another Triathlon.  Here is a picture of around mile 2 of the run.

June 17 2018 – Charleston Sprint Triathlon Race 2

This sprint triathlon is a 600-meter swim, 12-mile bike, and 3-mile run.

I hope you don’t mind the dorky picture. I get a bit loopy during these events.

It was hot and I couldn’t catch my breath on the run. I felt like I had nothing left to give.  I wanted to quit but fought through it. My goal was to post my best time ever but I came up 20 seconds short of my personal best. I DID, however, improve my time by 23 seconds from last race. I was motivated to fight for a personal best after I met so many sweet people in Tampa that encouraged me to keep improving and fighting to get better.  They told me it encouraged them seeing me doing triathlon and improve my times. The next race is July 29 and I’m already excited!

I’m trying to increase my training, while not losing weight.  It’s not easy. I weigh 161 lbs and my body fat has to be in the single digits. I weighed 202 prior to surgery. It’s pretty crazy. I don’t want to go any lighter because I know my training load will increase if I do the Ironman 70.3 in Wilmington in October.  I have until July/August to figure it all out – assuming they don’t sell out the event.

The Ironman 70.3 is exciting, but I’m hopeful I can also run a Marathon by the end of this year and hopefully a full Ironman (140.6 miles) in November of 2019. I want to use those events to fundraise for No Stomach For Cancer as they help fund research for CDH1 gene mutation.

I hope you will stay tuned and keep reading along as I figure this all out. I need to focus on staying healthy and fueled so I can keep training.

6/9/2018 – Twenty-Two Weeks Post Total Gastrectomy

I feel very blessed. I attended The Spotlight on Gastric Cancer event which was put on by No Stomach For Cancer and Moffitt Cancer Center.  I was able to meet many former cancer patients and several fellow stomachless friends.  It blessed me because we all have different stories, but we all have/had similar struggles.  I was reminded how difficult the “early days” were.  They had no rules. We all have those “crazy” stories. But – we are still here! We are happy, healthy, and full of life.  We have lost family members, but we are motivated to help others through the difficulties of this disease and live the best life possible.

I was also able to meet with several doctors and surgeons.  There are great people dedicated to learning and sharing their research to try and offer more treatment options for cancer patients.  I would guess, over 100 patients, former patients, caregivers, and professionals joined the event.  We heard from several experts in the industry. Topics covered were:

  • Laparoscopic Total Gastrectomy
  • A new technique where they introduce chemo during surgery. This seems to be very new and they are still doing research.
  • Immunotherapy
  • The importance of choosing an experienced surgeon
  • Pathology reports and techniques used at Moffitt
  • Diet and vitamins after a total gastrectomy
  • A theory that we should consider treating H. pylori prior to symptoms
  • Patient testimony

Giving Hope

I have a few conversations with people who read this blog. I never know who reads this, but they said it blessed them. I need to stay more involved with posting as I remember reading these types of blogs when I first learned I had CDH1 gene mutation.  Reading those blogs helped me prior to surgery and the first few weeks after surgery.  I’m hopeful I can be more consistent. If you need to reach me, you can always reach me on twitter. https://twitter.com/GoWithoutYoGut

Closing thoughts:

I met several strong, inspiring people this weekend. One impactful moment was listening to a mother who was diagnosed with stage 4 gastric cancer and was given a 4% chance of survival.  She fought through several (seven I think) rounds of chemo and radiation.  Not only did she make a full recovery; she had a successful TG.  And because she had the CDH1 gene mutation, her own two daughters, her sister and her niece, all of which were CDH1 gene mutation positive, had successful TG’s all within a few months. It was very special and inspiring to hear their story.

I also was able to meet a fellow stomachless friend who also suffers from celiac disease! That was cool. We exchanged numbers and I hope we can keep in touch as we share a similar journey.

Y’all are brave. I encourage you to share your story as you never know who it will encourage.

How to Train/Exercise Without a Stomach

A fellow stomachless friend reached out to me asking me about how I got back into training. So – I wanted to share how it worked for me. Keep in mind that everyone’s recovery is different. I would encourage you not to get frustrated, go slow, and stay patient.

I had my total gastrectomy on Jan 6th and ran my first mile Feb 16th and finished 4th in a Sprint Triathlon May 20th.  It’s also worth mentioning, through over 10 events, I scored my 2nd best time.

I sound “braggy”…. But – the reason I share this is because I remember early January feeling much doubt and not sure if I would ever run again. So, I share this to provide hope that you can still live a fantastic exciting life without a stomach.

Please don’t take this as gospel – meaning – this isn’t a one-size-fits-all. Everyone is different. Go slow and listen to your body. When in doubt, take a day off and rest. Also – please note that recovery is much more intense post opp. Example – I used to work out 6 days a week. Now – I can currently work out 3 days a week or so.

After about two weeks after the surgery, I started walking a mile or so every other day. Then, I would walk a mile, two days in a row, followed by a day off. Then 1.5 miles, or 2 miles. I would then increase the speed of my walks. I would build up to about an 18min/mile pace, then 16min mile pace, then 14 min mile pace. I would walk slow for a mile, then speed up to 14min mile pace (feels like your speed walking) and I would do that for a mile or so, then slow back down to normal walking pace. After you do that for a few weeks, you should feel like you either need to keep doing it, or you feel like it’s too easy and you’re ready for a jog. Make sure you warm up well – then job for a few minutes. Feel your body. If it hurts, go back to walking, if it doesn’t, keep jogging for a mile or so. They key is to take it easy and don’t overdo it. Your body will respond very well if you lightly train and take recovery days seriously. I kept it that way and in no time – I was up to running 4 miles (April 3rd). My pace is much slower, but it feels so amazing to go out and run knowing everything we have been through.

Swimming was a bit uncomfortable for some time. Since I had open surgery, the healing takes a while. It wasn’t until April 20th that I was able to swim 1,500 meters without pain. It’s still tight when I first start swimming, but it feels fine after a few minutes of warm up.

Nutrition during training:

I struggled with drinking water early on. Strangely enough, once my heart rate goes up and I sweat a bit – I can drink much more easily. I don’t even really think about it when I drink while training. Same is true with my sugar drinks while training. They have not given me issues assuming I “need” them due to hard effort. While you introduce “nutrition” on your longer sessions, be cautious and don’t overdo it. Perhaps sip on your drink one day at home to ensure it will sit well.  Your body will also change quickly.  Example: I used to drink Gatorade G2 the first few weeks after surgery.  Now – it can’t drink it as it makes me run to the bathroom. Not sure what changed – but it’s a no go. Gatorade Endurance gives me no issues, but I only drink it during training sessions.

My goal is to do a full Ironman in the next couple of years. Stay tuned for more details during the journey! If you have questions – message me on Twitter https://twitter.com/GoWithoutYoGut

5/20/2018 – Seventeen Weeks Post Total Gastrectomy

Hey Ya’ll. I just finished a Sprint Triathlon. I came in 4th out of 26 in my age group. Crazy – I posted my 2nd fastest time! That means, I beat out 9 other Triathlons where I had my stomach.  I’m beyond happy with the race as I gave hard effort the entire time. I’m looking forward to completing a few more of these and further increase my fitness.  I’m toying with the idea of doing a full Ironman in the next few years. Stay tuned!