jlippinbike

I have never put much faith in doctors, or other specialists. If I have a problem, then I typically research the heck out of it and become something of an expert on the subject myself. I basically rely on doctors for surgery. Not much else. My cancer was/is a rare one. It affects only 5 people out of a million a year. It's not all that deadly if it does not metastasize. Oncologists that eliminate it from the eye, or who eliminate the eye altogether, are one type of oncologist. And then there is the "medical oncologist" who deals with the cancer after it has spread. I'm not aware of any doctor who knows what causes my type of cancer. So if they don't know, then what good are they when it comes to supporting my idea?

Heart disease and cancer are by far the leading causes of death in the United States. See https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/lea...s-of-death.htm. Until I was diagnosed with a tumor in my left eye this past June I thought I was pretty much invincible. Unfortunately, no longer. I've been doing some reading and studying on the subjects of health, exercise, diet, insulin resistance, fatty liver disease, stress, inflammation, heart disease, and cancer. And I looked at my physical condition, and the physical condition of many of those people doing long brevet rides like I have been doing. I'm not so sure aiming for a K-Hound award is a healthy thing to pursue. And I'm still trying to make sense of it. I certainly do not want to give up riding my bikes. But I don't want to be an idiot and try to kill myself either.

While it is true that overtraining syndrome is not all that common, it is also true that overtraining runs rampant and is usually cut back on BEFORE one falls prey to OTS. The overtraining I'm talking about is not merely overstretching. Instead it is overstretching time and time again, but not enough to trigger the chronic condition known as OTS. It's one thing to ride a 600k brevet that you are not really up to completing. That's overstretching. But what about riding a 200k brevet each day for 12 consecutive days? I'd say most will agree that that is overtraining. Will it cause the rider to fall into OTS. I doubt it. But riding 12x200k in 12 days will give you and overdose of oxidative stress I bet. Some oxidative stress is good. In fact, it's great. It's the way the body works. But too much of a good thing is usually bad. And an overdoes of oxidative stress. Is not good.

Just because my eye cancer was called a melanoma does not mean that sun light or infrared rays cause it. Skin cancer and eye cancer share the name melanoma because the cancer forms in pigmented tissue. That is the only commonality they have. My tumor was in the back of my eye. No sun light got back there to screw things up. But something did cause it. And no doctor has the answer. So I'm left trying to piece together the fact of my case and make some theories.

The responses in this forum string have been very helpful to me. Whether or not I agree with everything stated by the posters is not important. I got some perspective on my thoughts, and I am very grateful for all of the contributions. Thank you!!