what would you do regarding a this riding dilemma

so if you were feeling OK would you do it

  • yes

    Votes: 38 86.4%
  • no

    Votes: 6 13.6%

  • Total voters
    44
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surfdude

Veteran
Location
cornwall
i got stung by a bee on Sunday and it got infected . swelling of my fore arm went up to 48 cm . most of that has know gone due to lots of antibiotics . i saw the doctor today and asked him could i do the London to Brighton ride with my mates this weekend . his advice was against doing it . now knowing he is a keen rider i asked what he would do in my place and said no doubt he would do it .
 

Kestevan

Last of the Summer Winos
Location
Holmfirth.
I'd do it.

But then I rode Manchester to Blackpool the day after dislocating my knee, so I may not be the best role model.....
By the time I got to the end my whole leg had doubled in size.........
 

Fubar

Legendary Member
i got stung by a bee on Sunday and it got infected . swelling of my fore arm went up to 48 cm . most of that has know gone due to lots of antibiotics . i saw the doctor today and asked him could i do the London to Brighton ride with my mates this weekend . his advice was against doing it . now knowing he is a keen rider i asked what he would do in my place and said no doubt he would do it .

Do it. Most clinicians are risk-adverse (or adverse at advising patients to take risks) so he will have given his advice on the basis that you won't come back and sue him when it all goes wrong - which it won't. Enjoy your ride* ;)

*Disclaimer: if the OP collapes or suffers any cycle-induced injuries I claim no responsibility for any advice given
 

Milkfloat

An Peanut
Location
Midlands
Doctors are the worst at following sensible advice - what they have to say compared to what they mean can be different. I would be doing the ride and try not to think about it. There are always bail out options, but I would not dwell on it at all.
 
Dissenting voice here.

You're going to be able to finish the ride, if you feel good at the beginning. But these things deplete your immune system so you risk the infection coming back with a vengeance.

Well, actually it depends: is it a long ride for you? Are you going to be riding hard or at a leisurely pace? I'd do it, as long as it was a my pace. But I wouldn't attempt a ride that was considerably longer than any I'd done recently.
 

swee'pea99

Squire
Did you ask why he was advising against? Seems odd to me. It was a sting; now it's gone down; end of, no?

Have a nice time in Brighton. (You know you're going, so...)
 

twentysix by twentyfive

Clinging on tightly
Location
Over the Hill
Should be OK if you feel OK. Have you finished the course of Anti Biotics yet? They can mess you about........
 
I had a friend who got bitten by an insect on the Thames**. Something on the insect or on her arm got into her bloodstream, and 2 days later she was admitted to hospital and put on an antibiotic drip. Lots of people get cuts or bites around there, very few get hospitalised, so I assume her immune system was compromised in some way. I'd assume the same with @surfdude - rather than a reaction to the sting itself.

Also recently, I flew across the world to <very sad event>. With the combination of jet lag and grief, my immunity went down the toilet, and I ended up with cellulitis for the only time in my life, that took 3 courses of antibiotics to clear.

@surfdude, you'll almost certainly be fine if you do the ride. There's just a small chance of a very bad outcome indeed.

**downstream of Mogden, so effectively an open sewer.
 

SeanM

Active Member
Location
Liverpool
If it was an allergic reaction you'd be fine, but if it's blood poisoning i'd be inclined to give it a miss personally.
 

Jayaly

Senior Member
Location
Hertfordshire
I tried to keep working, looking after kids, riding my bike etc through a throat infection and wound up in hospital with a peri-tonsillar abcess. Not fun.
 

w00hoo_kent

One of the 64K
If I felt OK, I'd probably do it. It's with mates, let them know the issues, don't let them push you to a pace you don't like and don't let them all drop you. Be aware of your bail out options and have fun.
If I felt a bit iffy I'd give it a miss and use the antibiotics as the perfect excuse.

But again, not the perfect example here, I once completed a long distance motorbike ride with a possibly broken foot after a minor spill on the way to the start. I'd taken the boot off and poked it a bit then decided it was 'OK' and got the boot back on quick while I still could, fixed the bent footpeg with a stop at a dealers during the event and the following morning when it had all finished (20 odd hours later) had to spend a day at a mates house because when I took the boot off a second time I couldn't get it back on for 24 hours. During the event the mate I was riding with had to go and get my card stamped because I couldn't put enough weight on my foot to get on and off of the bike. Fortunately it wasn't the gear change side.
 
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