Tag: DCM

Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy (DCM) which causes narrowing of the cervical spinal canal, leading to chronic spinal cord compression and resultant neurologic disability.

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Pain, Cycling & Hospital | Garry McGivern: February 2026 Update

Garry McGivern in Bognor Regis with a blue sky and trees

Monthly Update From Garry McGivern

My monthly update for February 2026, another wet month, so I’ve continued on from last month, updating my website and YouTube channel. More sciatic pain, which probably isn’t sciatic pain. I’m still waiting for a date for my hip operation. The shorts have been out, fish and chips and the month finishes on a good note.

Seeing as it has been so wet and my sciatica was still playing me up, even more so this month than last. I continued to update my website and YouTube channel. I can’t believe how many times I seem to have fish and chips when I’m away camping. It doesn’t seem to matter where I am (in the UK), I always seem to be off to the chip shop. I also found an old video I took when I was in India in 2011, which reminded me of the state of the UK roads at the moment.

Bloody Pain

As I mentioned earlier, it’s been a pretty wet month, which meant I was unable to cycle far. Which I was quite happy with, as I couldn’t anyway. My leg pain has been pretty bad, and that’s despite upping my nerve blockers to the max. I must admit I was getting pretty fed up when the weather improved, and I couldn’t get out on my bike. I even tried walking, and although I never had the leg pain. It was hard going.

Garry McGivern a windy day along Felpham seafront with a rough sea
A rough day at the beach

Every day (when it wasn’t wet), I would head out on my bike, thinking this would be the day when my leg pain would disappear. And every day after, less than a mile, my leg would hurt. As I cycled along, I would shift about on my saddle. Trying to find a position where my leg wouldn’t hurt. Sitting up straight and leaning down still had no effect. No matter how I tried to cycle, there was no getting away from this pain, apart from when I wasn’t peddling.

Hospital

I had an appointment at the hospital for my myelopathy, not my regular one. This one was with the big boss of Muskeatelatol. And after spending an hour being prodded, poked, and stretched every which way. The conclusion was that my hip needs to be fixed before anything else, as that is the one causing me the most grief. And the pain in my leg isn’t sciatic, and is coming from my hip. But until I get operated on, nobody will know for definite. And to quote Will the Muskeatlatol boss, “it’s not as if you have just one or two problems and we could point to where the issue is. You have 4 or 5!”

Things Are Looking Up

A week or so on from my hospital appointment, the weather improved, so once again I headed out on my bike. The leg pain wasn’t there, so I kept going and made it as far as Chichester. The furthest I’ve cycled in weeks. I was thinking of continuing on, but thought better of it and returned home, which was probably just as well. I was in a lot of pain on the return journey. But, but, but, I wondered if that was because I got off the bike a couple of times to go into some shops.

So the following day, which was lovely and sunny. In fact, it was so nice that the shorts were even out. They soon went away the following day, though. Anyway, I set off on the bike and headed for Chichester once more, but continued going this time. And got as far as Emsworth, which is probably about 17 miles, as I’d cycled 35 miles by the time I got home. However, I could feel my leg/hip could go at any time, which thankfully didn’t happen. Now I don’t know whether it was Muskeatelatol pulling and stretching me, or it’s the nerve blockers kicking in. And to be honest, I don’t care. I’m back out on my bike. Read my previous update from January.

Follow My Bicycle Touring Adventures

Subscribe to my blog and follow me as I travel around on my bike. Plus, as a subscriber, you’ll be among the first to receive news and updates on future tours. If you’re enjoying the ride and want to fuel my next mile, you can buy me a beer. And, of course, you can always follow me on social media: Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. I’m also on Flickr, where you’ll find pictures from all my tours, along with regular photo updates that I generally publish each month.

If you want to find out if I’m away touring at the moment and check my location, visit the Where’s Garry page.

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Sciatica, Myelopathy & Cycling | Garry McGivern: January 2026 Update

Garry McGivern January 2026 update standing by the sea in Felpham

Monthly Update From Garry McGivern

My monthly update for January 2026, well, what can I say? It’s been a quiet month, as far as cycling goes, that is. I’ve not been out anywhere as I’ve got bad sciatic pain. I relented to the doctors and am now on blood pressure tablets. I’ve got to go for more tests on my myelopathy. And I’ve spent much of the month on the laptop changing things around on my website and YouTube channel. Oh yes, and the weather hasn’t been great, which is to be expected, I suppose. After all, it is January.

Fingers Crossed

As I mentioned last month, just cycling to Chichester would hurt. Not hip pain, I think I’ve got that under control with all the painkillers I take. (which is probably enough to knock a rhinoserus out) No, I seem to get bad sciatic pain when I cycle now, which physio thinks is linked to my hip moving around, as I only get it when I ride my bike. I really hope it is my hip and not my back. But as Mike, my physio, says, we won’t know until you’ve had your hip done.

I already get a lot of sciatic pain in my left leg and have had several operations to cure it. (each has failed) But the pain these days is controlled with nerve blockers and was always better after a good ride. In fact, on a long tour, i.e., over 1000 miles, I could stop taking them altogether. Anyway, I’ve now increased my nerve blockers up to the max, hoping that they will work on the other leg. Unfortunately, they aren’t a quick fix, and I’ve only just started to up them. But hopefully by the end of next month, I’ll be back out on my bike.

Or even better still, I won’t be out cycling as I’ll be recovering from having my hip operation, which I somehow doubt, but you never know. The only good thing about not being able to cycle far is that it hasn’t exactly been cycling weather. And if I’m going to be off the bike, January is the best month, in theory!

Haggis neeps and tatties
Haggis, neeps and tatties, my Burns Night supper

At Least I Tried

After trying to get my blood pressure down on my own, which I thought I had, I decided to phone the doctors. After explaining that the hospital had told me to call them, they asked for the readings I’d been taking at home. Confident I’d got it down, I waited for the doctor to work out an average. Unfortunately, I hadn’t got it down far enough, and she said I think we need to put you on some medication to lower it. Blast, I thought I’d got it down enough. Ah, well, what’s another tablet to take? I’ll just add it to the ever-growing number of tablets I take. Although I am surprised they don’t investigate more. They just seem to give them out like Smarties. I do worry sometimes that all my painkillers hide too much.

Let’s Hope Not

Mike, my physio, who keeps an eye on my myelopathy, thought my myelopathy might be getting worse, on my last visit. The little finger on my right hand has started to numb up, the same as my left finger, which is a possible sign that my myelopathy is getting worse. So he’s talking about me having another nerve conduction test. I had one a few years ago before I was diagnosed.

At Least I Had Something To Do

Seeing as I’ve been unable to ride too far, I’ve been updating my YouTube channel. And while doing it, I couldn’t help but notice how many hospital and doctor’s appointments I’ve had over the years. Nearly every tour I’ve been on since 2018 seems to end with me having to return home for an appointment. Or the reason for not touring was that something was wrong with me. Ha, and in recent years, some of my tours have even been based around getting to a hospital appointment (Europe 2024)

Small dog with a toy
My little mate, Wilson

I’ve now added some new playlists to my YouTube channel in a bid to raise awareness and possibly help others. One charting my journey through sepsis and another documenting my journey with myelopathy, which is obviously still ongoing. I’ve even had Wilson, Julie’s daughter’s dog, sitting with me, seeing as I’m at home so much, and to keep me company.

Read my previous update from December.

Follow My Bicycle Touring Adventures

Subscribe to my blog and follow me as I travel around on my bike. Plus, as a subscriber, you’ll be among the first to receive news and updates on future tours. If you’re enjoying the ride and want to fuel my next mile, you can buy me a beer. And, of course, you can always follow me on social media: Facebook, Bluesky, Threads, X, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. I’m also on Flickr, where you’ll find pictures from all my tours, along with regular photo updates that I generally publish each month.

If you want to find out if I’m away touring at the moment and check my location, visit the Where’s Garry page.

Follow Garry on his travels

Subscribe to my email and follow me on my travels