First week

Sunday 13 miles,  a little faster because I felt stronger.  Very tired afterwards.

Monday afternoon did 11.5 miles, including a few gentle hills.  Tried to use slightly higher gear to develop muscles. Felt strong and not knackered afterwards. Is it different in the afternoon compared to the morning?

Tuesday 11.5 miles. Felt OK but not great.

Wednesday had a protein breakfast for a change instead of cereal etc. 11 miles but felt somewhat tired.

Thursday I played table-tennis for an hour.  Very vigorously. Felt tired but OK afterwards. 

Overall I think I feel a little fitter and stronger,  but time will tell. 

Ring, ring, ring

My mother rang last night to see how much muscle I'd put on in the last three days…

Measurements

I measured myself.

Waist 104.5cm

Thigh 51.5cm

Chest 106.5cm

I weigh 87.7kg and I'm 1.79m tall.

I figure I should probably weigh about 80kg, but I've been somewhat overweight for a number of years. Recent changes to my diet have seen my weight drop by 2 or 3 kg. Hoping to continue that trend, while still building muscle.

I also took some photos (which I will spare you) for comparison purposes later. 

Here's a photo of the device though. The green handle with dose-setter,  the drug cartridge and the Apollo capsule at the end which contains a disposable needle.  

Second day

I did the deed before breakfast.  It literally took 2 minutes from start to finish.

About 10am I went out for a ride.  I was tired after 5 or 6 flattish miles and retraced my route home for a total of 11 miles. That's not terrible, but no improvement on last week. But I know that I do have stronger and weaker days anyway.

I need to keep it up for a few weeks and see if there's improvement,  so I intend to ride most days.

First dose

I hate needles,  but I need to inject daily.

I use a device called SurePal which helpfully hides the needle,  but have to change needles for each injection.

The device is like a thick pen and holds the drug cartridge.  Each cartridge has 5 doses (for me) and the whole has to be stored in the fridge.

A very helpful nurse (thanks Lucy!) came to instruct me. Once I'd practiced on a lump of sponge I was allowed to inject myself.  I barely felt it and there was almost no bleeding despite the blood thinners I take.

No noticeable side-effects. So far, so good.

Background

I'm a 62 year old male,  generally fit.  I normally cycle daily - an average of about 10 miles per day every day when I'm well. When I cycle-tour I average 55 miles a day for two or three weeks with about 35lbs of luggage.

After pituitary surgery in summer 2015, I struggled to get back to my normal fitness levels. I was eventually diagnosed with a shortage of IGF-1 and prescribed Somatropin.