Day Ninety One

It's been a busy weekend moving from Bicester to Swindon and I can't believe how much 'stuff' we have accumulated in such a short space of time!! But we have had so much help and it's reminded us again how blessed we are to have such amazing family and friends around us :) We're staying with Dave's Mum for a few days until our new place is ready.

We drove Andrew & Orla to the airport this afternoon and were really sorry to see them go - it's been so good to have them here for the weekend.

Healthwise, I have been feeling very tired this week and there are times when I've found it hard to keep my eyes open during the day (which is very unlike me!). I had quite a few bone or joint pains over the last few days, especially through Friday night, but thankfully they seem to have eased off today. I'm glad the consultant warned me so I knew it was just a side effect of the new drugs.

Can't beleive it's Sunday evening already - wishing you all a good week ahead!

Day Ninety

Just a quick post to let you know that Sharon has been in good health today. However, she has been tired and is currently asleep - not surprising really given that it has been a busy day for all of us with our move to Swindon today.

A BIG Thank You to Tommy, Andrew & Orla for your willingness to travel all this way to help us out and for all your hard work today. And yes, congratulations on the rugby result!

Also, Thank You to Mum, Andrea & Ashley for all your help today.

Day Eighty Nine

Apologies I didn't get to update the blog last night but I was extremely tired and couldn't stay awake past 8pm :( The ultrasound went really well and they confirmed that the tumour has shrunk to half the original size, which is amazing news!! They also inserted a metal coil into the middle of the tumour to mark where it is when it comes to surgery, in case it shrinks even more in the meanwhile! Thank you so much to Andrea who came to London with me.

The after effects of the chemotherpy have been really mild so far and even with less anti-sickness tablets I haven't felt sick at all. I have been really tired though and have had a lot of flu like pains today - I had been told to expect joint pains 3 to 4 days after treatment.

It's been amazing to see family from home today, Tommy came this afternoon with a van load of my stuff from Cork and Andrew and Orla arrived this evening to help us with the move. Tomorrow we'll be moving our things from Bicester to Swindon - although Dave is insisting that I disappear for the day and leave the men do all the moving!

Day Eighty Seven

Yesterday was a long, difficult day - we left home just after 6am and got back just before 9pm. I found the treatment (and especially the ice cap) very long but one of the pre-med drugs they gave me really knocked me out and that helped a lot and meant it wasn't as painful. I wasn't fully with it all afternoon (my husband says he couldn't tell the difference!) and I was exhausted last night. Thank you to Dave & Heather for bearing with me all day :)

But I really feel the benefits of the new chemotherapy drug today - I slept well last night, don't have as many anti-sickness tablets to take and fell really well today! The best news is that the consultant said that the tumour is continuing to shrink and I'm going back to London tomorrow to have an ultrasound scan to measure the progress.

Heather left this afternoon - it was so good to have her here the last few days and she helped us so much with packing and being there with us yesterday. Thank you Heath :) We're really looking forward to Tommy, Andrew & Orla coming over this weekend to help with the move.

Thank you to everyone for your messages, texts, calls etc - they mean so much to us.

Day Eighty-Six (Chemotherapy 5)

Just a quick note to let you know that Sharon is back home after her 5th chemo session.... 5 down, 3 to go!

All went well, but as it is a different drug to previous treatments, she experienced some different side effects - namely feeling very light headed and drowsy during the treatment. She also endured 5 hours with the infamous pink hat which froze her scalp at -6C.....

Very tired right now, but she will update you herself tomorrow, God-willing.

As mentioned yesterday, please do not send anything by post to our address in Bicester as we are moving this weekend.

Day Eighty Five

We've had a busy day today packing and boxing all our things up as we're moving to Swindon next week for the time being. Heather has been a huge help getting things ready to move and we got quite a lot of it done today.

Please note that our address will no longer be in Bicester as of this weekend.

Off to bed now to get some rest for tomorrow - Chemotherapy number 5! We see the consultant in London at 8:30 so it will be an early start and a long day as I'm starting a new drug which takes 3 hours to administer. That means about 2 hours longer than normal with the ice-cap, which I'm really not looking forward too :(

Thank you to everyone for your support & prayers - I really need them!

Day Eighty Four

It's been a lovely weekend. We spent Saturday in Swindon and were spoiled by Dave's Mum - again! Dave & Steve went to see Swindon beat Carlisle 2-0 yesterday afternoon (sorry Steve!). We went to see Ann this morning on the way to the airport and enjoyed some amazing sausage sandwiches. We then popped up to Birmingham to pick Heather up. It's so good to have her here as I haven't seen her since Christmas. Ashley & Nicky came all the way up to Bicester this evening to see us and we enjoyed our time together talking about Ashley's love of garden centres :)

Healthwise, I'm feeling much better. Although I'm still not fully recovered, the tablets are making a huge difference so I'm very glad I went to see the doctor for what I thought was something quite minor.

Day Eighty Two

Thankfully I have been feeling much better today and the medication definitely seems to be helping. I'm not 100% right yet but so much better than the past few days. Thank you to everyone for your calls & messages of support....we really appreciate them.

I'm very glad it's Friday and Dave's long journeys to work are over for this week. Really looking forward to spending the weekend with him and especially to seeing Heather on Sunday :)

Day Eighty One

I've been feeling so much better today and it looks like the tablets are making a difference. The pain is still there but nowhere near as painful as it has been the last few days. It's been nice to be up and doing things today rather than stuck on the sofa all day :)

Dave's Mum cooked us a fabulous dinner (and desert & cake) and sent it home with Dave this evening - thank you so much Marilyn...it was delicious :) I have been able to eat more today and don't have as much pain after eating so hopefully I'm on the mend :)

Day Eighty

The deputy blog writer is on duty here tonight as Sharon is asleep.

Unfortunately, she is still not feeling well with this stomach pain. She had another blood test today, but the preliminary results from yesterday's test came back with good signs with the white blood cell count showing normal (which is great news). The hospital in London were contacted today and the result is that she now has some new tablets to take, to hopefully knock this situation into play quickly. God-willing you can read the entry tomorrow and hear that she is feeling better :)

Thank you for your calls, texts, and comments that have been left for Sharon..... we both appreciate the love and support of so many people.

Day Seventy Nine

I haven't been feeling so well today :( I've been feeling sick and have pains my stomach - I'm not sure if it's a bug that I picked up or side effects from the chemotherapy. I went to the doctor this afternoon & she took blood tests to check it out. So I've spent the whole day on the sofa, watching the Winter Olympics & whatever else was on daytime tv!! Just hoping this will clear up quickly in time for my next chemo this day next week.

Day Seventy Seven

It's been lovely to spend the weekend with Dave and have some relaxing time together after the busyness of the last few weeks. He took me out for lunch today to the restaurant we used to meet at when I was working in Kettering a few years ago - a really amazing Indian buffet lunch!

We watched the rugby this afternoon & Huggy came over for a few hours - it was great to see him again. Weekends just go too quickly & it's back to Monday morning again tomorrow ....hope you all have a good week :)

Day Seventy Six

Lazy day today with just popping out for a short while and then back to the house to watch the Six Nations on TV. Not a good day though if you are an Irish or Scottish rugby supporter :(

Colin came up to Bicester and watched the rugby with us - it was lovely to see him. Healthwise, I have been doing extremely well and less tired than I was yesterday.

Thank you for all the emails, text messages, cards & postcards that I've received today. Stuck for words really that people should care so much.

Day Seventy Five

The end of another week.... starting with Peta here last weekend, seeing the return of some more snow mid-week, seeing my work colleagues for a few hours on Wednesday, doing some admin jobs for Dave and now the prospect of relaxing for the weekend.

I must admit to feeling quite tired today and spent a lot of the day in my dressing gown. However, I am feeling fine and very grateful for the level of health I have right now.

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Day Seventy Three

I had great day today - I went to work to see everyone for the first time in 3 months. It was lovely to see everybody and catch up with everything that's been going on. I spent most of the day there and was pretty tired by the time I left but I'm so glad I got to go.

It has reminded me that I work with a really great bunch of people. It's given me a real lift to see you all today - thank you so much for all your encouragement and support :)

Day Seventy Two

I don't have a lot to update today but I wanted to let you know that I am continuing to feel well & I seem to have coped really well with last week's chemotherapy.

I also want to say a huge Thank you to everyone who reads this blog and keeps up to date with my progress. We are continually amazed by the number of people, from so many different places and parts of our life who let us know that they are reading the blog. We are very grateful to everyone for your love, concern and support. This experience has taught us again how blessed we are to have so many amazing people in our lives :)

Peta left this afternoon and I took her to the airport - thank you Peta for being here and for your amazing friendship! And it's lovely to have my husband home again this evening :)

Day Seventy One

It's been snowing here today... just when we thought the weather was warming up! We had quite a few snow showers today but thankfully none of them settled.

I've been sleeping much better the last two nights and the soreness has gone, which is great. I went for a doctor's appointment this morning but apart from that we haven't ventured out too far over the last couple of days. It's been lovely to spend time with Peta and I think she's enjoyed the rest from work & being able to put her feet up...in between baby's kicks!

Really looking forward to seeing Dave tomorrow evening as he's been away since Friday :(

Day Sixty Nine

Really looking forward to a good night's sleep tonight - the medication I take for 3 days after chemotherapy includes steroids which keep me awake at night! I woke at 3am this morning and couldn't get back to sleep :( I'm very glad they're finished now and I should be able to get back to normal sleeping patterns!

It's been lovely to spend time with Peta today & I'm so delighted she could come over from Dublin for a few days. We went into Oxford this afternoon, had lunch and looked around the shops for a couple of hours, then back home to relax and chill out for the evening.

I've been feeling well today (apart from being tired!) but my skin is quite tender & sore to touch - assuming it's just due to all the chemicals in my body at the moment.

Day Sixty Eight

I've had a lovely, relaxing day with Peta today....she's looking amazing and it's so exciting to think she's going to be a Mum in 3 and a half months :)

We got out and about to the post office and supermarket this morning but apart from that just spent the day chilling out and catching up (I even tried my hand at flower arranging!!). It's also been lovely to catch up with family & friends on the phone & skype this evening.

I've been feeling well today and have just taken the last of my medication for this cycle so hopefully I will continue to improve over the next few days.

Dave has taken the opportunity to visit friends in Edinburgh this weekend as Peta is here to look after me. Hoping he has a great time with Mez and Miriam and the girls and enjoys the break from looking after me.

The post man came to the door with a special package this afternoon - Thank you so much to John & Eunice for the lovely gifts you sent - it was very thoughtful of you :)

Day Sixty Seven

I think Dave should do my blog every day....he's much better at it than I am :)

I've been feeling quite well since my chemo on Tuesday - I feel a bit nauseous first thing in the morning but once I start taking my medication I don't felt sick or dizzy and have been eating really well. Marilyn is looking after me really well as always! And Andrea & Dave accompanied me to the clinic yesterday evening for my 24 hour injection.

My aunt recommended that I tick each session off the list once it's done and it really helps :) I'm half way through the chemotherapy now which is a huge milestone!!

I have had 4 cycles of receiving two different drugs and will move to a third drug for another 4 cycles, starting on Feb 23rd. This one will take longer to administer so it will be a longer day but the good news is that I will have it every 2 weeks instead of every 3 weeks and the side effects are meant to be milder.

I'm really looking forward to seeing Peta this evening & spending a few days relaxing & catching up with her.

Day Sixty Five (Chemotherapy 4)

Sharon's little helper on duty today and posting a quick entry on her blog.

Sharon had her fourth chemo session today at the Royal Marsden in London. With the exception of the "cool-cap" things went well and the use of the portacath was a lot easier than previous visits. The cool cap appeared to be quite uncomfortable today, but I am amazed at my wife's grit and determination to carry on with it.

We had a meeting with the consultant oncologist again this morning and he was encouraged by her progress. From a quick examination, he believes the tumour is continuing to reduce in size, which was obviously very powerful news for us both to hear.

Back in Swindon tonight, so that I can call on two very special nurses (my Mum and sister) to be around for Sharon the next day or so before heading up to pick Peta up from the airport on Thursday.

I know this must sound quite tiresome and repetitive, but we are GENUINELY so thankful to everyone for your love, support and prayers. We have been reminded again today that God is very much in control of this situation. On that note, time to retire to bed after a good day :-)

Day Sixty Four

I got up early yesterday - to watch the Australian Open tennis...pity Andy Murray didn't make it! We came down to Swindon in the afternoon & had a great time catching up with friends. It was lovely to see Duncan and Andrea back from Portugal for a few days (sorry we didn't get a chance to take a photo!).

Marilyn, Andrea, Dave & I went to Ashley & Nicky's for tea - Nicky is an amazing cook and we all loved the fabulous chocolate fudge cake & chocolate tarts :) Thank you so much for tea & we hope your heating gets fixed really soon!

Today has just been resting ready for tomorrow - I spent the day at Dave's Mums house and was really pleased I got to see Betty & Maurice and Kate.

Tomorrow is my fourth chemotherapy session out of eight. I'm so glad it seems to be going so quickly & looking forward to what the consultant has to say tomorrow. Hopefully it will be a lot easier now that the Portocath has been fitted. We need to there for 10:30am so we'll leave early and hoping it won't be too long a day.