Day Two Hundred & Thirteen

I started a new phase of radiotherapy today - the first 15 sessions covered the whole breast & neck area and the next 5 are specific to the place where the tumour originally was. It's much quicker than the previous treatments and there's only 4 left to go already!! My skin is starting to get quite red and apparently it will be worst about 10 days after the main treatment is over but thankfully it hasn't been sore as yet.

Thinking of our friend Jessie so much today as she under goes surgery for breast cancer this afternoon.

Day Two Hundred & Eleven

It's the start of my last week of radiotherapy & I'm really looking forward to counting down the days :)

Dave came home on Saturday evening & it's really great to have him back at last! Thankfully, his back seems to be much better than it was, although it's still not fully right. We spent the day at Dave's Mum's yesterday, having a BBQ, sitting in the garden, enjoying the fabulous sunshine and .....better not to mention the football :(

We're staying in Oxford this evening to save some travel (for me) & back home tomorrow afternoon.

Day Two Hundred & Eight

It's Friday and it feels great to get to the end of another week of radiotherapy...... and even better to realise there are only 6 sessions left!! I've been feeling well all this week and not too sore or tired but I have been missing my husband. Really looking forward to seeing him tomorrow :)

The weather has been amazing this week so it's been lovely to get out and enjoy it - I went round for a BBQ with Marilyn & Andrea yesterday evening & had a great time relaxing in the garden & enjoying the sunshine. I had a lovely time with Nicky this evening & really enjoyed our walk & chat.

Day Two Hundred & Six

12 down - 8 to go! Over half way there on radiotherapy and it's great to be on the count down already. I'm still feeling well and not too tired or sore as yet, although I know it accumulates over time. The staff are lovely and I'm really getting to know them well by now.

As Dave is away, I stayed in Oxford for the last two nights to save some travelling. I got to go to work yesterday afternoon and it was fantastic to see everybody there. I was amazed by the number of people who said they had been reading my blog regularly.....200 days on. Thank you SO much to everyone at RCI (and ICE) for your amazing support & encouragement :)

I haven't spoken to Dave much since he's been away but his back seems to be a bit better - I've been missing him a lot & looking forward to seeing him in 3 days time :)

PS. Well done to England on the great result today!! I'm sure there will be a lot of very happy & relieved people around this evening :)

Day Two Hundred & Three

Unfortunately, Dave has had to go away with work for the next week :( He left for Morocco at lunchtime today and plans to be back next Saturday, although that could change... His back is still causing him a lot of pain but it does seem to be slightly better....already counting down the days until he comes home!!

I'm almost half way there on radiotherapy - tomorrow will be my tenth session out of 20! So far it's been going well and I'm doing ok with travelling. I'm planning to stay in Oxford tomorrow night as my appointment is in the late afternoon so it will save two journeys.

Day Two Hundred

Wow - it's hard to believe it's 200 days since I started treatment! Well, I think it's 200....given my 'chemo brain' over the last few months, I wouldn't be surprised if I had miscalculated a day here or there :) Unfortunately, now that the drugs are wearing off I don't have an excuse for doing silly things any more!! Although sometimes I wonder if the ice cap killed off some of my brain cells permanently......

Dave's back seems to be slightly better today and we even went for a very short walk this evening - the first time in 2 weeks. Radiotherapy is still going well & I was seen on time today. I had a review with the doctor yesterday and she was very happy with everything.

It is good to have a routine after such a long time out of routine. Generally I get up at 7:45, drop Dave to work, leave home again at 11am, drive to Oxford, have treatment around 12:30 (depending on how the schedule is running) and get back home for anywhere between 2 and 3pm. Then I have a couple of hours before picking Dave up from work. I am more tired than normal but only in the evenings -I go to bed at about 9:30 or 10 (which is early for me) & sleep a full 8 or 9 hours.

One Hundred & Ninety Eight

It's ten weeks ago today since I had my last chemotherapy and the drugs are definitely leaving my system. Over the last two or three weeks, my hair has started to thicken, my eyebrows have grown back (thicker than ever!) and I have eye lashes again!! It's amazing to see how quickly the body readjusts - and to realise how much of an effect the drugs have had over the last few months. It's fantastic to be finished that part of my treatment & to see things getting back to normal :)

Radiotherapy went well today - I had a bit of a wait & was there for about an hour and a half in the end. Thank you to Charis for the audio books you gave me....they really help to pass the time on the journey back and forth to Oxford!

Day One Hundred & Ninety Seven

Today's radiotherapy session went really well - I got there 35 minutes early and 4 other patients hadn't turned up yet so I got in ahead of everyone else and was out really quickly. It was great to have Andrea keeping me company on the journey today.

Dave finally gave in to our persuasion to see a doctor about his back - and now wishes he hadn't.... the doctor saw him for 2 minutes and concluded that back problems tend to go away!! No painkillers or anything!

We went to Bath yesterday for Dave's cousin's first communion and got to see some of Dave's extended family we hadn't seen for a long time and we really enjoyed catching up with everyone.

Day One Hundred & Ninety Four

It's the end of a busy week (in comparison to the last few months) and it's good to have a couple of days off to relax. 4 treatments done and 16 to go....looking forward to July 5th already!

Talking & listening to some of the people waiting for radiotherapy, I realise again how fortunate I am. A man in his 70's with an inoperable brain tumour, on his 6th week of radiotherapy. Another man who has kidney cancer, has lost both his kidneys & is on dialysis 3 days a week & radiotherapy for a tumour in his jaw. And lots of other cases I don't know about. But the most amazing thing was their attitude - laughing & joking & praising the staff looking after them. It's very humbling & challenging to see.

Dave is still in a lot of pain with his back but says it's a bit better than yesterday. Hopefully, he will be able to rest it a bit over the weekend.

Day One Hundred & Ninety Three

Today's radiotherapy was at 4pm but I got there early & they were running behind schedule so I ended up having to wait over an hour to go in. The treatment took about half an hour as they were adjusting the machine so I had pins & needles in my arm by the time I was finished!! Just one more to go this week - 12pm tomorrow.

Dave's back is still very painful but he's sitting watching the world cup concert at the moment.....it all kicks off tomorrow so it's football for the next 4 weeks :) He was due to go away to Tanzania with work during June but thankfully it looks like it's been postponed now so he will be here for the duration of my radiotherapy - which we're both very pleased about!

Day One Hundred & Ninety Two

2 down - 18 to go! I'm just back from my second radiotherapy session & everything went really well. It took a little longer yesterday as it was the first day and they needed to set up the machines - they were also running behind schedule so I was in there for a couple of hours in all. This morning was much more straightforward and I was in & out within 20 minutes.

The radiotherapy itself is very easy & just takes a couple of minutes once they have me in the right position on the machine - to the exact millimeter. The most difficult bit was having to raise my arms over my head for 20 minutes yesterday! I wouldn't have been able to do that a few weeks ago :)

Dave's back is still bad but he still travelled up to Oxford to stay with me last night.....Thank you Dave :) And Thank You to everyone for all your encouraging texts yesterday - we really appreciate them :)

Day One Hundred & Ninety One (Radiotherapy 1)

Today will be my first radiotherapy session in Oxford at 2:30pm - we're staying in Oxford tonight as tomorrow's session is at 9am so it avoids battling the rush hour traffic. Most days radiotherapy is at around 12:30pm which is great as it means I don't have to get up too early or get caught up in traffic.

It will be strange to try to get back into a routine everyday after the last few months but it's good practice! I'm told to expect tiredness towards the end of the treatment as it builds up over the four weeks and can last for quite a while once the treatment is over but apart from that and red / sore skin it will definitely be a lot easier than surgery & chemotherapy. It was great to be able to chat to Charis about it over the weekend as she's a qualified radiotherapist / radiographer (sorry Charis I always forget which is which!!)

It was lovely to catch up with Nicky for coffee yesterday & with Steve & Ruth last night. Dave's back is still giving him a lot of pain - it's been sore since Friday so we hope & pray it will improve really soon.

Day One Hundred & Eighty Nine

I made it back to the UK last night after a really great 10 days in Ireland. It was so good to spend time with family & friends and to spend the last couple of days with Dave & Peta & baby Rebekah :)

I got to see Charis yesterday afternoon as she picked me up from Peta's, we went for a lovely al fresco lunch and she dropped me to the airport yesterday evening. It was great to catch up!

But it was really nice to come home to see my husband last night :) He's got a sore back at the moment so has to take things easy - hopefully it will improve really soon.

We have a couple of days to settle down before starting radiotherapy on Tuesday afternoon and get into the routine of travelling to & from Oxford. In some ways it's great to be starting off on the final leg of this journey - and more than anything looking forward to finishing in a month's time!!

Day One Hundred & Eighty Six

It's been so amazing to spend time with Peta & Dave the last 24 hours and to meet baby Rebekah! She is beautiful....so tiny & so cute :) She was 1 week old yesterday & it's a privilege to be able to share in some of her eariest days....I get all the good bits & managed to sleep through the night while Mummy & Daddy looked after her changes & feeds!!

I'm here until Saturday & then head back to the UK in time to start radiotherapy on Tuesday. Healthwise, I've been doing very well, although my arm is still a little tight & sore when I stretch fully. I haven't been as good as I should be at doing my physio excercises so I need to work on that over the next few days so that I can stretch properly for radiotherapy.

Day One Hundred & Eight Four

It's been great to spend time with family and friends back in Cork the last few days. I had a lovely time this afternoon catching up with Rachel who is just back from Canada - it was fantastic to see her after more than a year! And it's been great to spend time with Heather & Tommy & the girls this evening.

I'm travelling to Dublin tomorrow to spend some time with Peta & Dave & baby Rebekah - can't wait to meet their little daughter :)