March 30th

Yesterday I went to the GP and had my dressings removed - the nurse was really happy with me & said the wounds were healing beautifully! All the stitches are dissolve-able so I don't need to have them removed and only have a light covering on them at the moment. I see the surgeon and the oncologist next Tuesday in London so will have another full check up then.

Betty & Maurice took us out for a lovely lunch afterwards and it was really lovely to spend time with them. I also had a visit from Faith - thank you so much for coming to see me Faith & for the gorgeous roses :)

Mary came round today and took me out for coffee & a great chat so I have been very spoilt the last couple of days! Thank you :)

After all that activity, I have been resting up by reading & sitting in bed watching chick flicks that Sue loaned me....I need to watch them all before Dave gets home from Morocco (not sure chick flicks are his thing!).

March 28th

Yesterday was another lovely day with the Harris family - we went for lunch to celebrate Dave's uncle Andrew's 50th birthday & then sat in Sue's garden eating delicious chocolate cake, drinking coffee and taking in the fabulous March sunshine - it was like a Summer's day :)

Today was a bit more relaxed and I've just been resting, reading & surfing (the web!). It was great to catch up with Sharon this morning, a friend who was diagnosed with breast cancer at the start of this year and I was delighted to hear she is doing so well & almost finished her treatment already!

Thinking of Dave, Peta & Rebekah who are all suffering from a nasty bug at the moment - Get Well soon, you three :(

March 26th

We had an inpromptu Harris family reunion this afternoon - Dave's Aunts, Uncle & cousins; Sue, Julie, Sophie, Phil, Claire, Jon, Becks & Thomas came to see us and we had a lovely afternoon catching up :)

Thank you so much to everyone for coming to see us.

It was great to see everybody but especially Dave's cousin Sophie as we hadn't seen her for almost 3 years! It's just such a pity that Dave had to miss out - although we did conference him in from Morocco for a little while via Skype :(

March 25th

I've had a lovely day of visitors today. Nicky took me out for coffee this morning which was a really nice treat :) It was so warm & sunny, we even sat outside in the sunshine - it was like a Summer's day and it felt so good to be out in the fresh air for the first time in a couple of weeks.

Kate came to visit at lunchtime and brought some beautiful flowers. Thank you so much Kate - it was really good to see you :)

Ruth also came to see me and is was great to see her and hear about all the support, prayers and best wishes from the people at the BIAC. We are so indebted to you all. Thank you so much Ruth - I really appreciate you coming round in the middle of such a busy day & getting ready for the weekend & thank you for the lovely fruit :)

I'm feeling tired this evening but apart from that feeling really well. Planning on relaxing for the rest of the evening and catching up on some more reading.

March 24th

Last night we went back to London to see the surgeon for a follow up - he changed my dressings and removed some fluid that had built up on my back but he was very happy with my progress. I'll see him again in 2 weeks time & in the meanwhile, I just need to go to the GP next week to get my dressings removed.

Unfortunately, Dave has had to go to Morocco with work for the next week - he left at lunchtime today and isn't back until next Friday :( But he did take me out this morning to the library to stock up on books to read and for a lovely coffee at Starbucks :)

Apart from that just relaxing and taking things easy & it was so nice to have a visit from Sue this afternoon. Thank you so much for the flowers Sue :)

March 22nd

Today I have been really spoilt!

Thank you SO much to everyone at RCI who sent the beautiful flowers this morning :)

It was so thoughtful of you and really brightened my day & it's really nice to know people at work are thinking of me when I'm not there.

And then there was another knock at the door and a delivery of fabulous roses from Ashley and Nicky. Thank you so much!

Marilyn is a full time flower arranger now, looking after all the flowers for me. And they are all placed in the sitting room so that I can see them while I'm lying on the sofa reading or watching tv .... and eating the delicious Thornton's chocolates that Andy & Carla sent me - thank you :)

What a lazy lifestyle I'm leading!! I did manage to drag myself off the sofa for a short walk with Andrea this afternoon though :)

I really am overwhelmed by how generous and thoughtful everyone is and have had cards and messages from so many people it's very humbling. Thank you!

March 21st

It's great to be out!! It's so nice to see outside the 4 walls of the hospital room and feel like I'm getting back to normal life again :) I even had a short walk outside yesterday & today and it's been a real breath of fresh air (literally) to get out in the fabulous spring sunshine.

We're staying with Dave's Mum for a while so I'm being pampered by Marilyn, Andrea & Dave and not allowed to do anything!! My remit for the next few days and weeks is to rest, do my physio exercises 3 times a day and go for a walk every day. I'm quite stiff down my side and arm, especially when I wake in the mornings but I'm not in any pain, which I'm very thankful for.

Thank you so much to Mrs Jell who sent beautiful flowers around from the church for me this evening.

March 19th

Sharon's deputy back on duty tonight while she catches up on some well deserved rest following her busiest day of the week.

She was released from hospital this morning after having all the remaining drains removed and having all the dressings replaced. We were chauffeured back to Swindon courtesy of Ashley (who sacrificed playing golf on a beautiful springlike day - thanks Ash!)

Very tired now, so plan to just kick back and relax. I'm sure Sharon will be updating this better tomorrow.

March 18th

Thank You so much Nathan, Abi & Jonothan for the fabulous balloons you sent today :) It was such a lovely surprise when they popped out of the box and I saw your names on the balloon!! You are all very special and I will think of you everytime I look at the balloons.... I'm trying to hide the mini eggs from "Big" Dave though in case he eats them all :)

Thank you too to Charis for the beautiful flowers you sent yesterday, Heather for the orchid & Dave for the lilies and to everyone who has sent cards. When the consultant came in today he said it looks like I've moved in!!

Thankfully he had some very good news for us. The tumour was completely removed during surgery, he also removed some of the chest muscle to test and that was clear & the lab tests showed there was nothing else of concern in any of the tissue. It's such a huge relief that it's definitely all gone this time round! This is a big hurdle to be over and whilst we still face the decision of the oncologist on whether any further treatment is required, we will enjoy today's news!

I'm hoping to go home tomorrow morning once they remove the remaining 2 drains and change my dressings. I have been behaving myself and taking things easy today but it's been good to get up and have a shower and walk around a bit, especially after being confined to one room for a week.

March 17th

Happy St Patrick's Day! It's Sharon here - finally able to take over blog writing responsibilities from my husband :)

The last few days have been tough - especially Sunday but I thank God that all seems to be behind us now and day by day I feel I'm slowly improving & getting my strength back.

It's been a really good day today and I've had much more energy - I even had a bath, a walk around the corridors and a hairwash in the hospital's 'salon'! The nurses here have been amazing and have done everything from pampering to entertaining to looking after me in the most incredible way.

Dave has been amazing as always and has been by my side non stop for the past 6 days and it was so good to have Heather here too - especially with everything that happened on Sunday & Monday. Thank you all for your messages of love and support - they have been such an encouragement to both of us over the last few days.

The consultant will be in tomorrow with the results from the surgery and will hopefully let me go home on Saturday. Right now I know I'm in the right place and am being looked after by the most amazing, caring people.

March 16th

Before updating you on today, both Sharon and I would like to Thank You for all the messages of love and support left on the blog and by other means. It is all very humbling to know that there is so much support.

Today has been a "quiet" day. Sharon is visibly more tired than yesterday and has managed to get some sleep throughout the day. Although her blood pressure was marginally lower this afternoon, the nursing staff were OK with this and the fact that inevitably the bodyshock of two such ops in quick succession should catch up with her and cause her to look more tired.

It has been reassuring to hear what we should and should not expect. As always, the nurses and medical staff here have been absolutely brilliant. Sharon was also treated to a foot/leg massage in bed by one of the nurses to try and help her - given that she has been bed-ridden since Saturday, this was a welcome relief for her :)

No word on when to expect to be able to leave, but for now, she is in the right place and certainly being looked after by the right people.

March 15th

They say a picture paints a thousand words!

ps. She didn't actually eat the doughnut, but I was able to assist :-)

March 14th - Further Update

We ended yesterday's post hoping that today's report would be a bit brighter..... and here it is.

As you may have read earlier, Sharon went down for a short operation... however, that turned out to be a 2 hour 45 minute stint away. During the operation, she had a clot removed which had built up on her left side and caused the problems yesterday. She also received a topup of blood which has evidently made quite a difference. She is doing really well right now, looking a lot more like the Sharon we all know.

The surgeon popped in this evening to check on all of the drains that have been inserted and is happy with progress. He also mentioned this is the only time he has seen any issues with this type of operation in years... oh well :)

Sorry to sound like a broken record, but we all can't thank you enough for all the support we've had. It has made a BIG difference, and one which we are very grateful for.

March 14th

Sharon managed a better night's sleep last night, but is still feeling very stiff down her side.

She is being taken down to theatre at around lunchtime to have a clot removed which caused all the drama yesterday. She has a lot of swelling at the moment and the surgeon is keen to get it sorted now rather than leave it. Have been told the procedure is straightforward and should take approx 20 minutes.

Heather and I are sat here with her now and she is in better spirits. She has just read the comments left on her blog from the past couple of days and was amazed at the messages of love being left for her. Thank You SO much!

We will post an update later today.

March 13th

After posting yesterday's entry, Sharon continued to improve and by the time Heather and I left her late last night, she was feeling a lot less sick and looking a lot more like herself. Unfortunately, today has seen a few setbacks which we will share with you.

Sharon suffered a bleed this morning and as a result things like her blood pressure and levels dropped. She certainly ensured that the nurses and medical staff had a busy Sunday morning! Decisions were made to leave alone and see if things improved. *However*, throughout the day her blood pressure has returned to the same level as yesterday, and despite her haemoglobin levels still being low, the surgeon is happy to leave her recuperate and see how things go, obviously monitoring her. We can't thank the nursing staff here enough who have been beyond amazing!!

As a "helpless" observer, I can honestly say she is looking a lot better than earlier today, but obviously are keen that she continues on the road to progress. We are looking forward to being a bit brighter about tomorrow's entry :-)

March 12th - Quick Update

Sharon is back from surgery and gradually coming out of the anaesthetic. Her surgeon came to see Heather and myself after the op to say that things had gone well and that there "were no surprises".... obviously something we were very happy to hear.

She is in a bit of pain and feeling slightly nauseous, but hopefully just a temporary thing while the drugs wear off.

We have the biggest possible Thank You's to all who have supported us, been thinking of us, praying on our behalf, text messages and so on. Yet again, we are just humbled by the amazing people that surround us. A very special Thank You to Heather for all your support and being here for a few days.

March 12th

Sitting in the hospital waiting to go down to surgery - they said it will probably be about 1pm before they're ready. Most of the nurses are the same as the last time I was here so it's nice to see some friendly faces :)

I am feeling apprehensive about the surgery and really hungry!! but apart from that doing ok. Dave as always has been by my side every step of the way - he really is amazing :)

And thank you again for all your messages and texts of support - they bring us so much comfort and encouragement and we are very blessed to have so many wonderful people around us.

March 11th

It's 5:30pm and we're about to leave for London in an hour or so and guess what I've been doing all day - finishing off a million things for work!! That's called getting your priorities right :) It has helped in some ways as I haven't been thinking about surgery at all and maybe I just needed to take my mind off things - but I really can't believe it's come round so soon.

I check into the hospital (or should I say hotel!) at 7am tomorrow but I'm 5th on the list for surgery so will probably be waiting around for a long time before I go in. The operation itself will be about 4 hours but I will ask Dave to let you know as soon as possible how everything went. Heather (my sister) is coming over tomorrow afternoon for a few days too so I will have lots of support.

I am so overwhelmed by the number of texts, emails, blog messages & cards. I'm really sorry I haven't been able to respond to many. I just want you all to know how much they mean to both of us - we feel so loved and supported & really do value you prayers and encouragement over the next few days, and especially tomorrow.

March 7th

I can't believe a month has passed since I've updated my blog. It's been a very busy month - we got back from Australia and I went back to work full time from 2nd Feb. Work has been so busy - my boss was made redundant while I was away but he stayed on for over a month to hand everything over to me. So it's been extremely busy - I've been travelling to Kettering once a week and staying up for 2 or 3 nights and then back to Swindon for the weekends. But I've also been able to work from home a day or so a week.

Then came the really difficult news a couple of weeks ago that my tumour has grown back. I noticed a lump right next to where the original tumour was and wasn't sure if it was scar tissue or something esle. When I went for my check up they thought it was just scar tissue but did a biopsy and discovered that the cancer had returned. It's been such a shock, just when we were getting back to normal again and really felt that we were moving on and putting this whole episode behind us.

I haven't updated the blog as I was waiting on test results & wasn't really sure what was happening next so wanted to be able to give the full story. I am due to go for surgery this Saturday (12th) - in order to make sure it doesn't come back again they are going to have to do a mastectomy. They will also do reconstruction at the same time but it will be a long operation and the recovery time is anything from 6 to 12 weeks. The surgeon said I'm likely to be out of action for about 3 months. They also said that chemo is unlikely but won't know until after surgery so I am really hoping & praying that I don't have to go down that road again.

There have been lots of tears over the last few weeks but it's been good to have work to distract me - and as always incredible support from the people around us. Thank you so much to everyone who has been sending us emails, texts, cards etc as you've found out bits of news. You are such an encouragement to both of us & we will make sure to keep you updated with how I'm doing. I may not be able to type for a while but I'm sure Dave will let me dictate (for a change!) and keep the blog updated for me :)