A long day in the haemotology ward

Hiah,
It is late Friday afternoon and we have just got back from hospital. We were in hospital for over 7 hours today. One of the drugs was slightly more painful this time round for Mari, but nothing major ( her chemotherapy consists of 4 different drugs, it is known as ABVD). Since getting home she has gone straight to bed - feeling exhausted and wiped out ( she likens it to severe jet lag). We will let you know how she gets on over the following days. Thanks for praying again for minimal side effects.
Have a good weekend.
With Love from us.

Chemotherapy again on Friday!

Hello,

Thanks to you all for your lovely messages. I'm returning to Southmead hospital tomorrow morning for more chemotherapy (this will be my third round)! I'm starting to get used to the fact that I now live my life in slots of feeling well and unwell.
This past week I have felt so much better than last time. (Feeling normal feels amazing)! I am really hoping for a similar experience this time round.

The chemo does leave me feeling wiped out/tired and I spend a few days in bed following treatment, but I'm so grateful for no sickness and no infections thus far ( obviously I am vulnerable/prone to infections after treatment). I really feel this is down to your prayers.
The lovely nurse who usually looks after me in hospital is away on holiday this week. This makes me realise how safe I feel with her, so I'm looking forward to her returning soon.
It would be great if you could pray again that the side effects this time are minimal, also that there are no long term effects! Lastly, for my parents and Phil who look after me so well. I'm sure they need lots of grace at this time. It can't be easy for them, they have literally spent hours in hospital wards with me.

We will let you know how I get on after friday. We're usually in hospital for about 5/6 hours at a time and I'm on a drip for the majority of that time before coming home to bed!

Thanks friends for your amazing support and for reading this blog.
Love Mari

A good week!

Thankfully Mari is still doing well this week - side effects are being well controlled.
Also, Phil has arrived safe and sound! It's great to have him here.

We will write more later in the week as round 3 of chemo is coming up.
Love from all of us x

Better than expected.

We wanted to let you know that Mari is doing better than expected this week - thanks for your prayers! So far the side effects have been manageable and less stressful than last time!
This is such a relief and we are hoping this will continue.

She is due to have her next round of chemotherapy on Friday morning, 30th May.

(On another note, She still has her hair but Dr's say it will come out any day so she is checking her pillow each morning, but it hasn't started falling out yet)!

We will keep you updating you...
With our love.

Message from Mari

Thank you friends, for praying for me as I had my second round of chemotherapy yesterday. I have been tucked up in bed ever since, recovering.
The weekend after chemo is generally ok because I'm given steroids ( intravenously and in tablet form) to help boost me. These drugs wear off by Monday and it was then, that I became unwell last time. In light of this, I am a little nevous about Monday and the following days. It would be good to pray that I get no nasty surprises.
My digestive system is now being controlled by more drugs. I feel like a walking chemist counter and take a mountain of pills every morning.

I am thankful for the lovely medical team looking after me at Southmead hospital and for the enlightening conversations I have had with others in the hospital ward, who are also having chemotherapy. (I like to find at least one thing to be grateful for every day).

Thank you for your faithfulness to us in this journey. Your prayers and messages have kept me positive in the midst of this battle (which is in both the body and the mind). Your messages make me smile ( even on bad days).

Enjoy your weekend.
With Love, Mari x

Chemotherapy tomorrow

Mari will be having her next course of chemo tomorrow ( Friday 16th UK time) at Southmead Hospital at 9.30 am. She has been in twice this week for blood tests. The chemotherapy seems to have a delayed effect so Mari is a little nervous after last time.

On a brighter note, Phil's visa has been issued, this is a lot quicker than he was expecting so thanks for your prayers. He hopes to be here by next weekend. We will let you know how Mari gets on over the weekend.

With love

The Days

Hospital visit today

Hi Friends,
Mari visited the hopsital today, where she had her blood taken and was able to talk with the specialist doctor about some of the side effects of the chemo.

Her white blood cells have "dipped", however the doctor assured us this is to be expected, (especially at this particular point in time - post chemo). She has to go in to hospital again on Thursday for further tests, but at this stage it is looking likely that she will have round 2 of chemo on Friday. We would appreciate your prayers as her body recovers from another round of treatment.

The problems with her digestive system are being well controlled (by drugs and prayers), she is feeling much better.
Phils visa application is now in process. Immigration are taking Mari's situation into consideration as they process his application, which may speed things up.

We all send our love.
The Days

A New Week

Mari has survived the first week after chemo. She had a mixture of good and rough days and is trying to get used to the reactions of the chemotherapy on her body.
This week Mari has hospital visits on Tuesday and Thursday before next bout of chemo on Friday. These are to enable the Drs to see how Mari is coping and to do blood tests to ensure that she is well enough for the treatment on Friday.
Phil has his interview for his visa on Tuesday. It would be great if that could be dealt wth quickly
We will update after Tuesday's appointment.
Thanks again for standing with us
God bless
With love
The Days

Hi from Mari

Thanks for your messages. Today I feel a bit better after a good nights sleep. There are definitely good days and bad days - not so many "highs", but feeling normal is a huge relief and I get a little adrenilin rush from it! On bad days, my life feels like it consists of going in and out of hospital and trying to manage really unpleasant side effects. Yesterday was overwhelming, I was in a lot of discomfort and very conscious that this is just the start of the battle. I guess that's why they say you have to take one day at a time! Living in the present is easier said than done, but essential on this journey.

Some good things to pray about:
That the Dr's manage to control the unpleasant side effects.
That I don't get infections.
And of course, that the chemo has maximum effect on the cancer and minimum effect on my body.

Every day I am blown away by the support and love you have shown me. I know I have said it before but it really is a lifeline. I don't even know some of the people who leave me messages and pray for me - which amazes me and challenges me about the way I want to live my life.
Thank you.

With Love, Mari x

Another visit to the hospital

Thanks for the prayers and comments from the last blog. Mari went to the hospital again this afternoon as she was feeling so rough. They are checking for a further infection and have given her a lot more tablets. Please pray that if there is an infection, we have caught it very early. The Doctors have generally warned against infections and if her temperature rises above 38 the hospital need to be informed straight away and she will have to be hospitalised . It is 37.7 at the moment.

Although these side effects are very common for the chemo, they are still unpleasant and difficult to deal with. We do realise that it is going to be a long battle and value prayer support so much.


Many thanks

With love
The Days

A Bad Night

It's 4.30 in the morning and Mari is suffering with some unpleasant side effects over the past few hours so would appreciate your prayers. She has generally done well since Friday but the past 24 hours has been difficult. Please pray for her digestive system which has been reacting badly.

Thanks

With love

The Days.

The Weekend after

Hi Friends,

Thank you for your prayers this weekend. The prayers and anti-sickness tablets have worked wonders! I have had some unpleasant side effects but generally I have been able to keep positive and it has been better than I expected.

I am going back in to hospital for tests next week. In total, I will be in hospital for three days as a day patient.
(I bring the age bracket down significnatly in the hospital ward). I will have tests to see if my white blood cells have recovered for another round of chemotherapy. Dr's say that chemo has an accumulative effect - so gets worse, we are hoping and praying this won't be the case.

Dr's have also said that my hair will start to fall out after the next treatment, apparently it is quite distressing when it starts to fall out so I have been preparing myself and gradually cutting my hair shorter and shorter. When it starts to come out, I will shave it all off.

It is such a strange time for me but your love and support has kept me afloat.
Thank you and much love, Mari
_____________________________________________

Thanks for your prayers today

We are now home relieved after 6 hours in the hospital. The Consultant told us that their case conference came to the same conclusion as the NZ Doctors and are treating it as Stage 2 B . They are still unsure about the fluid around the heart but instead of doing invasive proceedures to examine, they are treating it as a reaction of the lymphoma.

Mari felt very calm during the day and is grateful for all the prayer. She had the drugs fed in for about four hours and coped very well with the treatment. This will continue for several sessions and then a scan will be done to assess the progress. The ward is a peaceful place and the staff very friendly.

Mari is now resting, she was told that she will be feel unwell for a time. Please pray that the drugs will have maximum affect on the cancer but minimum affect on Mari. She is on anti-nausea medicine which we hope will be effective.

She is so grateful for all the messages and she still checks them first thing every morning ( and many times during the day!)

Much love

The Days

Chemotherapy starts tomorrow

Mari starts her chemotherpy in Southmead Hospital tomorrow ( Friday) at 9.30 am. The Doctors are having a case conference today to compare their findings with the NZ Doctors. They wanted to look again at the fluid in Mari's lung and the nodes on her stomach. They want to determine the stage of the Hodgkins themselves even though the initial treatment will be the same.

Please pray that the chemo will be effective quickly. Please pray too that there will be no long term effects of the chemo and that the short term ones will be minimal. To be able to cope well with nausea ( or not have it at all !) would be good too.

Thank you for your continued care and prayers, Mari hopes you dont get compassion fatigue!!

We will update the blog over the weekend to let you know how Mari is doing.

Thanks again for all your love, support and comments . Phil is still waiting for his visa, the red tape is taking longer than expected, it would be soo good if he was able to come over as soon as possible.

Love from the Days