Hi Mark, hope you're feeling a bit better today. I thought your last post seemed pretty upbeat considering the surgery. I expect you and Meg are busy now preparing for a wonderful wedding.
Hope you are feeling better today Mark. I've not been on STW for a couple of weeks so have just spent a while catching up on how things have been going. Congratulations on the engagement, that's great news. Stag do next year in Yorkshire? Count me in!
Much love to you both, we are all 100% behind you. You can do this.
Hey Mark & Meg
Hope you are fighting again today. Still keeping you both in my thoughts
DC
Mark,
Hope today is going better than the last one you posted about. Keep strong.
Best.
Another hoping you are feeling a bit better, a bit stronger here.
Neil
Truly humbling this thread. Best wishes you two, always in our thoughts.
Keep up the good work Mark. Thanks for the update. Praying you get some good sleep soon x Thinking of you
Hello everyone, it's Meg here.
Today we had our first visit to the Royal Marsden to meet Mark's oncologist and find out about what treatment he will be receiving. I think Mark has been waiting for today before posting again so he had some news.
The initial conversation with the consultant was good, we like him and he has outlined the treatment programme (two types of chemo drug, starting next Wednesday, followed by radiotherapy). Then Mark explained that he had a chest infection, the GP had given him antibiotics, but he was feeling really ill still and his feet were swelling up. The consultant immediately listened to his chest, sent him for a chest x-ray, and we find out that his right lung is full of fluid - so much for it being a chest infection...
So, as always seems to happen when we go for outpatient appointments, Mark is now up at the Marsden for the night so they can drain the fluid off tomorrow.
Obviously it's all a little stressful, but if it's anything like the pericardial effusion he had in the summer, once drained he will feel immediately better. This means he should be able to enjoy Saturday (the wedding of the year...), and actually if chemo starts next week it'll probably be the only Saturday in the next few months when he feels well.
Anyway, this is just meant to be a little update (sorry it got rather long), and I'm sure that once discharged Mark will want to write more himself.
Once again, thank you for your wonderful comments. Despite hardly being able to breathe, yesterday Mark was going on about suitable cycling venues for someone recovering from cardiac surgery so I imagine it's only a matter of time before he's out there again!
Thanks folks,
Megan
I've been watching this thread. Best wishes to you guys from this end.
Cheers for the update Megan. Have a fantastic day on Saturday!! 😀 - very best wishes to you both.
wish you all the best Megan and Mark
Good to hear from you Meg, the consultant sounds like he's on the ball. From what Mark was saying earlier in the thread, having the treatment mapped out now must be helpful. I bet the wedding's going to be huge fun for you both!
Have been reading this thread for a while. I don't know either of you but you have both been in my thoughts for the previous weeks.
Wishing you good vibes.
Pete
what time are the nuptials? I shall climb off my bike at the appointed hour and just reflect on how lucky i am that it isn't me, and to once again be humbled by the positive way you are both approaching this.
Now get some sleep. You have a busy few days coming up.
Pass on our best wishes from all the Tankslapper clan
Thinking of you both
TS
Enjoy your day together, will be thinking of you both.
Best wishes for Saturday, take a moment to stand still, breathe in and enjoy the moment. You'll have an absolute blast.
Saturday- I'll raise a glass to you both. Be strong, be happy.
there will be glasses raised to you both all over this land on Saturday , all the very best cheers
Fingers crossed for Mark, and best wishes for Saturday Meg & Mark
Best of luck for tomorrow and Mark's treatment, hope he feels better.
I hope you have a fantastic day on Saturday! 😀 I'll be thinking of you too.
Neil
All the very best for saturday, I hope you have a fantastic day to remember.
Have a fab day on Saturday it will be a special occasion.
It's just one more 'interesting' thing you can tell the grandkids. have a great day on Saturday. hope it's a good one.
Very best wishes for the big day on Saturday - have a wonderful day, you'll enjoy every second of it.
(I would raise a wheel to you both on Saturday, but I'd just fall off!).
it must seem like a step forward and a hop back with the lungs but i suspect it is all part of the process. it must be a relief to get things mapped out so you know where you are heading in smaller more managable steps. Have a right old shin dig on Saturday i will raise a glass of something to you both. This post is quite incredible and brings me to tears everytime at how well you are both coping with it. congrats again for Saturday.
Thoughts with you. I mentioned many pages back about my Dad's fight against cancer which he lost last Monday, he know his time was up and his funeral is tomorrow.
Make sure Mark never feels like this and he'll be back riding very soon.
What about a welcome back to riding Mark STW ride sometime soon?
Thanks for taking the time to update us all Meg.
Hope you both have a fantastic day on Saturday.
Whatever you do though, unless you are about 4 stone, don't let him try and carry you over the threshold!! 8)
Oh, and we want pics...
So Mark casually mentions to the doc that he has a bit of a sniffle and it turns out one of his lungs is full of liquid.
I get the feeling if he broke his leg he'd just stick a plaster on it and carry on going. More strength than I can imagine.
Keep on fighting both of you and congratulations for Saturday 🙂
Just wanted to add my best wishes for Saturday, I hope you have a wonderful day. All the best!
Get yer feet up fella - Saturday is fast approaching and there's a first dance to do...
and get the feeling there'll be trouble if you let a 'little cold' stop you making it to the dance floor 😀
All the best to you both for Saturday
C&S
p.s. Royal Marsden did well by our little friend, trust they'll do well by you to!
I'd like to add something profoundly cheering and empathetic on top of what's already been said, but it's already been said better, so yeah, "what they said" to you both...
Just keep on keeping on.
Woppit. 🙂
Hope you both have a fantastic day on Saturday.
Enjoy it, if any one deserves to its you guys 😀
Megan,
Like many on here I have been following your story with a feeling of great admiration and thanks for taking the time to update us on Mark progress. Sounds as if the consultant oncologist is on the ball and Mark should be up and about for your big day.
Best wishes for Saturday and just remember to have fun
Regards
Mark
Thanks for the update Meg, I hope you are coping as well as you sound you are. Pass on my best to Pete and good luck for Saturday.
Post photos!!!!
Love, hope, hearts and flowers to you both.
From all at Green Towers. 🙂
I'll be raising a glass to you both, all the best for Saturday.
Pete aka Woodsman
Have a top day Saturday, be thinking of you and will raise a glass to you on the day.
Hi Mark and Meg,
Positive thought makes positive things happen! If you "bottled" all the positive thoughts for you both from STW well wishers it would fill a bottling plant and then some!
All the best for your wedding day.
Have a great Wedding, you are going to have many happy years together once you've kicked this thing into touch.
Just wanted to add more of the same.
Have a great day on Saturday both of you. You deserve it. 🙂
Have a fab day guys, you really DO deserve it.
Don't forget, we'll need photographic evidence that you've made an honest man of him! 😉
Have a fantastic day on Saturday Mark and Meg, and a long and wonderful married life x
Have a lovely day on Saturday, and thanks for posting
Good luck for Saturday, I'm sure it'll be the best day of your lives [i]so far[/i].
