Update 23/03/09

From Andi:

Hi there everyone,

Tim has now completed week one of radiotherapy. The side effects are
just starting to take hold and these are heartburn and indigestion
(being new ones), nausea, head aches and fatigue. Even though the
treatment is fast and painless, it is uncomfortable and the side
effects do take their toll.

Tim has been unable to shake the severe headaches that have been
caused from the lumbar puncture last week. He now spends all day
lying flat on his back, as this is the only way he feels relief. He
tries to sit up for a few minutes each day, but really now he is
confined to bed, other than when he is driven to treatment and even
then we recline the seat right back.

We received very, very good results from the CT Scan that Tim had on
Thursday. The mass of tumors he had on his chest and lymphatic system
have completely shrunk in size and were not detected! This has
exceeded our expectations, as we were hoping for a reduction in size
and numbers. This is just tremendous news and given us all a real
boost. It is fabulous to know that the treatment, as harsh and
painful as it is for Tim, is working. His doctors have said that even
though his body appears to be disease free at present, the treatment
protocol must continue as planned. The 'blastic' part of his lymphoma
(which means baby cells that divide and multiply at an incredible
rate) is so aggressive, that the tumors can very easily come back and
bite him on the bum. That is also why treatment remains unchanged. He
will continue on the protocol as planned .....all 3 years of it. It
is still very early days, he is only 1/8 through his treatment, but I
say it is bloody good news and worth a little celebration! Fingers
crossed that all future scans and bone marrow biopsies bring this good
news.

TIM WOULD ALSO LIKE EVERYONE TO KNOW (ESPECIALLY THOMO) THAT HE HAS
JUST FINISHED READING A 450 PAGE BOOK IN UNDER TWO WEEKS!
Well Done Timothy!

Take care everyone and thanks for taking the time to read my updates.
Love Andi

__________________________________________

Admin note:

Progress has been made on setting up an account for those of us who would like to help out financially and we hope to post the details for everyone in the next update on the blog, if not before.

Also, a reminder about fundraising lunch being organised by Tim's brother, Andrew. If you have any items to donate for the auction, or any contacts or information you think might be helpful, please email thehamiltonfamilyblog@gmail.com and we'll pass the word on.

Cheers!