Still Smiling

Keeping My Fingers Crossed

2011-10-05T11:37:00.000+01:00

Since moving home, i’ve had to register with a new doctor. Today i had an appointment with her regarding getting screened for breast cancer. A couple of months ago i asked at my old doctors only to be told that i am too young to be screened as i am not 50 ( i’m 47) and that no one in my family has had Ovarian Cancer or Cervical Cancer so i am not at risk!

Anyway Dr Stafford ( My new Doctor) had a good read of my massive file, which was about 1 page thick before i became ill 5 years ago, and is now big enough to write a novel!!

She informed me that i actually had 3 cancerous tumours and not the 2 i thought i had.. Anyway she found the letter that had come back saying i wasn’t eligible for the breast screening and is going to try to refer me herself and she is going to state that although no one in my family has had Ovarian or Cervical Cancer.. i have and i really don’t fancy having breast cancer too thank you very much.

So fingers crossed that i get a referral

Women at risk of cancer told: Have your ovaries removed

2011-09-07T12:54:00.001+01:00

Women with a family history of breast or ovarian cancer should have their ovaries taken out when they are 40, a leading scientist has declared.

Professor Gareth Evans claims it is the only way to protect against deadly tumours which cannot be picked up by screening.

Tens of thousands of such women carry faulty genes, which can mean they have a 70 to 90 per cent chance of getting one of the diseases.

But if they have their ovaries removed, they can half this risk. The threat is cut as the organs produce the sex hormones oestrogen and progesterone which trigger the growth of tumours in the breast and ovaries.

Although breast cancer survival rates are very good, fewer than half of patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer survive.

I’ve won an award!!

2011-08-29T13:27:00.000+01:00

My good friend Lynda over at Lynda's Blog sent me an award because i make her smile.. Thats good enough for me darling Mwah xx

I am now passing this award on to 5 bloggers i adore. Here is what the award is all about:

The Liebster award (“Liebster” is the German word for friend or love) originated in Germany. The aim of the award is to bring more attention to blogs with fewer than 200 followers.

These are the rules in accepting this award.
1. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them. right mouse click the image and paste it to your side bar.
2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Post the award on your blog.
4. Bask in the love from the most supportive people on the Internet – other writers.
5. And best of all – have fun and spread the karma!
Here are my 5 nominated bloggers

http://sandhysown.blogspot.com/ Sandhy is a wonderful funny lady who i had the pleasure of meeting.. soooo tiny yet a massive heart.

http://thatbritishwoman.blogspot.com/ Gills Blog is great. I love to hear about life in Canada

http://frikosmusings.blogspot.com/ Friko makes me smile, i adore the pictures she has on her blog too.

http://guitarsandlife.blogspot.com/ Furtheron’s blog is great i feel i know the man!

http://giventodistractingothers.blogspot.com/ Jo recipes are to die for

I’m so HAPPY…

2011-08-29T09:51:00.000+01:00

I am grinning from ear to ear just now..

Four years ago i had to move home to get away from my then partner who decided that because i had cancer and had lost all my hair… He could beat me up! I was far too ugly for him and very off putting too.. all my fault for getting ill eh?

The flat i moved to wasn’t exactly a palace and most certainly wasn’t in a nice area of town but it saved my life. I lived amongst people on drugs, people who where dependant on alcohol and ladies of the night… Not the kind of area i was used to at all and i was so embarrassed to let people know where i lived.

Anyway, all has changed. I now live on the outskirts of the city in a small market town which is gorgeous. I moved in last week so everything has been rather hectic.

One downfall though is that i can no longer go to the gym as i used to walk there every day but from here it is 10 miles away and as i’m not driving at the moment because of my peripheral neuropathy and my inner ear balance situation, it was a no goer. I am going to enquire at my new doctors though as i really enjoyed my daily workout even though it wasn’t as strenuous as the rest of the gym members. I think, to be honest, me getting out of the damp old flat was more important to my health, wellbeing and mental state.

Molly & Bertie love having a garden to run around in and stay out there most of the time popping in every now and then to collect a toy to play with.

I have a lot to do inside my house as there are no carpets or curtains. I currently have rugs down and newspaper at the windows!! I’ll get there in the end i’m sure but for now i’m a happy chappy in my wonderful new home.

I’m a gym bunny!!

2011-07-19T13:30:00.002+01:00

Way back in May i was referred to the gym by the active lifestyle team. I received a call from them but as i was going away to Dave’s they held open the free months trial until my return.
Yesterday i started my months free trial. I met my personal trainer who showed me around and set up a programme for me. I had a go on the equipment i’d be using and really enjoyed it.

Today i went again and was let loose alone!! Wow. i think i’m going to be addicted to the gym. Gemma, my instructor has set up a programme that is suited to me and my disability so i can go on the treadmill but i walk fast and hold on tight and also have an incline setting. I also use the exercise bike too and other equipment which i haven’t a clue what it called. All in all i’m loving the gym and plan to go for a very long time.

Ovarian cancer victim helps launch campaign

2011-07-09T18:43:00.000+01:00

Here i am again, name in lights!! Printed in tonight’s Hull Daily Mail, my local paper.

HULL: A Hull woman who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer visited the House Of Commons to help a charity launch a campaign.
Tracey Ford, 47, of west Hull, helped Target Ovarian Cancer launch the Let's Talk campaign to urge MPs to help save lives.
The campaign outlines three priorities for change in the diagnosis and management of ovarian cancer, which the charity said could save as many as 500 lives per year.
More than 6,500 women in the UK are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year and the charity said 4,300 currently die from the disease.
Tracey said: "MPs are beginning to make an impact in Parliament on vital issues that will save women's lives from ovarian cancer.
"Much, much more can be done.
"If women don't know to go to their GP and GPs don't know about the symptoms of ovarian cancer, how will women be diagnosed in time to save their lives?
"New official statistics show late diagnosis is a major cause of Britain's poor survival rate.
"Ovarian cancer is the fourth biggest cancer killer of women."

A quick picture taken in Parliament

2011-07-04T18:26:00.000+01:00

This photograph was taken of Myself and Frances Reid who works for Target Ovarian Cancer last Monday at the Houses of Parliament in London.

Target Ovarian Cancer

2011-06-28T16:48:00.000+01:00

Yesterday the 27th June 2011, Target Ovarian Cancer and about 70 of us Ovarian Cancer patients, went to The Houses Of Parliament in London for the Target Ovarian Cancer Parliamentary Reception.

Here is what it was all about

The lives of 500 women could be saved every year if they received an earlier diagnosis for ovarian cancer, campaigners say.

The disease has the second highest rate of late diagnosis of any cancer, after pancreatic cancer, and one in three women is only diagnosed after admission to A&E.

The charity Target Ovarian Cancer is calling on the Government to improve early diagnosis through a national awareness campaign, and for GPs to carry out easy checks on women with symptoms.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has recommended that GPs who suspect women have the disease order a simple blood test.

As part of its Let's Talk campaign, Target Ovarian Cancer is highlighting a "postcode lottery" in survival rates across the UK and a gap in survival between the UK and many parts of Europe.

More than 6,500 women in the UK are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year, and the disease kills more than 4,300 annually.

About four out of 10 women live for at least five years after diagnosis, dropping to three in 10 after a decade.

Symptoms include persistent pelvic or abdominal pain, increased abdominal size or bloating that does not go away, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly and needing to pass urine more urgently or often. Other signs can include changes in bowel movements and extreme tiredness.

Annwen Jones, chief executive of Target Ovarian Cancer, said: "Over the last few years, we have taken decisive action to break the vicious cycle of poor awareness, low survival and chronic underfunding.

"Today, with the launch of Let's Talk, we are starting a new movement to persuade the Government to take further action to improve diagnosis."

Balance Day ( Balance, Dizzy, Vertigo)

2011-06-26T09:34:00.001+01:00

Yesterday i went along to a Balance Information Day at The Freeman Hospital in Newcastle Upon Tyne.

When i first arrived i had to sign in and go into a reception room which had plenty of tables and chairs and an assortment of stalls with information leaflets detailing various balance issues from Labyrinthitis to Mal de Debarquement Syndrome and Tinitus.

After having a look around the stalls i grabbed myself coffee and found somewhere to sit which was quite difficult as it seemed the world and his wife had decided to go to this event.

After coffee we were directed to the Lecture room where various Consultants, Doctors and people from different Societies spoke about the different balance illnesses. One Society i was interested in was The Menieres Society, Natasha told us how they not only help people with Menieres but also people with other balance issues.

It was interesting to hear how it affected different people and also how many said that because its a “Silent Illness”, often their friends and family think they are making it all up. I too have often felt this way. Oh yes i “Do” look well but i’m good at hiding how crap i really feel!

One lady started telling her story of how her boss does not believe how ill she is and makes her life hell at work. The poor lady ran out of the lecture room in tears.

All in all though, even if the balance problem i have which is Uncompensated Vestibular Disease wasn’t mentioned, i had a very informative day and it was great to meet people who also had balance issues.

Sunshine & Showers

2011-06-22T08:01:00.000+01:00

We decided to go down to the beach yesterday.. we packed our tent too, ready for the forecast showers.

I took my beloved kindle with me

And had a wonderful time doing what i love to do the most, read my book.

Everything comes At Once

2011-05-25T10:54:00.000+01:00

I’m quite a regular at my Doctors surgery but through no fault of my own..

When i enquired about the Active Lifestyle the last time i visited, Dr Airan was unsure whether i’d be able to join.. Last week, Monday 16th May, i had to go and see the Nurse at the surgery who filled in the forms to hopefully put me on this exercise regime. While there she noticed i hadn’t had a medication review for a while so was booked in to have those reviewed.. So last Thursday i trotted off again to my surgery to see Dr Airan..

All was well but she’d like some fasting blood tests, just as a check on my general wellbeing. I booked those for 10am today.. at 8.50 i received a call from the surgery to say that the nurse who would have been doing the blood tests, had rung in sick. I’m now going a week on Friday for those.

In the mean time i received a call from a lady at Active Lifestyle on Monday of this week.

A meeting was arranged for yesterday afternoon. I met a lovely lady called Sarah who explained a few things to me. Including A REFFERAL FOR A GYM!!!! I’m so excited.. is this normal?

Its a very nice gym too and only a 10 minute walk from my home. All the forms are been faxed through today so hopefully i’ll be a gym bunny next week.

I’ll have my own personal trainer who knows of my illness and there are doctors at the gym too so if anything does happen to go wrong ( hopefully not) i’ll be well looked after.

And for some really weird reason, I fancy Aqua Aerobics! Now remember i only learnt to swim last year and haven’t done it since. I’m petrified of water and as i cannot feel my feet, i may well not do it but i’ll have a look first and see what the class is all about.

And finally about 15 minutes ago i received a call from yet another hospital. This time its physio on my head! they’re trying to help with my dizziness and i’ll be there for about an hour early tomorrow morning!! I’m really not looking forward to this as when i went to the ENT at a different hospital on the 10th May, the consultant did some of the exercises on me then and boy did i feel ill during and after.. Anyway tomorrows another day so i’ll live for today and start some home exercise.

Sunday Morning MMMmmmm Moment

2011-05-22T11:31:00.000+01:00

My favourite thing of all time is opening a new jar of the gorgeous Nescafe.. I cannot drink any other make it has to be Nescafe

When i see it sat there, i get so excited at the thought of popping the foil lid as i know whats going to come next.

OOooooooooooo I’m about to do it… it has to be quick…

Mmmmmmmmmmm wake up… pop the foil.. and smell the gorgeous aroma of this remarkable coffee…. Blisssssssssss.

The Blitz. 70 Years on

2011-05-07T17:18:00.000+01:00

Between the 7th and the 9th of May 1941, my home town of Kingston upon Hull was targeted by the Germans during World War Two.

My Mum was 17 at the time and i remember her telling me how scary it was and that the house she lived in with her parents had been bombed. Flattened completely, nothing left and all their possessions gone.

Mum aged 17

Today at the Carnegie Heritage Centre in Hull they held an exhibition of various photographs of Hull during The Blitz and some war hero’s even took some of their war memorabilia to display.

It really was interesting to see a map of Hull and listed on it was the one bomb that was the cause of my mum and grandparents homelessness.

Some of the rations.

The Carnegie Heritage Centre

Also a fly past had been arranged of a Spitfire but unfortunately it was grounded so a Hurricane flew over Hull

The Hurricane flys over Hull

this second video, the Hurricane appeared over my head and it rather wiggly as i was losing my balance which isn’t good at the best of times hehe.

Wonderful sound of the Hurricane

Active Lifestyle ( I hope)

2011-05-06T11:39:00.000+01:00

I decided ages ago that need exercise but because of my illness i’m very limited.. I can’t walk fast because of the pain and wobblyness and fainting thing i have going on.

I enquired at my Doctors surgery about something called Active Lifestyle which a friend told me about.Its something which a doctor needs to refer a patient for them to be able to go. If it means i have access to a gym i’d love it although i’m limited to what equipment i’d be able to use.

Just to be able to go on an exercise bike ( one of those low seated ones) would probably help me a lot as i’m low down and no balancing would be needed.

This kind of bike would be fine i think.

Dr Airon is going to enquire for me but given my medical problems it could well be a no but i’m keeping my fingers crossed

Makeover Day

2011-05-04T21:14:00.000+01:00

Well i never slept on Tuesday night, i knew i wouldn’t, i was far too excited.

Before i set off for my transformation

I made sure i was at Debenhams in plenty of time and was taken to the Personal Shopper’s Suite.

Sara the Personal shopper was lovely and put me at ease. She asked me a few questions like what clothes would i like, colours i liked/disliked, designs i liked/disliked and obviously sizes.. aarrgghh!!

I decided on a pink patterned v neck top with some navy linen trousers. when it came to the shoes, this was when the problem started. I’m a size 8 (42) and many of the size 8’s where a (41) so i couldn’t get my plate size webs into them. eventually though i chose some gorgeous blue court shoes with gold tipped toes.

I still had a little bit of money to spend so, although it don’t go with my new outfit, i chose a little black bag.

It looks big but its not..

I didn’t actually have that much time to look at clothes etc as its quite a walk to the hairdressers from Debenhams and because i can’t walk too quick i had to make sure i left in plenty of time, complete with my carrier bags of new clothes and some perfume samples too which Sara had popped in.

I arrived at The Colour Lounge and was greeted by the receptionist who offered me coffee & toast. I had a coffee but wasn’t hungry so declined the toast.

My Creative Stylist Benedict, coloured my hair with 3 different blondes.. a new technique was used and apparently i’m the first in the area to have it done. the head massage was to die for it was so relaxing. I was then taken downstairs to have my hair cut and styled. Ben snipped and pruned and i never stopped smiling all the time.

After my hair had been done Ben took me to the makeup lounge where he expertly applied my makeup. He’s most definitely going to be the next Gok Wan. He is such a clever man and last year was one of the finalists for the young hair dresser of the year award 2010.

After doing my makeup Benedict took me down to the spa area where i could get changed into my new clothes and await the next photographer.

I was brought a coffee and a chocolate muffin ( i only drank the coffee)

although the chocolate muffin looked gorgeous, i gave it to the lady having a full spa day for her 50th Birthday.

The spa area was so relaxing, i have never been to such a sumptuous hairdressers in my life it was absolutely gorgeous.

The photographer arrived and got me to stand here… sit there.. lean forwards into the cushions and smile.. all like a proper model.. i loved it. I’m just hoping they come out ok as i’d love to hopefully buy copies as i’ve never had a decent photograph taken of me.

As soon as i’m in the paper i’ll post it here but for now here’s a top shot of how i arrived home.

Tomorrow is Make Over Magic Time

2011-05-03T14:10:00.000+01:00

I’m so excited.. I’m not sure if you remember me mentioning my latest appearance in the local newspaper? look Here

Well tomorrow morning i will be tootling along to our local Debenhams store, then on to The Colour Lounge to get my hair and make up done.

The Hull Daily Mail photographer will be taking before and after photographs of my day. On Thursday i’ll be doing an interview with the paper and then sit back and wait to see what the article is like.

I doubt i’ll sleep tonight as i have no idea what i’m going to look like afterwards so its a bit scary but hopefully i’ll look better than i do just now.

Fingers crossed.

'I've had my husband's ashes tattooed on me. I'm sure he'd approve'

2011-05-02T11:45:00.000+01:00

A lady from my home town had her husbands ashes made into a tattoo.. What a wonderful idea.

Barbara Peterson is tattooed with the ashes of her late husband.

SHE lost her lifelong partner last year and could not bear to be parted from him.

Now, Barbara Peterson has had her late husband Brian's ashes turned into a tattoo.

She hit on the idea after her friend Chris Walker, 67, saw the procedure on an American TV show.

Mrs Peterson, 65, of north Hull, said: "I just thought it was a nice idea. I think Brian would have been quite happy with it.

" I'm sure everyone will have their own opinions, but if you haven't had a bereavement, you don't know how you will feel."

The widow decided to get a blue flower surrounded by swirls tattooed on the side of her right hand.

It is her third tattoo and the first in memory of Mr Peterson, who was 65 when he passed away from cancer last July.

The ashes tattooed onto Mrs Peterson were made into tiny particles and then mixed with ink by Andrew Jamieson, manager of Body Art, in Princes Quay Shopping Centre.

He said: "I have had a few requests about ashes being tattooed on to someone, but this is the first time I've agreed to do it.

"We always try to do new things."

Mr Jamieson said turning ashes into a tattoo was a painstaking process.

He said: "I mixed a small amount of ashes with the ink, but first they were sterilised.

"They are microscopic particles of ashes.

"Luckily, I trained as a chemist, so I was able to work out the best way to do it.

"I wouldn't advise people to try this for themselves – it needs to be a very careful process.

"We need 48 hours notice to be able to do it."

Mrs Peterson was joined by Mrs Walker, of north Hull, who also had Mr Peterson's ashes made into a tattoo.

She said: "I have had stars tattooed onto my left hand. Brian and I were friends for 40 years.

"We all miss him very much."

Tattoo artist Holly Dosdale, who inked the designs on to the two friends, said she thought it was a great idea.

She said: "I have never done this before but I don't have a problem with it.

"I think it's a nice, fitting tribute.

"In terms of tattooing, there is no difference in technique."

Mr Jamieson said he hoped more people would get similar tribute tattoos.

He said: "If it makes people feel happy, then why not.

"I think we are the first in Yorkshire to do this and I'm sure it will catch on.

"It's like anything – at first everyone was very wary of facial piercings but now they are commonplace.

"I think it is something that will divide opinion."

Turning cremation ashes into memorial tattoos is relatively new but has been done several times before in the UK.

Kim Mordue, 50, of South Wales, had her son's ashes tattooed on to her back last year after he collapsed and died after taking a party drug.

The tattoo was done by her husband, who owns a parlour.

Grieving brother and sister Andrew and Helen Bird, of Stoke-on-Trent, had tribute tattoos to their late grandfather last month, after he died of cancer.

Andrew, 27, had an extract from one of former RAF serviceman Reginald Alefs' poems inked on to his arm.

And Helen, 30, had a rose tattooed on to her back.

'Pregnant' woman's shock as bump turns out to be ovarian cyst the size of a football

2011-05-01T13:53:00.003+01:00

PEOPLE kept asking Jane Alexander when her baby was due.

But the bump in her tummy was a cancerous cyst that weighed a stone-and-a-half and was twice as big as a football.

Jane, 41, had no idea she was carrying the colossal growth. She tried in vain for a year to lose weight but it grew by two inches every week.

The ovarian cyst was only discovered after Jane made a routine visit to her GP.

And after she had it removed and went through a hysterectomy, doctors told her it was cancerous and they'd caught it just in time.

Jane, of Kelty, Fife, said: "The fact I was carrying something that large is horrifying. It was taking over my body.

"I looked like I was expecting twins but no wonder - it weighed more than twins.

"But I'm lucky. I'm so very glad it was caught early."

Jane realised something was wrong when her stomach grew so big she couldn't see her feet.

She's married to George, 46, but she knew she wasn't pregnant. So she joined Weightwatchers and tried for a year to slim, dieting and walking miles a day.

But the weight wouldn't shift, and the constant questions about her "pregnancy" only made things worse.

Jane only found out the frightening truth after she went to her doctor to get a prescription renewed.

She told him she'd been getting pains in her side and he sent her to hospital for ultrasound and CT scans which revealed the huge cyst.

Jane said: "When they said I needed a hysterectomy I didn't have to think twice.

"I just wanted the cyst taken out - especially when they said it was more than 15 inches across and growing."

Jane had the op just 10 days later. Tests on the cyst revealed it had been cancerous, but the disease hadn't spread and she didn't need more treatment.

"I felt like a different person after the surgery," Jane said.

"I could see my feet. I'd gone from a size 18 to a size 12, and I was so glad that thing wasn't there any more."

Jane now raises awareness of the disease by supporting Target Ovarian Cancer. She held a zumba dance event on Sunday which raised more than £1000 for the cause.

She said: "I'd never heard of ovarian cancer before this happened to me. I want the next woman like me to have her life saved too."

'World-first' ovarian cancer vaccine trials

2011-04-30T14:37:00.000+01:00

IN A world-first a new vaccine developed in Australia is giving hope to thousands of women with ovarian cancer by keeping sufferers in remission longer and delaying relapses.

The Cvac vaccine will enter its final clinical trial in August and it could be available within five years.

If the vaccine is given to women who are diagnosed in early stages, a relapse may never occur.

The vaccine works by using a patient's own white cells to identify the protein Mucin-1, which is found in ovarian cancer tumours, and force the body to create its own immune response to kill the tumours. It is normally given to the women after they have finished chemotherapy and surgery.

Prima BioMed pharmaceuticals company makes the drug and its CEO Martin Rogers said the vaccine was offering a better quality of life for women who sometimes only have months to live.

"To have something that can help their quality of life and prevent a relapse is a great thing," he said.

"Almost every patient will relapse because ovarian cancer is diagnosed very late at stage 3 or 4 and that's the insidious nature of the disease."
It has taken 13 years and cost almost $100 million to reach the final clinical trial. A team of scientists and specialists have been studying the vaccine's development closely, including Dr Neil Frazer, the brother of the cervical vaccine inventor Dr Ian Frazer.
While the trials will be held in Melbourne, women from NSW have been invited to participate.

Now in remission, Janien Burgess, 53 of Wollongong, is hoping she won't have a relapse after finishing her chemotherapy this year.
Mrs Burgess was diagnosed last July and hopes to participate in the trial.

"I'm hoping it's all OK and it's all gone. You try not to look at the statistics but at the same time you think maybe it won't be me and I am going to get through it," she said.

Hidden killer
* There is no early detection test for ovarian cancer
* More than 1200 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year in Australia
* 800 women die from the disease every year
* Three women are diagnosed every day
* Only 40 per cent of women with ovarian cancer will be alive after five years
* If diagnosed early, this doubles to 80 per cent

Source: Ovarian Cancer Australia

Call for action to detect ovarian cancer earlier

2011-04-27T17:22:00.000+01:00

GPs should offer more blood tests to try to detect ovarian cancer earlier, according to new guidelines for the NHS.

Almost 7,000 UK women a year are diagnosed with the disease, but only about a third are still alive five years on.

NHS advisers want to see greater use of a blood test that measures a key protein, to improve early diagnosis.

Cancer charities have welcomed the guidelines for England and Wales.

They have been drawn up by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), which makes recommendations on medicines and procedures in the NHS.

Key symptoms are bloating, lower abdominal pain, feeling full after eating only a small amount, and needing to urinate with increased frequency.

A member of the guideline group, Sean Duffy, from the Yorkshire Cancer Network, said: "The symptoms can be vague, but shouldn't be ignored if they are persistent.

"By persistent, we mean them occurring more than 12 times a month.

"The vast majority of ovarian cancer cases are diagnosed at a late stage, so we hope to see improvements in survival as a result of these guidelines.

"Sometimes doctors tell women they have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) - but NICE has already produced guidelines to say this is unusual as a new diagnosis in women over 50."

'Not perfect'

The test, which measures a protein called CA125, costs about £20.

NICE says more testing will not be more expensive for the NHS in the long run, because it will save some women from having inappropriate investigations.

The blood test detects cancer only about half of the time - but experts believe using it more often, as well as ultrasound scans where necessary, and encouraging women to be more aware of the symptoms, will improve the UK's "disappointing" survival rate for ovarian cancer.

A consultant gynaecological oncologist, Mr Charles Redman, said: "This strategy won't be the perfect answer, but we think it will make a measurable difference.

"Trying to encourage women who might have ovarian cancer to present earlier will undoubtedly give the NHS challenges and mean changes for hospital doctors like myself.

"But the current situation is very poor. Other countries do better than us."

Dr Clare Gerada, of the Royal College of GPs, said: "This is not about increasing GPs' workloads - it is about working as effectively as possible with the tools available to us, to achieve the best possible outcomes for women."

Target Ovarian Cancer's public affairs director, Frances Reid, said: "This guidance could save hundreds of lives.

"It is now imperative to include ovarian cancer in the Department of Health's cancer awareness campaigns, so that women know to go and ask for these tests."

Ovarian Cancer Action's chief executive, Gilda Witte, said: "Significant progress has been made in improving survival figures for ovarian cancer over the last 10 years, but there is a long way to go in beating the disease."

*taken from the BBC website

Slimming World Quiche.... Bacon, ham & mushroom flavour!

2011-04-15T11:04:00.001+01:00

Recipe:
Fry light, 4 slices of bacon, chopped, 4 slices of lean ham, chopped, mushrooms, chopped, 4 eggs, 500g very low fat cottage cheese, salt & pepper, 1 tomato sliced.

Preheat oven to 200c/gas mark 6. Spray a large pan with fry light and cook bacon and mushrooms for a few minutes until golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chopped ham.

In a mixing bowl beat the eggs and add cottage cheese mix together well and then add the bacon, ham and mushrooms. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour into an ovenproof dish and bake for approx 30 mins until golden brown;. Leave to cool for 2 hours.
Garnish with sliced tomato.

This is free on original and extra easy :)

Healthy Snack I've just discovered

2011-04-13T14:43:00.000+01:00

this is probably history but i’ve just discovered Graze. I recently won a years subscription to Jamie Oliver's magazine. It arrived this morning and looks brilliant.

Inside was an advert for Graze so i had a look and am getting a box of Healthy nibbles delivered free of charge this Friday!! I can’t wait as i love to try new things and this sounds interesting.

Anyway, they gave me a link so that if any of you wonderful readers would like a box FOR FREE, you can add the code

here’s the link to send you there and get a free box http://www.graze.com/p/D79NL29.

Hope you enjoy them xx

Slimming World Style KFC

2011-04-11T19:32:00.001+01:00

Syn Free KFC
10 x Chicken Drummers or 4 Chicken Breasts
1 x Tub Chicken Bovril Paste
1 x Egg
1 x Clove of Garlic crushed (optional if you dont like garlic)
2 x Teaspoons of Ground Black Pepper (optional)
2 x Teaspoons of Mixed Spice (optional)
1 x Teaspoon of mild chilli powder (optional)
4 x Slices brown bread
2 x Teaspoons mixed herbs
Method
Place chicken drummers/chicken breasts in a deep pan fill with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 mins. Drain and leave to cool. When cool remove the skin and pat dry. Cut chicken breasts into strips.
Place the bread and mixed herbs into a food processor and blend until crumbled and empty onto a large dish. Scoop out all the bovril paste into a small bowl. Mix in the egg, crushed garlic, pepper, spice and chilli until you have a gloopy paste.
Now for the fun bit, but before you start switch on the oven to its highest setting and have a baking tray sprayed with fry light on stand by. Using a spoon carefully dribble the paste all over a chicken drummer/strip then roll it in the breadcrumb mixture and place on the baking tray. Repeat until all the drummers/strips are covered.
Place the chicken in the oven and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the breadcrumbs have started to go brown and crisp. Remove and leave to cool. Once cool transfer to a serving plate.
Enjoy!

Massive Health Benefits of Ginger!!!

2011-04-10T13:29:00.000+01:00

Ginger has been used as a natural cure for many diseases for centuries. Apart from being used for cooking, the benefits of ginger also consist of helping as a significant ingredient in loads of the diseases. Ginger may be great weapon in the handling of ovarian cancer. A study carried out at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Centre found that ginger powder provokes cell death in all ovarian cancer cells to which it was introduced. Ginger has long been used as a botanical heartburn cure; it is most frequently used in the form of tea for this reason.

Ginger holds carminative properties and can be consumed to relieve upset stomach. The ingestion of ginger assists in arousing the secretion of mucus that calms the cough and sooths any scratchiness in the throat.

Ginger has been found to treat nausea, predominantly in the form of morning sickness, motion sickness and as a side effect of chemotherapy.

Ginger contains anti viral, anti toxic, and anti fungal functions, and is utilized for the avoidance of and management against the common cold.

Ginger functions as an antihistamine and helps in the treatment of allergies. It has anti inflammatory properties and may be consumed to cure rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and a range of other muscular disorders.

The roots of the Ginger are influential in slowing down the biosynthesis of prostaglandins which are accountable for causing inflammation. Thus the root has demonstrated to be an exceedingly effectual type of treatment, in some cases, even further so than the NSAID’s that are conventionally prescribed.

Ginger contains particular enzymes liable for catalyzing the proteins in the food, thus helping in digestion and the avoidance of cramps. The primordial Greeks used to have ginger after a hefty meal in order to simplify the digestion process.

Ginger guards against the growth of ulcers, surplus holes in the lining of your stomach.

Ginger facilitates in lowering cholesterol levels and averts the formation of blood clots.

Ginger is usually utilized to resolve an upset stomach or treat harsh stomach illnesses such as dyspepsia or colic.

Dog wedding costs owner £20,000

2011-04-07T17:56:00.001+01:00

Now don’t get me wrong. Anyone who knows me knows i adore my 2 dogs but….this lady in my eyes has lost the plot! But of course thats only my opinion, you may think differently

Louise Harris (right) carrying Lola and Bev Nicholson carrying Mugly during the ceremony in Bradwell-on-Sea

THEY say op-paw-sites attract... so when pampered pooch Lola met ugly mutt Mugly, it was a match made in doggy heaven.

Lola’s owner, Louise Harris, was determined to give her little princess the wedding day of her dreams. And the barking-mad pet lover forked out an astonishing £20,000 on a deluxe ceremony attended by 80 guests.

Yorkshire terrier Lola wore a £1,000 designer wedding dress and Mugly raised the woof by wearing a tuxedo and top hat.

Louise, who thinks she has spent at least £100,000 on her three dogs in the past six years, says: “The day was perfect from start to finish and Lola loved being the centre of attention. My dogs are my pride and joy so nothing is too good for them. I enjoy spoiling them. It makes me happy.

“Lola has transformed my life and makes me so much happier, so this was my way of thanking her.”

Louise – who owns a dog boutique – ran an online competition last year to find a husband for six-year-old Lola and received hundreds of entries. To her surprise Lola’s favourite was Mugly, a hairless Chinese crested who holds the title of the UK’s ugliest dog and is owned by mum-of-four Bev Nicholson, 47, of Peterborough, Cambs.

Louise, 32, says: “I didn’t think Lola would like him. She is a diva and loves her clothes and jewellery so I thought she’d go for a dog more like her.

“But they had a lot of fun so I thought Mugly was the perfect future husband.” Louise took three months to organise the wedding, which was staged in a marquee in the grounds of a mansion in Bradwell-on-Sea, Essex.

And the dog lover, from nearby Chelmsford, spent £1,350 on jewellery for the big day, £1,000 on a dog creche and £400 on security.

She owns two other Yorkshire terriers – Lulu, who was a bridesmaid, and Larry, who was a page boy.

Louise’s spending on them has included £26,000 on clothes, collars and harnesses, £14,500 on massages, £2,500 on hair accessories and more than £6,000 on beds which have the dogs’ initials in gold leaf.

After Lola and Mugly were pronounced mutt and wife, the human guests were treated to a luxury buffet and a 6ft chocolate fountain.

Louise says: “Lola looked so beautiful – like a little glitter ball. Mugly looked fantastic and he was the perfect groom. It was an emotional day.”

Wedding Cake to Turin by Lynda Renham

2011-04-03T13:28:00.000+01:00

I read this book at the beginning of the year and really enjoyed it.

This is the quickest i've EVER read a book i read it in one day!. i'm not sure if its a good or bad thing. It was hilarious from start to finish and as i'd been ill it cheered me up no end.. If your feeling down go buy this book its most certainly a mood lifter.

Product Description

When Charlotte is sent by her boss to deliver a wedding cake to Turin little does she know what she will be letting herself in for. Torn between feelings for her boyfriend and a new man that she meets at the airport, she embarks on a journey of hilarious situations, finding herself mixing with the rich and famous and the Italian Mafia. Charlotte has to decide just how much she is prepared to do for love but does the man she love truly love her? Charley's journey to find love is both hilarous and touching.

I’ve added a link to my blog so any of you can easily click and buy.. i urge you to as its brilliant.

Household chemicals linked to early menopause

2011-03-25T08:43:00.000Z

Chemicals found in throughout the environment and in household items may increase the chances of an early menopause in women.

Chemicals found in a large number of household items may increase the odds of women having an early menopause, a study found.

Perfluorocarbons (PFCs) are man-made chemicals which are found in many everyday household items, including food containers, non-stick pots and pans, clothing, furniture, carpets and paints.

PFCs have become ubiquitous in the environment and can be found in water, air, soil, plant life, animals and humans, even in the most remote parts of the world.

A probability sample of U.S. adults, found measurable concentrations of PFCs in 98 percent of those tested.

In the study, US researchers tested PFC levels in the blood of more than 25,000 women aged between 18 and 65 years.

They found that higher levels of perfluorocarbons (PFCs) in the body are associated with an increased odds of having experienced menopause in women between 42 and 64 years old.

Women over the age of 42 with high levels of PFCs were more likely to experience an early menopause. The same group also had significantly lower concentrations of the hormone oestrogen compared to the women with low levels of PFCs.

Dr Sarah Knox, who led the study said: "The current study is the largest ever to be done on the endocrine-disrupting effects of perfluorocarbons in human women.

"Our data shows that after controlling for age, women of perimenopausal and menopausal age in this large population are more likely to have experienced menopause if they have higher serum concentrations of PFCs than their counterparts with lower levels.

"Part of the explanation could be that women in these age groups have higher PFC levels because they are no longer losing PFCs with menstrual blood anymore, but, it is still clinically disturbing because it would imply that increased PFC exposure is the natural result of menopause."

She also added: "Our findings suggest that PFCs are associated with endocrine disruption in women and that further research on mechanisms is warranted."

The findings are published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Its a wonderful life

2011-03-23T16:21:00.000Z

Yesterday i decided to have a baking session and made some chocolate biscuits and some chocolate cake.. Today was savoury day and i made sausage rolls and bacon & egg pie.

I was just about to take the sausage rolls out of the oven when the phone rang.

It was my local newspaper informing me that i had been nominated by one of my friends for a makeover… No one has ever done anything like this for me and i was gobsmacked.

Me & Julie the other week

Julie had got in touch with the paper as she thought i deserved a treat and a pamper.

I remember it well, the day i told Julie i had cancer, we both cried buckets but this wonderful lady has been a great friend throughout and this is most definitely the icing on the cake.

Apparently i get clothed at Debenhams and then go to a hairdressers to get my tresses sorted..

Its not until May but i am truly excited..

Thank you Julie Carruthers your one top bird xxx

How am i meant to hit that???

2011-03-16T19:59:00.000Z

You may remember i posted about Dr Airan prescribing me some very strong indigestion tablets and sending me to the hospital for a chest X-ray . Well i’ve had the results and my lungs are all clear so thats good news.

Over the weekend i finished the strong indigestion tablets i was taking daily and had to go back to see the Dr to let her know how things were going.

Last night i had a awful night in bed.. the sicky feeling and awful taste that came up into my mouth, made me keep having to go to the bathroom to be sick.

I mentioned this to the Dr today and she’s now digging further into why i’m like this.

I arrived home with a wonderful little container with a spatula attached to the lid.. yup, she needs a poo sample! wonderful.. how the hell am i meant to hit that small bottle! Also i only “go” about once a week if i’m lucky. She laughed and said when i feel the need to grab my little pot and the surgery needs it by mid day and it needs to be fresh!!!!!! Bloody Fresh! hahaha.

So until the urge arrives i can do no more but hope that its on a morning and before noon.

Also apparantly the letter to my Dr from the Neurologist which was meant to be sent in January, had got lost! Now though Dr Airan can refer me to ENT.. weird isnt it that the consultant has to ask my Dr to refer me. Why couldn’t the consultant do it as it was her idea in the first place? Hmmm who am i to ask.

Ovarian Cancer Awareness month is March in the UK

2011-02-28T15:35:00.000Z

Wow, that year went quick, it don’t seem 5 minutes since i was doing my bit to raise awareness last year http://theramblingsoftracey.blogspot.com/2010/03/fame-at-last.html this was my local paper

and then in a National Sunday Paper http://theramblingsoftracey.blogspot.com/2010/04/here-i-am-again.html

All i can say is, thank heavens i’m still here and also that i no longer have dark hair!

some ladies aren’t as lucky as i am so i thank my blessings.

Once again the wonderful people from Ovacome are raising awareness and have a fantastic symptom tracker where you can put in how your feeling and then get help if things aren’t good. Take a look its very helpful gadget ..

Beat Ovarian Cancer <<<Click and pass on to other females you know, you may well save someone’s life

A weekend full of fun & laughter

2011-02-20T23:00:00.000Z

This weekend the Ice Hockey team i support, had 2 home games. I’ve been supporting The Hull Stingrays for over 20 years now and absolutely love the sport and have made some wonderful friends up and down the country.

Last night the first of many laughs occurred. The first been poor Polo

Polo is our club mascot and before the game starts, he either walks round the rink or skates on the ice with a bucket of tennis balls which have a number on. He throws them into the crowd and if you catch a ball and the player who scored the first goal’s shirt number matches your ball.. you win a prize.

Anyway last night Polo skated with his bucket of balls and slipped ..Well its slippery is that ice.. Unfortunately, his head fell off.. Now i’m laughing as i type this as it was so funny. The thing was that Danny (Polo) had hurt his knee as he fell and was obviously in pain but ever the entertainer he leant back, grabbed his head and rammed it back on before limping off to cheers from the crowd.

i know it was cruel to laugh but it did look funny and he didn’t do any damage to his knee so alls well.

Tonight my friend Sarah complained of indigestion so i offered her some Indigestion tablets, she turned her nose up telling me they made her feel sick so i offered her a Covonia.. The cough lozenges i carry about with me and amuse her by always offering them to people.

Unfortunately i managed to get my words wrong and told her instead of Covonia, that i had some Calgon!! Now Calgon in the UK is a water softener which you put inside your washing machine when washing.. That was it.. laughs galore!!

Another Hospital visit

2011-02-15T15:04:00.000Z

EEeeeee All i do nowadays is blog about my ailments. As i mentioned though in a previous post, i do it to remember as my memory really is awful.

On Boxing day i got the dreaded flu and since then i’ve been left with a cough thats been driving me mad. On a morning its ok as its like a “morning after a night out” kind of meaty cough but by mid afternoon my chest goes very tight and the cough becomes dry and annoying. On an evening when in bed it gets even worse and the indigestion starts worse than i’ve ever had it and i do suffer with indigestion too. I always feel really nauseous too.

Anyway this morning i finally decided enough was enough and called the surgery to see if i could make an appointment. Got the shock of my life when i was told that i could go at 11am today!!!

Dr Airan listened to me waffling on and examined me thoroughly also asked if i smoked.. Erm nope never tried one and have no intentions of doing so… and if i drank… Once again nope cannot afford to!

I was given a perscription for some strong indigestion tablets to have daily for 4 weeks to see if it eases the symptoms and also sent off to the local hospital for a chest X-Ray..

I trotted off for the X-Ray and need to call my Dr in 10-14 days for the results unless i hear from them first.

I’ve still not heard anything from ENT regarding the inner ear problem either but i realise these things take time.

My visit to the Neurology department

2011-01-26T17:09:00.000Z

As i mentioned in my last post, i had an appointment today with a Neurology consultant at my local hospital.

She was a lovely lady who examined me and told me the dizziness and fainting is nothing to do with any brain damage, which is good as a junior doctor in my local surgery who referred me had said he thought it was to do with a brain problem! ( He thinks i’m nutty, how very dare he)

I’m been referred to the ENT department and have also had some blood taken to check i have sufficient Vitamin B in my body as apparantly Chemotherapy can mess with ones immune system and can make one vitamin B deficient.

BLOODY CHEMO!

The Consultant mentioned my inner ear and how a fault caused by the chemotherapy can affect the nerves in my inner ear so affecting my balance.

I now have to wait to hear from my own doctor for further tests and the blood results.

Todays visit to my Oncologist

2011-01-25T16:43:00.000Z

Well today was the day.. It should really have been next month but i can’t make that one so my 6 month check up was brought forward.

I always feel apprehensive as the date looms but this time was worse than ever.. I was as sick as a dog this morning and really felt ill.. also it could be due to the fact that tomorrow i have to go and see a Neurologist.. this week is full of Ologists!

Anyway Dr Bashir informed me it was all good as when i saw him last time my CA125 was 14, this time its down to 11..A massive sigh of relief.

He’s booked for me to go and see him in 6 months time so i’m a happy bunny.

I still felt bleugh when i left the hospital but after some ginger wine ( non alcoholic) the sickness has gone a little, i just have the banging head!

Hopefully i’ll be normal again after the next scary visit of the week tomorrow.

Happy New Year

2011-01-12T15:14:00.000Z

Well what a start to 2011.. On Boxing Day i started coughing.. and coughing…. and blooming coughing. 2 days later the aching of every bone in my body started. Yup i had the dreaded flu.

I still can’t shake the cough off and its driving me maaaaaddddd. I’ve had medicine from the pharmacy and throat lozenges.. Hopefully it’ll go soon. I’ve not bothered my doctor as i’ll end up with more bugs if i go to the surgery and also its only flu and there are people out there who need a doctor more than me. I’m a survivor and will carry on sucking the Covonia Lozenges hehehe.

The old dizzy head isn’t doing me any favours either and seems to get worse each time. In a couple of weeks time i go to the hospital to see the Neurology Department so hopefully they’ll suss out whats going on in that there head of mine.

The only way i can describe the dizzy effects is that its not when i stand up or anything like that, it can suddenly come on while i’m watching television. I really hope something can get sorted as it makes me feel so sick too. thank heavens for non alcoholic Ginger wine as it takes the sicky feeling away.

On the 25th of this month i go to see my Oncologist so hopefully alls well in that area too.

right thats me updated with my health. I’ve blogged this as i still am very forgetful and need things wrote down..chemo brain.. lack of brain.. senile.. You decide.

Gammon ham Thai green broth with coriander dumplings | LovePork.co.uk

2010-12-09T15:13:00.000Z

Gammon ham Thai green broth with coriander dumplings | LovePork.co.uk

Women V Cancer Cycle Kenya

2010-11-08T16:58:00.000Z

One of my good Friends, Darren. has his own business and ages ago i mentioned about Sandhy cycling Kenya for Women V Cancer in October/ November 2011.

Recently he got back to me regarding helping her raise funds.. basically he is going to have some things for sale on Ebay and all the profits are been donated to Sandhy’s Just Giving Account

Here’s the first item, which we love a lot..

Please help raise Sandhy’s funds more by ordering one here OVARIAN CANCER AWARENESS MUG

Life in Remission

2010-11-03T10:22:00.000Z

Its almost a year since i wrote a post on my feelings been told i had Ovarian Cancer and almost four years since i was actually diagnosed. I suppose i should feel great that the cancer has gone, along with my ovaries and whatever nasty bits were lurking in there but i don’t.

Why? because of the side affects i’ve been left with.

Some days i feel fine, until i get out there and remember i am still ill.. Some people will look at me and think there’s nothing wrong as i try to “look” normal in my everyday activities. they don’t see how i try to walk at a normal pace but end up having to hold on to a fence or stopping in my tracks until i feel ok again to carry on.

This bloody Peripheral Neuropathy is really getting me down and my Oncologist did say it’ll get worse and affect my quality of life. it sure as hell is. I’m like an old lady when it comes to stairs/steps and if i see a dodgy pavement the panic start as i’m petrified i’ll stumble. even last week when i Learnt to Swim didn’t help as i couldn’t feel the bottom of the pool even though it was only 4ft 6 inches!

Now though its been confirmed.. I am disabled. I have a badge in my car to prove the fact. Who would have thought that good old Trace, the life and sole of the party with her dancing all night antics, would end up been bloody disabled!.

I really hope that one day a miracle will happen and my limbs will be my own again and my head will stop been fuzzy but as yet there is no cure. I'm not feeling sorry for myself by the way, i just felt i had to blog about how i feel as i find it easier to do this that to actually speak to anyone.

The Bolholt Country Hotel in Bury

2010-10-31T11:51:00.001Z

In my Last post i mentioned i’d won a 2 night break in a hotel. Wooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!

On arrival we were greeted with a wonderful receptionist who directed us to our room. It was raining quite a bit when we arrived but that really didn’t matter.

Dave walked into the room first and said “Oh Dear” I obviously thought we maybe had bunk beds or something. How wrong i was.. We were greeted with a magnificent four poster bed and Dave knew i’d probably cry at the sight of such splendor, he was right, a few tears fell as, as i’ve mentioned before, i have never won anything that i really felt i "needed" or stayed anywhere so nice.

Once we’d settled in we had a wander around to take some photographs and to take a look at the leisure centre too. Later on we grabbed our swimming costumes and headed back for my dreaded swimming lesson!

I was absolutely petrified, i’ve always been scared of water since i was about 8 years old when someone tripped me up at the local swimming baths and i went under for what seemed like ages. The water phobia has been with me since. I think i’m the only person who can manage to shower without getting my face wet. Anyway i managed to waggle my arms about for a bit but my feet seem to have a problem lifting from the floor! I did eventually swim though but can’t say i enjoyed it too much as i couldn’t relax. We then went for a Sauna… nipped into the Steam room and then a wonderful relax in the Jacuzzi.

Later we went down to the bar

where we ordered our food and had a drink, before been taken into the restaurant.

Dave wasn’t very adventurous and ordered Broccoli & Stilton soup. I ordered Fresh Mussels cooked in a thai sauce, they were absolutely gorgeous.

We both settled for a T bone steak for our main course as we cannot afford such wonderful food at home, it was cooked to perfection.

Dave had a side order of potatoes and vegetables, i had homemade chips with side salad and a Diane sauce.

The waitresses were great and made sure we were well catered for, we felt like royalty.

The following morning we had breakfast a choice of either a full English, Vegetarian or Continental. The Continental had everything you could imagine.. cheese, freshly sliced ham, croissants, fresh fruit.

All in all we had a fantastic 2 days and arrived home on Thursday relaxed and content.

A mini break for 2

2010-10-25T16:58:00.000+01:00

Back in July, i won a competition for a mini break for 2 in a country park hotel. It consists of 2 nights dinner bed and breakfast with full use of the facilities too. Now i’m a non swimmer so the pool is a must for me as i need to learn how to swim. i also want to try out a sauna and jacuzzi too.

I have never stayed anywhere so fancy in my life and cannot wait.

Tomorrow is the day we’ve been waiting for.. We’ll drop the dogs off in their holiday home first, its on a farm in the country and they get spoilt rotten when ever they’ve stayed in the past.

We’ll then drive just over 140 miles away, not too far, and arrive in time for afternoon tea.

I’ll take plenty of photographs as its apparantly set in wonderful grounds near a lake. I know its supposed to rain but i really don’t care. I’ll be away from home, getting a meal cooked for me and i won’t have to wash up…. bliss!

On Wednesday after breakfast we’re heading off to see how cars are made and get lunch provided too. In all it should be a good couple of days..

Postcrossing again

2010-10-23T15:52:00.000+01:00

I mentioned a while ago that i’d started Postcrossing . I’m still going strong and have posted cards all over the world and also received cards from various places too.

I had planned to start Scrapbooking the cards i received too. At my home i have a lovely little room that i was going to make into my craft room but due to the flood in my flat, other things were a lot more important. So as yet i haven’t started to scrapbook them so they are all currently in a box all together.

Anyway heres a few cards i’ve received

Cancer is a man made disease

2010-10-15T16:02:00.000+01:00

Cancer is a modern, man-made disease caused by modern day environmental factors such as pollution and diet, a new study suggests.

After analysing the remains of hundreds of Egyptian mummies, researchers at the University of Manchester concluded that cancer was extremely rare in ancient times.

Ancient Greek literature rarely refers to illnesses resembling cancer, and there is scant evidence of tumour growth in animal fossils and non-human primates, the researchers said.

Cancer rates in have risen massively since the Industrial Revolution, in particular childhood cancer, suggesting that the rise is not simply due to people living longer.

Professor Rosalie David, an expert in biomedical Egyptology said: “In industrialised societies, cancer is second only to cardiovascular disease as a cause of death. But in ancient times, it was extremely rare.

There is nothing in the natural environment that can cause cancer. So it has to be a man-made disease, down to pollution and changes to our diet and lifestyle.

“The important thing about our study is that it gives a historical perspective to this disease. We can make very clear statements on the cancer rates in societies because we have a full overview. We have looked at millennia, not one hundred years, and have masses of data.”

Although it has been suggested that shorter life spans may be the reason why the researchers found little evidence of the disease, people in ancient Egypt and Greece lived long enough to show signs of other modern diseases such as hardening of the arteries, osteoporosis and other bone conditions.

Another reason for the lack of tumours in ancient remains could be that tumours may be destroyed during mummification. However, experiments performed by the researchers indicate that tumours should be better preserved than normal tissue.

Radiological surveys of mummies from the Cairo Museum and museums in Europe have also failed to reveal evidence of cancer.

As the team moved through the ages, it was not until the 17th century that they found descriptions of operations for breast and other cancers.

The first reports in the literature of distinctive tumours only occurred in the past 200 years, such as scrotal cancer in chimney sweeps in 1775, nasal cancer in snuff users in 1761 and Hodgkin’s disease in 1832.

Professor David said: “Where there are cases of cancer in ancient Egyptian remains, we are not sure what caused them.

"They did heat their homes with fires, which gave off smoke, and temples burned incense, but sometimes illnesses are just thrown up.

“Yet again extensive ancient Egyptian data, along with other data from across the millennia, has given modern society a clear message – cancer is man-made and something that we can and should address.”

The study is published in the journal Nature.

Wet Room… just a little yup!

2010-10-13T21:07:00.000+01:00

So here i am, better late than never.. How come that once upon a time i blogged a lot.. nowadays i don’t?

Anyway since my last entry i’ve had my eyes tested again.. don’t seem a year since my last appointment but i have to see my Optician every year nowadays instead of every 2. I also have a wonderful photo of my eye balls taken by the hospital back in April. I have to show this picture to my Optician each time i see him so that he can check if my eyes have changed at all.

Well they have! I had new glasses last October and now i have more. I pick them up next week.

Oh did i mention too that my apartment got flooded? I wasn’t actually home when it happened and it wasn’t found for about 4 days. The couple who lived ( they have since been thrown out) in the flat above my bedroom, had a fight, she stabbed him!! Anyway, they managed to knock their radiator off the wall and it dripped into my bedroom.. the thing is, every time they tried to get hot water, the radiator gushed even more water into my home. Both my bedrooms were ruined.. I’ve had to have a new bed and bedding… new carpets… all my walls re decorated and some of my clothes were ruined too as i have walk in wardrobes and the water had dripped in there too.

My landlord bought me a new mattress and bedding and made up my bed ready for my return, unfortunately it was so damp in the room i had to drag the bed into my living room. here you see my walk in wardrobes too.

I had to have a de humidifier working all day and night to try to dry out the walls and floor. ( see the puddle?)

As i mentioned earlier, i had to drag my bed into my living room for about 8 weeks until the place had dried out and been decorated etc.

But these things are set to try us and by heck this did.. I cried so much at the sight of my home.

So, what with flooded home, and bad eyes its been rather hectic and stressful these last few weeks..

i think i can just about keep smiling though

Tuesday’s Oncology visit

2010-08-26T12:22:00.000+01:00

Well Tuesday arrived and i felt awful.. Scared, Agitated and petrified amongst other things.

My appointment was at 2pm so i was the first in to see Dr Bashir. He asked if i were ok and i told him “That all depends on what you tell me”

He straight away told me that my CA125 was 14 again, the same as 4 months ago and i had nothing to worry about as it hadn’t gone higher.

A lady Dr was also in the room and she did the examination and all was well there too.

Dr Bashir dosn’t want to see me now for 6 months. HOORRRAAAAYYYYY!!

I walked out of his room all smiles. The last 4 months have been the longest time of my life as i had no idea if my Cancer had returned or not.. up to now all is well. PHEW!

AARRGGHH!!

2010-08-19T16:27:00.000+01:00

OOps.

Hello fellow bloggettes and bloggees. I had a lady moment a few weeks ago and changed the title of my blog, not realising that all of you could not see my blog because of this..

My good mate Sandhy has just sorted me out and, the cheek of it, called me a BLOCKHEAD. how very dare she, I’m more a Muppet hahaha

So Welcome back oh mighty ones and please feel free to comment on the posts i did that went into space xxx

My Oncology appointment is looming

2010-08-16T13:00:00.000+01:00

On Wednesday, i go to my Doctors to have my bloods taken ready for my Oncology appointment at the hospital a week on Tuesday.

I have my usual feelings that i get every time my Oncologist appointment is near.. Fear!

When i went to see him last April things had changed, Aprils update. Apart from seeing one of Dr Bashir’s lady doctors from his team, my blood levels had also gone up.

I’ve not had the pains i was having prior to my last visit but i seem to be getting bloated more. But the pins and needles in my arms. hands and legs seem to be more frequent too and i still have to be very careful walking as i can’t feel the floor beneath me, the fainting and dizzy spells are the same too. I just wish something could be done regarding this blooming Peripheral Neuropathy.

Blimey i sound a right moaning Minnie don’t i? I’m not really its just “That Time” please don’t be put off by my little grumble

Postcrossing pt2

2010-08-04T14:35:00.000+01:00

Well today it finally happened.. I received my first postcard, actually i received 2.

One from a gentleman in The Netherlands

and one from a lady in Germany who sent me a card with her favourite holiday destination on, Lanzorote.

I feel i might be on a roll now haha. I almost hugged the postman.

Yesterday was a fun day. I’d won some Blackcurrants & jam jars, which where to be delivered yesterday. First thing the jam jars arrived then about 4 hours later the postman rammed a packet marked FRAGILE through the letter box. I opened the door as he was mid ram!

I asked him to stop as the juice of my blackcurrants was oozing out of the padded envelope…. “oh” says postie “ i wondered what it was..there’s purple juice all at the bottom of my bag and all the mail has a hint of purple”

I opened my wonderful parcel to find lots of stalks laid in blackcurrant juice! so much for me making jam, they went straight into the bin.. Certainly made me smile though at the site of Postman Pat with purple fingers and the thought of all the purple post… And all because The Royal Mail couldn’t read a massive sticker on the packet saying FRAGILE.

Postcrossing~ my new hobby

2010-07-31T13:23:00.000+01:00

Last week after chatting to a friend, I looked into Postcrossing. Basically you register to the website and send and receive postcards from total strangers from all over the world.

On Monday i hit the magic button that tells me a code and an address of a person to send a card to.

The first address to appear was from Belgium. I can send upto 5 postcards at a time and as soon as one of them is registered as been received using the special code we are given, i get a message to say its arrived and that i can send another card.

The next out of the box was Canada

Then Taiwan, which is apparently 9.622km away from where i am. and the furthest i’ve posted as yet.

the 4th place i had to send one to was Russia and each time i got a new address i smiled as its quite exciting not knowing who your posting cards to and also that they at their end are smiling too at receiving one.

My final address of the day was in Germany

Since posting them last Monday, 2 have been received which meant i could ask for 2 more addresses. So i have now posted a card to Costa Rica & The Czech Republic

As yet i haven’t received any back but as soon as i do i’ll blog about it. I’m quite interested in other cultures and am so excited at the thought of the postman dropping a wonderful postcard from somewhere in the world, onto my door mat.

I recommend you all to take a look at Postcrossing what a wonderful way to learn about the rest of the world.

Brave enough now to show my bald head

2010-07-15T13:12:00.001+01:00

Yesterday a fellow Ovarian Cancer survivor friend of mine put a photograph on facebook of her when she had no hair.

As i now feel more confident in myself i too posted a baldy piccie of myself.

The comments i’ve had have been amazing as unlike my pretty friends, i’m a manly looking woman and been bald really didn’t suit me. Also been with a man who told me i was ugly, looked like a man ( which i knew anyway) and i was off putting, didn’t do a lot for my self esteem.

Look at me now you awful man, bet you wish you’d not beaten me up and threatened to stab me and almost threw me down the stairs, just because i had cancer!!

Anyway one friend in particular my lovely Sarah, wrote me a poem which i read this morning and promptly cried. Its such a lovely poem and she said such nice things about me too ( no idea why but the cheques in the post ;-) )

I feel i’d like to share this wonderful little poem with you all and also so a massive THANK YOU to Sarah and all my wonderful friends. I love you all xxx

“Tracey 'Wardill' Ford you're such a star
That shines your light both near and far
Your light shines from you inside to out
You're a special lady without a doubt
You're past has made you what you are
Not always a good thing though, ha ha ha :-)
You've survived so much in your life
Fun times and laughter and even some strife
True friends support you through ups and downs
Those that don't, well they're the clowns
I've learn't a lot from having you as my mate
And thanks to you, I've become a right repribate!
I'm proud to have you as a friend
And may our friendship never end.”

I have returned, and to prove it i’m here!

2010-07-02T16:39:00.000+01:00

Hello fellow bloggies and bloggettes. I’m sorry i haven’t been on here for some time but for those who follow me you’ll know why ( my little addiction haha)

We went to Le Mans to watch the 24 hour race on the weekend of 11-14th June and had a wonderful time. It was my first attempt at camping and so funny! On the first night our tent leaked when it poured down with rain and i woke up wet from my knees down, i couldn’t stop laughing.

Prior to us going to France, my other half broke his big toe so it was hit and miss if he’d be able to drive all the way to France or not. luckily he was fine but the toe ached after a lot of walking.

On returning from camping, i had to go to the eye hospital for more tests regarding the possibility of me having glaucoma. I thought the tests had finished weeks ago but they needed more. I had photo’s taken of my eyes too so that every time i visit my optician ( now every year instead of 2) i show him these pictures to see if my eyes have changed.

Sad times came last Sunday when his father died, such a shock. Tommy was a wonderful man and will be sadly missed.

I am a TWITTERHOLIC, thats official

2010-06-04T10:52:00.004+01:00

Well it has to be confirmed.. I have become a Twitterholic. I doubt thats a real word to be honest as i do tend to make up words but most people who know me know my “Traceyisms”

Anyway, since discovering Twitter I cannot stay out of the place. I’ve made some wonderful friends on there as well as A long lost cousin in law. If you’ve never been on Twitter, go try it, if you get lost send me a message i’ll help you, i’m quite a dab hand at it now.

There’s even a clever search box, where you can type for example the name of your home town, and everyone who has twittered and mentioned your home town appear and you see the messages.. Its also good for job hunting as when you type in for example my home town of Kingston upon Hull, quite a few jobs appear too.

I’m on a roll here LOL. Now i’ll stop harping on about my new hobby/addiction.

Next week we travel down to Dover with about 60 other Astra VXR’s from the car club my other half belongs to, to head off to Le Mans for the 24 hour race. We have our own campsite right by the track so there’ll be no sleep and also our own shower/toilet block and we’re having a barbeque while watching on our very own big screen tv, England play USA in the World Cup. I’m past myself with excitement, i really can’t wait.

Right now i’ve kind of caught up here, I’ll go and make my other half a cup of coffee to drink while he’s washing/waxing/claying/waxing and whatever else he’s doing to make his car shinier than a shiny thing.

Twitter and its findings

2010-05-18T18:12:00.000+01:00

I only really got into Twitter a few weeks ago. Upto now i’ve won 3 books by either following people or retweeting.

Anyway my 3rd book win was this morning. The book publishers “tweeted” all the names of the winners, including my name. One of the other names stood out because its actually the nickname i’m known as, so i had a look at her profile and discovered she is from East Yorkshire like myself.

We got chatting and she mentioned the town she lives in and i told her my Dad was born there and then I mentioned the house he lived in… What do you know, This lady has a older brother who married my cousin!!!

What’s the chances of me finding a relation on Twitter like this?

We both can’t believe it, its brilliant.

My Character Reading.

2010-05-12T13:26:00.000+01:00

I saw this man on tv yesterday and thought i’d have a look at his website and see what he says about me. He’s called Paul Watson and he’s spot on with my reading. I would love a little cottage in the country where i could have lots of animals and make jams and pickles and jewellery, its always been a dream of mine.

Aquarius Water Hare

Well, let's get one thing straight, Water Hares are amazing. They are lovely, kind, thoughtful, gentle and selfless. The Aquarian, however, can be cool, cold and distant. Well, not this girl.

This girl is actually a little bit of an air-head, bit of a hippy, a floaty thing who absolutely needs to decamp to the country, if she isn't already there, because the harshness, the day-to-day slog of city life would completely destabilise her karma.

The ideal setting for this girl is a little cottage in the middle of nowhere with a little cottage industry - possibly knitwear or something both practical and creative - where she can work to her own times and schedules and not worry about all the huffing and puffing that is taking place in smog-filled hell-holes all over the world. She is in possession of the sort of compassion and sweet-natured soul that re-instils your faith in humanity - if ever there was a girl who would do anything for a complete stranger, it is this fair maiden. She is not stupid, she is not gullible, she is not naive, she just has the sort of inherent kindness that is so tragically lacking in today's dismally self-orientated society.

They don't come more adorable, but this one is also strangely savvy - don't underestimate her. Wonderful.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’ve won again…

2010-05-06T14:31:00.000+01:00

I’ve never heard of this author if i’m honest. But as i’m broadening my horizons i’m on the look out for new books to read.

Just need to receive it from America and i’ll be starting it.. Can’t wait…

One Sheet... or is it?

2010-05-05T13:59:00.002+01:00

Now i’m not sure if its my mind but i’m sure this advert currently on television does not say “One Sheet”

It makes me giggle every time i see it

HMS Dauntless

2010-05-03T19:25:00.000+01:00

THE Royal Navy’s newest and most technologically advanced warship has arrived for its first visit to Tyneside.

HMS Dauntless, Newcastle’s adopted ship, sailed up the Tyne and docked at Northumbrian Quay, in North Shields, on Friday.

Its captain and crew will be treated to a special reception this weekend.

The 7,300-tonne Type 45 Destroyer has replaced the previously affiliated HMS Newcastle, which was decommissioned in 2004 after 27 years of service.

The new 152m-long vessel, built at the BAE Systems shipyard in Govan, Glasgow, is set to be commissioned into the Navy in June. Commanding officer Captain Richard Powell and his crew are set for a packed programme of events before their departure on Tuesday.

Coun Mike Cookson, the Lord Mayor of Newcastle, will welcome them and other guests to the Civic Centre for a traditional Sunday lunch.

Coun Cookson said: “It is my privilege to finally welcome HMS Dauntless to her new home and I am looking forward to meeting Captain Powell and his crew. It promises to be a great weekend.

“This city has strong historical links with the armed forces, especially the Royal Navy, and this visit comes in the same year as we mark the 200th anniversary of the death of Trafalgar hero Lord Collingwood.

“I hope the whole crew enjoy their first trip home and I’m sure they will continue to represent the city well around the world.”

A number of schools, sea and combined forces cadets and other youth groups are set to pay a visit during the weekend.

In addition, the ship’s football team will line up against a side from Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, and the Dauntless rugby squad will play Morpeth in a friendly match.

Crew members have already made strong connections with Newcastle.

They have helped to raise money for Newcastle General Hospital’s children’s ward as well as the Percy Hedley Foundation. They are also now linked to Royal Grammar School and Newcastle United.

HMS Dauntless is part of the most powerful destroyer class ever built in the UK and one of the most advanced warships in the world.

It is equipped with a state-of-the-art air defence system, which can track and destroy a target the size of a cricket ball travelling three times the speed of sound.

It is designed to carry out a variety of tasks across the globe, including air defence, anti-piracy action and humanitarian aid.

Fairy Cakes in Devon 27th June 2010

2010-05-02T15:48:00.002+01:00

My Good Friend Sandhy who i’ve mention on numerous occasions is having a “Fairy Cake in The Garden” event.

All the details are on her page, just click her name to see all the details..

I had great pleasure in meeting her and the other OC girls in this photo, last summer. Sandhy is one special lady. Please help if you can.

Letting this blog down

2010-05-01T19:48:00.003+01:00

I’ve been elsewhere for the last few days… Where? i hear you ask. I’ve been on my My Family History I thought i’d lost over 20 years of research when my old pc died on me and then after getting the hard drive out and having it put in an external hard drive case, i couldn’t suss out which was the correct file..

Eventually after help from an expert and then me having to actually open all kinds of weird data. I found it…

Needless to say, i’m in Geneology mode again. your all welcome to pop over, follow, comment.. just so i don’t feel alone over there with my dead rellies

Walkies!!

2010-04-28T14:10:00.001+01:00

Yesterday we took the dogs out for a lovely walk to a lake i’d never been to. They did their usual thing and ran, barked and had a swim too.

I Won!!!!

2010-04-26T17:33:00.002+01:00

Well i’m still bunged up and heavy headed but i managed to get the grass cut today. Shame i couldn’t smell it though as its one of my favourite smells.

I’m still not eating properly, a slice of bread and butter has been my limit so far which is good as i could well be a size 10 by the end of the week HAHAHAHAHA.

and guess what. I entered a competition to win a book and i’m one of the 5 lucky winners!!

The is called book Katy Carter Wants a Hero and is Ruth Saberton’s debut novel.. I’m looking forward to getting my teeth into a new author, not literally of course. Can’t wait for it to arrive now.. so excited and its brightened me up no end

Where did the weekend go?

2010-04-25T21:25:00.000+01:00

On Friday i’d felt a bit woozy and sniffly but thought a cold wasn’t on the agenda as i only had one in February.

So had thought i’d tackle cutting Dave’s front lawn on Saturday. It’s only about 20 sq metres so not much to tackle.

It wasn’t meant to be, i woke up absolutly full of cold and my head was pounding. The old Peripheral Neuropathy was playing up too and i fell into the concrete fireplace as i tried to put on my flip flop. The problems i have apart from the dizzy and fainting do’s is the pins and needles i have in my fingers and also the numbness below my knees and into my feet and the pain is awful.

So yesterday i spent all day laid on the sofa and later having to go to bed as even though it was glorious sunshine outside and apparently warm too, i was freezing. Every bone in my body has ached ever since and today was another no go zone. Dave was out all day at a meeting to do with his car club so i did some cleaning but had to go and lay down again.

The weekend has been and gone and i’ve been stuck inside. Here’s hoping i’m not wobbly and achy tomorrow as i need fresh air, i don’t like been stuck indoors.

Thank You

2010-04-24T09:03:00.003+01:00

A big thank you to all of you for the comments on my last post.

Tuesday i was in a bit of a turmoil but only a bit.. Today i’m fine. I’m not thinking of Cancer, i don’t “do” cancer. I’ve been busy all week and my mind is in good places.

Hopefully, if i can get it sorted, i might be able to start researching my family tree again after a short stoppage due to my old laptop dying on me.

I’ve had my hard drive from my dead laptop put onto a external hard drive enclosure which means i can plug it into my new laptop and try to find all the 20+years of data from my family tree. problem been. the actual programme i use is from 2005 and as yet i’ve not discovered if it’ll work with a special patch on my Windows7 operating system.

I have a very nice man helping me so hopefully i’ll be able to pick up where i left off.

fingers crossed

I almost forgot to mention too that on Wednesday i received a letter from Target Ovarian Cancer asking if i would go along to a meeting in June and talk about my experiences with Ovarian Cancer. Unfortunately i am away on the date specified so emailed the Dr who had wrote to me explaining this.

Yesterday i received an email from her saying how sorry she was that i wouldn’t be able to make it but they are currently compiling their newsletter and wondered if it would be ok to feature me as i’ve been in both the local and national papers raising awareness of Ovarian Cancer. Of course i said YES.

Back from my appointment

2010-04-20T16:58:00.000+01:00

Well i arrived at the hospital to see Dr Bashir but saw a lady doctor in his team called Dr Musunuru. Straight away she asked how i’d been and i mentioned the weird pain i had which lasted about 10 days that felt like period pains.

She examined me thoroughly and was quite happy that all seemed ok.I got a bit of a shock though when she told me my CA125 was 14 as 6 months ago it was only 8. She said the numbers can fluctuate which i know but even so i’m a bit scared. Also instead of seeing me in 6 months time she’s brought it forward to 4 months time.

Dr Musunuru said she’s brought it forward so they can monitor me properly.

I spoke to Jean one of the clinical nurse specialists too and she said if i get worried just to call her. I never called her when i had cancer the last time but i might be different if its come back again.

Jean was quite pleased too that i raised awareness of Ovarian cancer last month and has took copies of the articles i had in the 2 newspapers. She’s going to get them laminated and put up in both Castle Hill Hospital and The Hull Royal Infirmary too.

After the shock of my rising CA125, Dave took me out for a late lunch and we spoke about if my cancer is on its way back. He put my mind at ease a little by saying that if the Oncologist was worried she’d have had me back sooner than in 4 months time. I also said to him that at least i know what to expect regarding chemo and he’s seen me bald too so hopefully he won’t run away! When i asked if he’d look after me if it has returned ( as the last one just punched me and played mind games with me) he laughed and said “ it ain’t coming back man, and cause i will, we met when we were both bald so i know what you look like”

So at least if it does return i have support. Its going to be a long 4 months though, but i’m going to once again be positive and put on the “i’m brave” face, and carry on as usual.

Today’s the Day

2010-04-20T08:17:00.004+01:00

Its 8am and the day i dread every 6 months is here. My check up with Dr Bashir my Oncologist.

It’s not the going to see him that i don’t like, far from it, he’s a lovely man. No its the examination and when he tells me my CA125 blood results. I had my bloods taken last Monday at my doctors and as soon as i arrive today Dr Bashir will let me know what number it is. Last April it was 7 and in October it was 8. I really hope it hasn’t rose any higher.

Scary day ahead… think of me at 2pm

L’Optimiste on Sky TV!!

2010-04-15T16:29:00.007+01:00

I mentioned the other day about my friend Sandhy cycling Kenya.

She’s been a very busy lady and appeared on Sky TV a few weeks ago.

Here’s the clip.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-14T17:18:00.003+01:00

A Day at the Seaside

2010-04-12T17:09:00.003+01:00

Yesterday we decided we needed to get out! So nipped over to Cleethorpes. We decided on this location as they have a dog friendly beach and Molly & Bertie love to run and dig and swim.

On the bit of beach where dogs aren’t welcome, the donkeys were stood waiting to take children for a ride but didn’t look too enthralled.

Cleethorpes has something for every member of the family, there’s lovely gardens to sit and ponder in and cafe’s galore.

Molly & Bertie had a wonderful time running after other dogs and barking, but soon got tired of that and dived into the sea.

They weren’t alone on the doggy beach as a lady on a horse galloped past.

after all the fun we went for a ice cream, well we never had a ice cream but the mutts shared one, thought they didn’t do much with it except the odd lick.

After all the exercise it was time to go home but not until The dogs sat and reflected on what a grand day they’d had.

My Friend is Cycling Kenya to raise funds for Breast, Ovarian & Cervical Cancer

2010-04-11T20:48:00.002+01:00

I met Sandhy over 2 years ago through the Ovacome website. I had just finished all my cancer treatment and Sandhy was starting hers, I sent her a message of support and our friendship grew.

Anyway You should all go to see her blog as its fantastic and lists all about her up and coming Cycle Ride . I’d really appreciate it if you could sponsor her too as she needs heaps of money, which she mentions about in her blog. I have added a Just Giving button to my blog which takes you to the secure fund raising page.

Feel free to steal this post from me to put on your blogs as i know a lot of you are affected with either Breast, Ovarian or Cervical Cancer.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and don’t forget.. Go see Sandhy's Blog

Nostalgia is a wonderful thing

2010-04-10T18:00:00.002+01:00

Way back in 1970, my parents bought their first ever business, a small sweetshop.

As i was only 6 at the time i would be in charge of selling the penny sweets, i loved it.

Today i discovered a sweet shop that has opened in Hull town centre, this shop used to be the tobacconist my Dad bought his pipes and speciality pipe tobacco’s from when i was a child.I remember it having wooden shelving and wooden drawers and used to love going in there in later years to buy Dad a new pipe for his Christmas present.

Anyway today its called “Treat Box” and sells all the wonderful sweets i used to when i was a child. talk about memories flooding back.The owners have even kept the old wooden draws and shelving i remembered and have jars of sweets to buy by per 100gram unlike when i sold 2 ounces, times change eh?

Some of the things they sell are:

Floral Gums

Scented Satins

Midget Gems

Bon Bons

Traffic Light Lollipops

Sweet Tobacco

Black Jacks

Fruit Salads

Kali & Lollipops (Kali is a Hull word for sherbert crystals)

Sherbert Dib Dabs

Chocolate Mice

Lucky Bags

If you remember a sweet from your childhood i guarantee you’ll find it in this tiny shop. What i also loved about the shop was the way they wrapped up your purchases in clear plastic and tied with ribbon then finished with a cute Treat Box sticker.

This afternoon i had wonderful memories come flooding back of my childhood in my parents sweetshop, one happy bunny.

Giving Up Wine

2010-04-09T11:25:00.000+01:00

I was walking down the street when I was accosted by a particularly dirty and shabby-looking homeless woman who asked me for a couple of dollars for dinner.
I took out my wallet, got out ten dollars and asked, 'If I give you this money, will you buy wine with it instead of dinner?'
'No, I had to stop drinking years ago', the homeless woman told me.
'Will you use it to go shopping instead of buying food?' I asked.
'No, I don't waste time shopping,' the homeless woman said. 'I need to spend all my time trying to stay alive.'

'Will you spend this on a beauty salon instead of food?' I asked.
'Are you NUTS!' replied the homeless woman.. I haven't had my hair done in 20 years!'
'Well, I said, 'I'm not going to give you the money. Instead, I'm going to take you out for dinner with my husband and me tonight.'
The homeless Woman was shocked. 'Won't your husband be furious with you for doing that? I know I'm dirty, and I probably smell pretty disgusting.'

I said, 'That's okay. It's important for him to see what a woman looks like after she has given up shopping, hair appointments, and wine.'

Docs thought it was a baby bump.. but I had ovarian cancer at 14

2010-04-08T13:36:00.000+01:00

I’ve just read about this young girl in a newspaper and thought i’d share. What a truly amazing young lady.

When 14-year-old Sarah Martin's stomach bloated and swelled, doctors were convinced she must be pregnant. The reality was much worse, she had a very rare cancer for her age - but against the odds she survived.

As the doctor examined her bloated stomach 14-year-old Sarah Martin squirmed with embarrassment and discomfort.

The doctor at the hospital was convinced that his teenage patient was expecting. A test had come back negative but her hard, swollen belly displayed all the signs of pregnancy - yet Sarah knew it was impossible.

"I definitely wasn't pregnant!" she says. "It felt odd and embarrassing that people thought I could be."

Sarah's stomach had begun to swell four months earlier.

"At first I just thought I was putting on weight," the schoolgirl recalls. "But I was embarrassed and kept it to myself."

However, Sarah's predicament did not go unnoticed by her carer Janice Paddey, 52, who noted that some of the teenager's clothes were getting quite tight and decided to keep a close eye on her.

By March 2009 there was no escaping the fact Sarah had gone three months without her period.

She confided in Janice who promptly took her to the doctor. The GP insisted that Sarah take a pregnancy test but it came back negative.

Her doctor then assumed her menstruation problems were related to the medication she took for epilepsy, until Sarah's stomach began to change shape.

For the next few months Janice continued to monitor Sarah, who was still putting on weight despite eating a balanced diet.

By the end of July Janice was very concerned. Sarah's appetite had diminished, she was lethargic and her belly remained swollen. "She was coming home from school so exhausted that she'd go straight to bed for a nap," explains Janice.

"Sarah was normally such a lively and bubbly girl. When I noticed that her complexion had also taken on bluish tinge I knew that something was very wrong."

That night Sarah woke up at 11.30pm, writhing in agony. "She had hardly eaten a scrap of food all day," Janice recalls.

"And now she was in bed, screaming in agony. I rushed her straight to hospital." The doctor was shocked to see the size of Sarah's stomach. He was adamant she was seven months' pregnant and insisted on another pregnancy test. The result quickly ruled out a baby but the doctor told Sarah that he could still feel a solid mass in her abdomen.

She was admitted as her temperature soared and given intravenous antibiotics. The doctors told Janice they thought she had an infection.

"I was really frightened," admits Sarah. "I didn't have a clue what was happening to me."

Her condition rapidly deteriorated - she was weak and lethargic, unable to keep down any food. After four days of tests, including an ultrasound, Sarah's consultant arrived with his team.

"Suddenly the room filled with medical staff," says Janice. "They began to explain to us that they'd found something. The consultant said it looked like a malignant tumour and that they thought Sarah had ovarian cancer. I just couldn't believe it.

"I'd been convinced Sarah had appendicitis. Ovarian cancer was a women's disease and Sarah was just 14. I didn't think children could get something like that.

"Never in a million years had I thought it was cancer - nothing could prepare you for that."

Janice was right - the cancer was extraordinarily rare in someone so young. Poor Sarah also found the diagnosis hard to comprehend and admits she didn't really understand what the doctors were telling her.

"When they said it was ovarian cancer, I didn't really get it," she says. "I just knew that I felt ill. In the end the doctor and a nurse had to draw me a picture to explain what was happening to me."

Next Sarah's consultant revealed that the teenager would need surgery to remove the cancerous mass.

Only a week after she was first admitted to hospital, the full severity of Sarah's condition was revealed when she underwent a four-hour operation to remove the cancer.

Horrifically the fast growing tumour had spread from her right ovary up to her breastbone and had entwined itself around her bowel.

As a result surgeons were forced to remove Sarah's left ovary along with her fallopian tube and appendix.

She explains: "The tumour measured 23 centimetres. It was bigger than my head! No wonder my stomach was so swollen."

Despite the extent of the tumour, the skilled medics managed to save Sarah's right ovary although she bears a permanent reminder of the surgery - a scar which stretches from hip to hip.

Sadly Sarah's battle was not over yet. In the operating theatre doctors discovered more tumours in the lining of her stomach which would need chemotherapy treatment.

Janice's major concern was that this could leave Sarah infertile at such a young age. She was well aware that her chances of motherhood had already been effectively halved with the loss of one ovary.

"At 14, children were the last thing on Sarah's mind, but I knew that one day she would want to be a mum," says Janice.

Thankfully Sarah's oncologist was able to suggest a new, less toxic, type of chemo which could treat Sarah's germ cell cancer (the type normally found in youngsters) without affecting her fertility.

But for a normal teenage girl like Sarah, there was another pressing concern - losing her long brown hair. "I was worried that I might get teased at school," she admits. "But once I told people I had ovarian cancer, they just accepted it.

"Everyone was really supportive and my best friend even made a timetable of when I'd be in for treatment so she could look out for me."

Sarah started her gruelling four courses of chemo in September last year. Although she held on to her hair for a while, it continued to thin and in December she was finally forced to shave off the remaining strands. "I wouldn't look in a mirror for 45 minutes after it was shaved," Sarah says. "But when I did, I realised that it wasn't so bad after all. As a way of compensating I would use body art with pretty colours and gems to decorate my head."

Meanwhile Sarah was given some encouraging news.

The chemotherapy was shrinking the secondary tumours and her oncologist was hopeful she would respond well to further treatment.

"When we heard the news Janice and I just jumped up and down," Sarah laughs. "It spurred me on and made me determined to beat cancer.

"Now I just want to do well at school and also in life."

It was during her time in hospital that Sarah became involved with a charity called PACT. This funds a house near the hospital where families can stay together while their children are treated.

Sarah formed close friendships at the house and both she and Janice benefited from the friendship and support.

"The other families have been a lifeline," says Janice. "Like one great big family. Everyone supports one another." Now Sarah's chemo has ended she has spent the time since catching up on school work via the web, and raising hundreds of pounds for PA C T by selling cards, bangles, key rings and money boxes, and organising events.

The teenager's treatment is still in the early stages and she undergoes checks every six weeks. But the long-term prognosis is very positive.

Although she faces more tough times ahead, Sarah, now 15, appears to be taking everything in her stride. "Sarah's positive attitude has kept her going," says Janice.

"In fact, it's kept us all going. She never feels sorry for herself, she just gets on with it."

Sarah adds: "This has shown me how quickly things can change in your life and to appreciate what you have."

What is ovarian cancer?

It's the second-most common gynaecological cancer in the UK and affects more than 6,800 women a year.

Cervical screening tests (smear tests) will not help to detect it.

Germ cell tumours - the ovarian cancer that Sarah has - make up just 3% of malignant ovarian tumours, so they are rare. They tend to occur in young women (the majority aged between 10 and 30) and adolescents and if managed correctly have a good prognosis.

According to Cancer Research UK, in 2006 only 15 cases of ovarian cancer were recorded in the UK in the 10 to 14 age bracket. A spokeswoman for support network Ovacome said: "It is extremely rare for a girl of 14 to develop ovarian cancer."

Symptoms can include lower abdominal pain, back pain, swollen abdomen and irregular periods although some people have no symptoms.

For more information on ovarian cancer, visit www.ovacome.org.uk or call 0845 371 0554.

Last nights fun!

2010-04-07T12:47:00.005+01:00

Last night i had the most hilarious time, giggling at my laptop. The reason why is that i was trying to help a friend sort out her blog. I’d added her so i could “follow” her but for some reason she wasn’t showing on my blog.

via the internet i helped her sort out her settings and between laughing and toilet breaks( yes Jenny i’m mentioning that lol) we managed it so people can actually see her blog.

Jenny has already managed to get herself a lovely background but had gone a bit mad with other colourful things too so her blog looked kind of distorted. We got rid of the dodgy header she’d installed and sorted her fonts out too.

Tonight is part 2 of the assignment and i can’t wait. We’re adding gadgets Wahayyyyyy.

I’ve known Jenny for 33 years as we started senior school together and became great friends. She’s bonkers and i certainly recommend that you follow her blog as i’m sure its going to be onf of the best on the net, once she gets going.

Blog Frog

2010-04-05T20:58:00.000+01:00

I'm now on Blog Frog . If you notice, to the right of this page, you’ll see a Recent Visitors widget. Click on it and join Blog Frog, there’s communities where you can make new friends and follow, and have your blog followed too.

I’ve yet to start my own community but have joined in other discussions.. There’s certainly plenty on there.

Oh and i’ve been busying myself this afternoon making another blog.

I love reading so have started a blog about the books i’ve read and left a little review about each. As i said its new today so not much there at the moment but your all welcome to follow. Here’s the LINK anyway. xx

Here i am again…

2010-04-04T13:14:00.006+01:00

Today i’ve appeared in The Sunday People magazine “ Take it Easy”

They were doing a health special and i had a call from the reporter asking if i’d be willing to do an interview about Me and my Cancer. If it means more people been aware of The Silent Killer, why ever would i say no.

Anyway, here it is in all its glory

Only 2 weeks ago i appeared in my local newspaper raising awareness there too

The Hull Daily Mail

.. Blimey all this fame and no flocks of people asking for my autograph hahaha

Why is it all chocolate at Easter?

2010-04-03T17:10:00.000+01:00

I’ve been reading a few blogs today and notice they all mention chocolate.

I remember as a child getting lots of Easter Eggs, my favourite one been a cardboard one with a tiny furry chick inside. I played for hours with the little creature.

I loved to receive a chocolate egg in a mug so that once i’d eaten the egg i still had something to show for it.

Nowadays i’d much sooner have something savoury instead of chocolate. I don’t suppose a sausage roll will ever catch on as the gift to give as Easter

Shame really

The Sunday People Magazine

2010-04-02T16:55:00.002+01:00

This Coming Sunday i should once again be in the news. I did an interview a few weeks ago with The Sunday People ,they asked if i would mind as they are doing a health special in their magazine that’s free with the paper.

They never came to take a photo though so i reckon if its in it will only be a tiny bit. At least Ovarian Cancer will be in the news again.
If it does appear i’ll post it on here anyway

Scrapbooking

2010-03-30T13:50:00.003+01:00

I’ve been tracing my family history for over 20 years now and am in need of a further hobby.

I cut through Hobbycraft the other day and loved the look of all the sparkly sticky things and different textures of materials and thought about this thing called ( i think) scrapbooking.

I’d love to give it a go but have no idea whatsoever where to start. Where did other “Scrapbookers” begin? what did other scrapbookers make? is it called scrapbooking?

The only thing i've ever done was as a child when my parents bought me a scrapbook to stick pictures of my favourite things in.. i used to be armed with my pritstick and scissors and no magazine featuring The Bay City Rollers or The Osmonds was safe!!

So many questions.. I don’t have much spare cash so hopefully its a cheapish hobby to start, come on fellow bloggers help me get this bit of scrapbook madness out of my system, once i get things in my head i’m on a mission

A drive in the country

2010-03-29T17:57:00.002+01:00

Yesterday we decided to have a drive out and ended up at Hemswell Market

I haven’t been there in years and as Dave had never been i thought it would be a nice change. Its on an old RAF base and a lot of the stalls are in the old hangers. You could buy anything from fresh meat at the auctions to chew sticks for the dogs.

While wandering around we saw plenty of “different” things been sold on the carboot sale.. rusty old tools, knitted dog coats, old butchers bikes, and my favourite old books.. I love books so had a good old rummage and came home with 6 in very good condition.

Also mingled in between the market and the carboot section was a pet rescue section where they had owls and hawks on show. I purchased a couple of books off them too as the money helped look after the birds and i love animals.

All in all we had a wonderful time looking around and feeling the wind in our hair.

FAME AT LAST

2010-03-23T20:39:00.003Z

Here's my bit in the paper! Well, tonight, Tuesday 23rd March 2010, my article appeared in the local newspaper. Unfortunately it isn’t available online so I’ve scanned it in.

Me, Brave? I most certainly have been

2010-03-11T17:28:00.002Z

Although i’m a happy go lucky type of person and get on with most people, i’m actually quite shy and for me to do not one but two!!! newspaper interviews is a miracle.

Yesterday i met up with Katy from my local newspaper and gave an interview about how my ovarian cancer was discovered, thankfully She was a lovely lady and put me at ease as i really was so scared i never slept the previous night. Today i met the photographer for my photoshoot, i almost felt like a celebrity although did find it very difficult not to pull a face when faced with the camera…. imagine a photograph of me gurning in the newspaper hahahaha.

Last night i went to watch a game of ice hockey, it was between my team, The Hull Stingrays and Dave’s team The Newcastle Vipers.

All was going well and we were winning and then i suddenly felt ill, i thought i was going to faint so instead of standing, as i normally do, i sat in my seat… The feeling passed but came back later on. Once again i sat down, the game became a blur and i fainted in my seat! My friend was sat next to me and i tried to speak to him to tell him i wasn’t well and couldn’t see but no words came out. I nudged him and muttered “ not well” “can’t see”

The next thing i knew was that a first aider from the arena was asking if i could hear him and then i heard Dave’s voice ( He’d been with the other Viper supporters at the other side of the arena and another friend of mine had apparantly waved his arms frantically for him to come over).

I heard talking on the first aiders walkie talkie and as if by magic the Stingrays club Doctor arrived, he was fantastic. He asked me if i’d eaten, which i had, and about my medication and i told him about my Peripheral-Neuropathy where i faint all over the place.. As soon as i mentioned this he knew that was what it was. He asked me if i’d like to go and lay down in the medical centre or to just lay on the floor where i was sat, i chose the latter as our seats are at the very top of the block and didn’t fancy trying to negotiate the stairs. At this point i still had no vision and couldn’t speak properly either. I was shaking like mad and so scared. The Doctor said i should try to ease my breathing too as i was having a panic attack AAARRGGHH!.

Eventually i was well enough to sit back in my seat but didn’t feel well enough to carry on watching the game and Dave didn’t mind us leaving early as his team was losing hehehe.

Dave and another friend also a Dave, helped me down the stairs and was i glad to get in the car and get home. As soon as i got in the front door i had to run to the bathroom where i was so sick and cold.. I went to bed wrapped warm but was shaking for at least 3 hours after i got into bed and i had 2 duvets over me too.

Today when i woke, i felt as if i’d done ten rounds with Mike Tyson but had to get myself together for the aforementioned photoshoot.

After the photo’s Dave took me out to lunch which was lovely and while we were out i got a call to say i would be getting a call this afternoon to do an interview for The Sunday People.. Interview done now and a date to be arranged for another photoshoot.

all this fame from an not so brave me.. and i love it!!

Ovacome leaflets

2010-03-04T15:35:00.002Z

Today i received my pack from Ovacome which consisted of posters, leaflets, brochures & some credit card sized cards explaining the symptoms of Ovarian Cancer.

I promptly went along to my doctors surgery and explained a little about the B.E.A.T campaign and also that i’d learnt yesterday at the Target Ovarian Cancer workshop from some of the ladies, that they’d been mis diagnosed with IBS. The nurse then informed me that she always keeps upto date with her smears so knows she’s fine! So i then informed her that smears do not detect Ovarian Cancer… and she’s a professional?

after leaving some of my goodies with her i nipped into the bank next door. After doing my business i asked if i could maybe leave some of the cards for the staff and was informed “No sorry, we’re not interested and arn’t allowed anything like that”.

I smiled sweetly and went into my local pharmacy who gladly took some cards and a poster too..

Jobs a good un but i couldn’t believe how thick some people are

Target Ovarian Cancer

2010-03-03T17:43:00.002Z

Well i have just got home from my first ever meet in my area with other Ovarian Cancer Ladies.

I had an invite through the post from my Oncology nurses to pop along to a local hotel where a Target Ovarian Cancer Roadshow Wellbeing Day was been held. How could i not go!!

There were a choice of workshops for me to attend, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The Workshops were:

1,Getting the most out of your cancer services

2,Q&A Make-up Workshop

3,Getting the most of me time

4,Yoga

I chose to do “Getting the most of me time” in the morning, and “ Q&A Make-up Workshop” in the afternoon.

I Arrived at 9.20am and signed in and met the other ladies over coffee. It was great to hear the other ladies stories and i was amazed at how many of them had been incorrectly diagnosed with irritable Bowel Syndrome before been diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer.

We were then ushered into a different room where we were introduced to the Target Ovarian Cancer ladies. They told us about what to expect of our day and also mentioned about making people aware of Ovarian Cancer and are wanting ladies who have had experience of Ovarian Cancer, to get in touch if they feel they could stand in front of people and spread the word (Sandhy?)I could never stand in front of people and do this as i’d just clam up, i’m ok amongst people i know but not a good public speaker.

Next came the morning workshop were about 12 of us went to another room and had a quick introduction to the “Getting the most of me time” workshop. it was informative and great to hear the other ladies tell their tales of what they like to do with their “Me time”

Then came lunch, we went to the dining room were i expected sandwiches but was shocked to see Roast Turkey and Vegetables ( which i had) Homemade fish cakes, Creamy Pasta Bake,Smoked Salmon and various salads. and the sweet trolley consisted of fresh fruit salad, toffee cheesecake and chocolate fudge cake. Certainly better than curled up sarnies!

After lunch we went to our afternoon workshops. Watching someone apply makeup correctly was interesting and was something i really could have done with when i had no hair, eyebrows or eyelashes.

We then had coffee and met up with the rest of the ladies again and had a Look Good, Feel Better demonstration. One of our ladies was lucky enough to get a full make up done and got to keep the make up used too.

I would recommend anyone going through Cancer to get in touch with these people as they most certainly do make you look good and feel better, again i wish i had been told about them when i was having treatment as having my then partner telling me i was ugly and off putting and looked like a man when i had no hair, did nothing for my confidence but been able to go to one of these workshops would have helped me a lot.

the verdict of today

BRILLIANT

What You Must Know about Ovarian Cancer

2010-03-01T13:05:00.002Z

By Miriam Stoppard on Feb 28,

Women with ovarian cancer are getting a rough deal - and something desperately needs to be done.

Despite the fact that, like most cancers, it's highly curable if it's diagnosed at the earliest stage, this only happens in one in five cases.

Every year in the UK, 4,500 women die from ovarian cancer. Our survival rate is the worst in Europe and has stayed at roughly 30% for 30 years. This contrasts with survival rates for breast cancer, which have risen from 50 to 80% in the same period.

The problem is two-fold.

Survey findings released today by ovarian cancer charity Ovacome reveal that nine out of 10 women diagnosed with the cancer hadn't known the symptoms of the disease, while a third hadn't even heard of it.

Yet ovarian cancer is the fourth most common women's cancer and affects 6,800 a year - compare this with cervical cancer, which has a much higher profile, but affects just 2,800.

Women clearly don't get the right information, so I'm delighted Ovacome has today launched BEAT, a symptoms awareness campaign.

Fatal myth

And many doctors still think of the disease as the "silent killer'", despite now knowing symptoms are present much earlier than was thought.

Last June results of the first phase of Pathfinder, an ongoing study for charity Target Ovarian Cancer, found three-quarters of GPs were unaware of Department of Health guidelines on symptoms and diagnosis.

Worryingly eight out of 10 wrongly believed women with early-stage ovarian cancer don't have any symptoms.

As a result, diagnosis is delayed for an average of 12 months by which time the disease will almost certainly have progressed.

And because the ovaries are near many vital organs, consequences are dire. I'm not bashing GPs here - the average GP sees one case of ovarian cancer every five years and the guidelines were only put in place 13 months ago. The symptoms are very similar to irritable bowel syndrome, a common and much less serious complaint.

But it's clear we now need to ensure that women and doctors receive all the latest life-saving information.

Will a smear test find it?

The smear test only checks for cell changes that could lead to cancer of the cervix - it doesn't detect ovarian cancer. But a third of women mistakenly believe this. Research by Target Ovarian Cancer also found that nearly half of women think cervical cancer is a bigger threat.

However, ovarian cancer kills four times as many women! Test your knowledge of women's cancers with this five-minute quiz at www.targetovarian.org.uk.

What should
my GP do?

If you turn up with unexplained abdominal or urinary symptoms, the doctor should feel your tummy and may want to carry out an internal examination.

If you have the three most common symptoms, which are persistent, continuous or getting worse, Department of Health guidelines say the doctor should consider ovarian cancer and refer you for an ultrasound scan and blood test. This is especially the case if you're over 50.

You should also tell your doctor if you have two or more close relatives who have had ovarian, or ovarian and breast cancer, on either side of your family as certain genes may increase the risk.

If your doctor insists symptoms are rare with ovarian cancer, refer them to the BEAT campaign - you can download a poster for the surgery from www.ovacome.org.uk/beat. Don't be afraid to get a second opinion.

Am I at risk?

Age is the biggest risk factor with more than 90% of cases occurring in the over-45s.

However, if you have a strong family history - that is, two or more close relatives who've had ovarian, or ovarian and breast cancer, on your mother's or father's side - your genes may substantially increase your risk. Ask your GP for clarification.

This is more likely if you're of Jewish, Polish, Icelandic or Pakistani descent. It's also more than twice as common in women who've never had children and more than three-quarters more likely in obese women. Some studies suggest being on HRT for more than five years could increase risk though this isn't proven beyond doubt.

What can reduce risk?

Being on the Pill for three to five years could halve risk while long-term users may have an 80% lower risk than they would otherwise.

You should discuss risks with your GP.

Having children and breastfeeding also lowers risk, as does staying at a healthy weight, so eat healthily and exercise regularly.

How is it treated?

Usually with a combination of radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery, but it varies, depending on the type and stage of cancer, whether it's spread, how far it's spread and your health.

In April 2008, a Consensus Statement was put together by a group of leading ovarian cancer experts.

All agreed on the first three most common symptoms.

To help you remember them, Ovacome has come up with the word 'BEAT', which stands for:

B Bloating - note this is persistent, NOT the sort of temporary bloating we all get from time to time

E Eating - in this case, difficulty eating and feeling
full more quickly than you used to

A Abdominal and pelvic pain felt on
most days

T Talk to your doctor if you have the above
three symptoms.

Other possible symptoms, which may appear on their own or with the first three, include:

● Urinary symptoms, such as difficulty controlling your bladder

● Change in bowel habit

● Severe tiredness

● Back pain

● Weight loss for no obvious reason

Don't panic - these symptoms are much more likely to be due to other, less serious conditions.

But it's important to get them checked out with your doctor.

To help you record how frequent they are, try Ovacome's symptoms tool at www.ovacome.org.uk/beat.

Women missing ovarian cancer signs

2010-02-26T13:16:00.000Z

Almost one in three women (29%) mistakenly believe a smear test will pick up signs of ovarian cancer, a poll has found.

Only 4% are confident they could spot symptoms of the disease themselves and many believe it is less common than cervical cancer.

Some 6,800 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year and 4,500 die from it, four times as many as die from cervical cancer.

Symptoms include permanent bloating and tummy pain.

The poll of more than 1,000 women found that twice as many (66%) had been given information about cervical cancer as those who had details on ovarian cancer (33%). Of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer, more than half (56%) did not know anything about the disease beforehand.

TV presenter Gaby Roslin is backing a new campaign by the charity Target Ovarian Cancer called Unzipped.

She said: "Not enough women know about ovarian cancer and there is confusion between it and cervical cancer.

"Make yourself aware and look after your ovaries, so that you have the chance to catch ovarian cancer early and vastly increase your chance of survival.

"Three times as many women could survive if it was diagnosed at the earliest possible stage.

"If you regularly have difficulty doing up your trousers and perhaps look like you could be pregnant, have persistent tummy pain and feel full or have difficulty eating, it's best to get checked out. They are common symptoms but, when they happen on most days, make your GP aware of what is happening to you."

World first as woman left infertile with cancer has second 'miracle' baby

2010-02-24T17:39:00.002Z

Stinne Bergholdt, with her daughters Aviaja (left) and Lucca. She was left infertile by cancer but after defeating the disease she had tiny strips of ovarian tissue grafted back into her body. With the help of fertility drugs she was then able to conceive

In a world first, a woman left infertile by cancer has had a second 'miracle' baby.
Stinne Bergholdt froze tiny strips of ovarian tissue before undergoing gruelling treatment for bone cancer in 2004.

After beating the disease, some of the pieces were grafted back into her body and with the help of fertility drugs she gave birth to a baby girl, Aviaja in 2007.
She then amazed doctors by falling pregnant again naturally, and in September 2008 had a second daughter, Lucca, making her the first in the world to have two babies following the complex transplant.

Mrs Bergholdt, 32, of Odense in Denmark, said: 'When I found out I was pregnant for the first time I was of course very happy and excited – but also very afraid and sceptical since I found it very hard to believe that my body was really working again.
'My cancer had been diagnosed very late because the doctors didn't take my complaints seriously at that time and kept on telling me that nothing was wrong, so I also wondered if it was really true that I was completely recovered from it.
'But eventually I started to believe that the pregnancy was really happening and began to enjoy every aspect of it.

'The second time it was quite a surprise to find out I was pregnant since we hadn't been working on it – we thought we needed assistance like the first time.
'We had an appointment at the fertility outpatient clinic to talk about the possibility of a second baby, but it turned out that I was already pregnant – naturally.

'It was a very nice surprise to find out that my body was now functioning normally and that we were having a baby without having to go through the fertility treatment. It was indeed a miracle.'
The double success story, which has been made public for the first time, confirms that ovarian tissue can bear healthy eggs years after being frozen, offering hope to thousands of cancer patients around the world.

Her doctor, Professor Claus Yding Andersen, of the University of Copenhagen, said: 'This showed that the original transplanted ovarian strips had continued to work for more than four years and that Mrs Bergholdt still has the capacity to conceive and give birth to healthy children.

'It is an amazing fact that these ovarian strips have been working for so long and it provides information on how powerful this technique can be.
'She has seven more ovarian strips in the liquid nitrogen tank and may return, if she wishes so, to have more tissue transplanted in order to maintain her ovarian function once the current strips stop working.

'So, in total, by having around one third of an ovary removed she has the possibility of maintaining her ovarian function for many years.'
The technique, which involves removing slivers of tissue from the ovary and freezing them in liquid nitrogen, may keep eggs fresh for up to 40 years, the journal Human Reproduction reports.

This raises the possibility of women freezing their ovaries for social reasons - something that is already being done in the US.
Last year, Dr Sherman Silber, of the St Louis Infertility Centre in Missouri, told a fertility conference that he had began to treat women 'worried about the ticking of their biological clock'.
He said that even a tiny piece of ovarian tissue offered greater odds of pregnancy than egg freezing.

Just two British clinics freeze ovarian tissue and only do so for medical reasons, although there is nothing to prohibit them from offering it more widely.The birth of Mrs Berghold's daughters takes the number of babies born worldwide from ovarian transplants to nine.

Could baked Yorkshire rhubarb help beat cancer?

2010-02-13T05:54:00.003Z

Scientists found baking British garden rhubarb for 20 minutes dramatically increased its levels of anti-cancerous chemicals

As a Yorkshire Lass, this article interested me, Rhubarb..Hmmmmmmm

Eating baked rhubarb could help fight cancer, research suggests.
Scientists found baking British garden rhubarb for 20 minutes dramatically increased its levels of anti-cancerous chemicals.
The chemicals, called polyphenols, could kill or prevent growth of cancer cells and could be used to develop less toxic treatments, even in cases where cancers have been resistant to other treatment.

It is the first time the benefits of British garden rhubarb, specifically a variety grown in South Yorkshire, have been studied.
Previous research has focused on Oriental medicinal rhubarb, which has been recognised for its health benefits and used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years.
'Current treatments are not effective in all cancers and resistance is a common problem,' said Dr Nikki Jordan-Mahy, of Sheffield Hallam University's biomedical research centre, which carried out the studies.
'Cancer affects one in three individuals in the UK so it's very important to discover novel, less toxic, treatments, which can overcome resistance.'

Academics hope to discover the best combination of rhubarb's polyphenols and chemotherapy agents needed to kill leukaemia cells.
The research was funded by the Centre for Food Innovation at Sheffield Hallam and the findings were published with the Scottish Crop Research Institute

Peripheral neuropathy

2010-01-15T16:57:00.005Z

Wow… Its been ages since I last blogged…
Anyway, since finishing my chemo and radiotherapy almost 3 years ago, I’ve had awful dizzy spells where I faint all over the place. It affects my day to day challenges big time as I get all uncoordinated and can’t walk straight, rather like a afternoon in the pub ( I wish).

I did ask a Macmillan nurse a few months ago if I was weird as I’ve never heard anyone else suffering like I am and she told me there’s a name for how I described my symptoms but couldn’t remember it.

Anyway, yesterday I emailed Macmillan and received a reply today.
I have Peripheral neuropathy

I'm so pleased i've finally found out what is wrong with me as i think some people think i'm making up how i feel...
Not good though that it can be with me for years... here's hoping they get a drug sorted out soon that will stop me banging into things and konking out at any given time!!

My Cancer Journey-The Day That Changed My Life

2009-11-14T12:47:00.006Z

On the 24th November 2006 I was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer.

I remember been at work working in my local pharmacy and getting a phone call from the hospital asking if I would be able to go in as soon as possible. My manager was fantastic and sent me off straight away.

I knew I needed a hysterectomy very soon as I’d been having so many problems and was still on my period and had been for 3 weeks at this time! So this appointment I was about to go to was to give me a date for my operation and tell me what to expect.

I climbed in my car and drove the 30 miles/46.6km to the hospital, singing along to the radio, feeling happy that I finally wasn’t going to have to go through the stomach pains I’d been having for the last 2 years and the never ending periods too!!

I parked up and walked through to the hospital, still smiling.

As I entered the hospital I was directed to the department I needed and was greeted with a nurse asking if I’d come alone.. I told her I had as I’d come straight from work, I still had my uniform on and looked like a nurse to be honest.
The nurse then asked if it was ok if she came in to see the Consultant with me, I never thought anything of it as there were often nurses or doctors in training at my hospital and they often sat in on any consultations I had.
As I walked into the consultants room she asked me how I was and asked me to take a seat.
I was then told the awful news.

A week before I had gone to the hospital to see this Consultant I had gone to have a camera inserted, so she could see exactly what was happening up there. When I woke up she informed me that I had a uterus the size of a 20 week old foetus and that I was “riddled” with fibroids and that a hysterectomy was definitely going to happen.

While I was under general anaesthetic my Consultant had decided to do a biopsy, and results were back.
“What would be the worse thing we could have found Tracey”
I said Cancer
She then said “I am so sorry Tracey, you have Ovarian Cancer”

That was it!!
I cried and cried and couldn’t stop.. Why me? I’ve never smoked a cigarette… I’ve never been a big drinker… I eat plenty of fresh fruit & Vegetables.. My head was in a turmoil.

The consultant was lovely as was the nurse who had come in with me.
They got me a cup of tea and then I remember nothing… I remember been told I would be going to see an Oncologist who would explain everything and that I would be starting treatment just into the New Year.

The nurse asked me if there was anyone who could come and get me but there wasn’t. she said I had to put the radio on as I drove home, to take my mind off the shock.. SHOCK!! She wasn’t joking on that one! She said to sing at the top of my voice as I drove along.

As I got into my car I had stopped crying, I was trying to concentrate on how to drive my car. I put the radio on and as I got into my journey The Scissor Sisters came on the radio singing “I don’t feel like dancing” My favourite song of the time, strange as i love dancing.
I was driving over The Humber Bridge as it came on, the River Humber underneath me, all it needed was for me to lose control and I could be in that freezing cold water and drown, it crossed my mind to do just that.

This song saved my life

But as the song played, I turned it up to full power and sang and sang and cried and cried.. I really don’t remember driving the rest of the way back to work.

As I parked in our private car park, I wiped away my tears and tried to make myself respectable. This is happy smiling Tracey here, she can’t be seen to be crying.

I opened the door to the Pharmacy and walked straight into the back office as one of my colleagues asked how it had gone and if I’d got a date for my hysterectomy. The tears came and I wailed, and I mean wailed!! I’ve never cried like this in my life, I couldn’t breath.
Eventually I blurted out that I had cancer… By this time, my other 2 colleagues and the Pharmacist were all in the office ( good job we weren’t busy at that point) 5 of us all crying can’t have been a good sight in a pharmacists!!

That was it really, I was lucky enough to have plenty of friends around me but boy that was one hell of a day.

Do you know something too, as i added this song to this post and listened to it.. I cried... i adore this song, it makes me want to sing and dance but because the memory of that day is at the front of my mind just now,, its kind of hit me.

Make laser cancer treatments a mainstream alternative to surgery, demand experts

2009-11-05T17:42:00.003Z

Cancer experts have called for more NHS patients to be given pioneering laser treatments as an alternative to surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is often called 'bloodless surgery' because it uses drugs and laser light to destroy cancer tumours.

It is approved in the UK for the treatment of a range of cancers, with results as good as or even better than mainstream treatments.
But too few patients are being offered the chance of PDT, say specialists who have teamed up to launch a national awareness campaign and to raise research funding.

Patients having PDT are given injections of a photosensitising drug, or it is applied on the skin, depending on the cancer being treated.
The drug actively seeks out a cancer tumour and makes the cells more sensitive to light.
The drug is actually a dye agent primed to absorb energy from light at a specific wavelength and is harmless until 'switched on' by non-thermal laser light when it becomes a cancer killer.
Cardio-thoracic surgeon and laser pioneer Professor Keyvan Moghissi said PDT could 'revolutionise' cancer treatment if used more widely

It is another option for patients which avoids invasive surgery, and the side effects associated with strong radiation and chemical therapies.
He said 'PDT offers a real 'ray of hope' for a large number of cancer patients and should have equal status as a treatment alongside chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery.
'Leaders in this field from across the UK decided they needed to form a specialist group to raise the profile of PDT within the NHS and Primary Care Trusts consistently across the UK and to collaborate to attract funding for future research on a coordinated national basis.'
The campaigners have set up the UK PDT Charitable Trust, chaired by Prof Moghissi.
Research is currently under way to develop better dyes and by specific targeting of diseased tissue to achieve the ultimate goal of personalised cancer treatment.
This involves loading antibodies generated from samples of a patient's unique tumour with PDT dyes to treat the patient.
Not all tumours can be treated by the laser treatment as each type of cancer needs specific drugs with specific dyes and not all have been developed yet.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) has issued guidance on a number of cancers for which PDT can be used.
In the case of non-melanoma skin tumours, Nice said there were 'no major safety concerns' about the treatment.
Guidance on advanced oesophageal cancer meanwhile states: 'Current evidence on the safety and efficacy of palliative photodynamic therapy for advanced oesophageal cancer is of poor quality but appears adequate to support the use of this procedure to relieve symptoms in patients with a poor prognosis.'
Possible complications identified included skin photosensitivity, Nice said.
But people with brain tumours are not recommended to have the procedure unless in the context of trials because of 'limited' evidence on its safety and efficacy, according to Nice guidance.

Pizzagate!!

2009-11-01T15:37:00.004Z

After reading a fellow bloggers blog, namely Around My Kitchen Table about Malteasergate. I felt the need to tell a tale of something that happened to me a few years ago.

Myself and my ex had been out for a few drinks and ended the evening with a pepperoni pizza.. Jason was rather drunk to say the least, but decided that as it was a cold winters night we'd be warmer eating our pizza in bed under the duvet watching telly.

We never bothered to turn the light on, we just chomped the pizza with the romantic light of the portable tv flickering in the background.

I nodded off and left Jason eating his supper...

Early the next morning i woke up and felt a lumpy thing on my nipple...

Yup, Jason had fell asleep, dropped his pepperoni pizza IN the bed, i'd turned over and my nipple had sucked a piece of pepperoni onto it!!!

On our next visit to the pizza shop, we laughed and remembered what had happened and relayed the story to Ian the pizzaman... On arriving home with our favourite pepperoni pizza we discovered the lovely Ian had kindly put holes in the centre of every piece of pepperoni so they'd grip to my nipple better... what a pizzaman eh!!

Tuesday trundle in the Tyneside countryside

2009-10-27T16:18:00.012Z

Even though the rain poured down today, we decided to take the dogs out for a lovely long run in the countryside. I love been out in the rain, I love the smell of it.It was mild too at 15 degrees.

We decided to do a route we’d never done before and followed the “Public Footpath” signs through a new housing development!! We battled through mud, mud and even more mud but boy was it fun!!!.

Molly & Bertie were covered in the stuff but didn’t complain. As we got past the building site we discovered wonderful countryside and a proper public footpath. The dogs were let off their leads and trotted around sniffing and having fun.

We saw some swans on a lake which we never knew existed, they looked quite happy swimming around with their baby and the gulls too.

There were also lots of berries on the trees, all the red looked stunning as did the fallen leaves all soggy by now with the rain we were having.

The cows and their offspring happily munched their grass in the field we passed
and we even spotted a deer which stood still until I photographed it, unfortunately it was a bit too far away but can be seen in the centre of the picture looking at me before it sprung off to do more exploring.
Of course, been so near to Newcastle airport I had to photograph some holidaymakers on their way to find some sun.
We walked just over 5 miles in all and enjoyed every bit of it.. On getting home though Molly & Bertie needed bathing as they were filthy.. Luckily for us they don’t mind the odd bath and are now cuddled up together dreaming of their wonderful walkies.

Eye test

2009-10-22T15:23:00.005+01:00

Ah well, you can't win them all.

Tuesday and Wednesday i had hospital appointments and all went well. Today i had my 2 year eye check up and i'm been reffered to hospital to check out my right eye for Glaucoma!!

My Optomerist did a thorough examination and said that if anything does show after my hospital appointment, it'll probably be fixed with eye drops but if left could mean me going blind!!

I've been to my Doctors with the letter from the Optomerist and just have to wait now for an appointment at the hospital.

Someone up there really hates me

My Hospital Visits

2009-10-21T15:46:00.002+01:00

Well that’s that for another 6 months, well on the Oncology visits anyway.
I went on Tuesday to see my Oncologist for my check up. He examined me internally and was quite happy with me and also happy that my stomach is spongy!

My CA125 result was 8, up one from April but nothing to worry about he said. If he says don’t worry then I shan’t simples!!

Wednesday I went for my bone scan. My womans health Dr said it was best to have one as since I started an early menopause due to surgery, the bones get thinner and as I broke my arm last year too and it’s the first break I’ve ever had, it seemed a good idea.

All was well with that too although my spine looks weaker than anywhere else but she isn’t unduly worried and dosn’t want to see me for 2 years.

Wahayyy!!

Thursdays Fate!!

2009-10-15T11:24:00.004+01:00

Talk about fate!
Sometime ago Dave moved home and stored his beloved records and car magazines in a friends garage.

Yesterday he decided to go and get them and bring them home. He parked in the drive and I couldn’t believe how packed my car was! . Luckily he’d taken mine as he knew he’d get more in.

He emptied the car of all his records, some artists I’ve never heard of and others I was surprised to see.
He then decided that before he went back to his friends to get the old car magazines, he would need to buy a bookcase to store them all in so off we trotted to Ikea.

He built the bookcase and its now in place ready for the magazines to come home to today.

Now here’s the “fate” bit..

At just gone 9am this morning a delivery man knocked on the door with a massive parcel, Dave signed for it and dragged it into the lounge.
It had my name on it!!
I knew I’d not ordered anything so was intrigued to say the least.
On opening it discovered a lot of pieces of wood with a cartoon type pattern on it, a bit like graffiti.
We looked for some paperwork to let us know what it was and why I had it.

We discovered that I’d won a bookcase from Ikea!!! The exact one (except the horrible pattern) that Dave had bought yesterday!!!

I’m always entering competitions and I’ll enter to win anything as I’m one of those people who has no luck.. Until today!!

Talk about weird, I really can’t believe my win now all it needs is for Dave to put it together and we’ll hide it in the bedroom, though hide is an understatement don’t you think?? But at least i now have somewhere for all my books and at the price of £39 and i won it... now thats a bonus.

If i were to ever marry again, this would be the theme i'd choose!

2009-10-02T15:54:00.006+01:00

This story really made me smile, why on earth didn't i think of this all those years ago.. I'd have loved to have been a guest at this wedding, it sounds like my kind of fun.

WORZEL Gummidge spent his days trying to please his beloved Aunt Sally with a cup o' tea and a slice o' cake.

And on Saturday, it seemed he had finally won her heart when the pair wed.
The couple – aka Kay Allon, of Cottingham, and Paul Thacker – dressed up as characters from the iconic 1970s TV shows and books when they married at St Peter and St Paul's Church in Old Bolingbroke, Lincolnshire.
The couple chose the theme because they both loved the show about Worzel the friendly scarecrow and his love Aunt Sally – a fairground doll – when they were growing up.
Kay, who now lives in Lincolnshire, arrived at the church in a Morris Minor pick-up truck, holding a bouquet of turnips and carrots. The groom donned a top hat, wore orange face paint and had straw stitched into his suit.

The bridesmaids were Kay's daughter Morgan Allon, Paul's daughter Grace Thacker and Eve Barkwith, who carried sheaves of corn. Inside the church, rusty tin cans filled with flowers and sacking hung from the pews.

The couple are currently on honeymoon in New England, but Kay's step-father Mr Richards, 66, of Cottingham, said the big day had been perfect.

He said: "Kay rang six weeks ago to say Paul had proposed in France and asked if I would give her away. We were delighted, but then she went silent for a minute.
"I asked what was wrong and she said, 'It is going to be a Worzel Gummidge wedding and everyone has to come dressed as scarecrows'. My wife nearly fainted. I had waited 40 years to give someone away and that's what I ended up with.
"They said no one had ever had a Worzel wedding and they wanted to do something a bit different."

There's a real buzz about Juliet's work

2009-09-26T10:08:00.011+01:00

I had the pleasure of working with Juliet just before she went to work in Borneo. She's an amazing woman.

With her delicate features and corkscrew blonde curls, Juliet Wright looks more like a fashion model than someone who would take on African huntsmen and their centuries-old traditions.

But the 25-year-old Cottingham woman is doing exactly that. After developing an interest in primates, she slanted her university studies towards researching them and then made them the subject of her Master’s degree.
For the past couple of years she has been working on retraining African huntsmen to gather honey rather than chimps and gorillas.

Back in Cottingham to take part in an open day organised by Beverley Beekeepers Association, Juliet explained that she has been working with primates since she was 18.
“In 2002 I went out to Borneo for Red Ape Challenge to raise £3,000 for the Orangutan Foundation,” she says, as we sit in the front room of her parents’ George Street home. “I went back to Indonesia a couple of years later to study the macaque pet trade. All across South East Asia there is a big demand for infant primates for the pet trade and for the medical trade. People take them as pets in the UK, in America, in Taiwan and China and there is a big illegal trade in pet monkeys.”

Juliet’s love of primates has been driven by seeing their suffering. “They are so similar to us and it’s really upsetting to think about the things that have been done to them”

Although there is a trade in pet monkeys of a sort in Africa, it is a by-product of the meat industry. An adult female will be shot for her meat but her infant will be clinging to her and won’t let go; probably it will be forcibly removed from her dead body at a city market, where the infant will be sold for the pet trade.

“Although it is still legal to keep monkeys as pets in the UK, you have to kill the mother to get the infant. Then the transport conditions are so gruelling that many don’t survive, so for every infant that lives, there are probably five that have died.”

Juliet’s childhood love of animals developed into a teenage fascination with primates. “They are so similar to us and it’s really upsetting to think about the things that have been done to them,” she says.

“I’ve been driven by seeing their suffering. The bushmeat trade is one of the most terrible and it’s having such a huge impact on primates in Africa and particularly on species in Central and West Africa, in the Congo Basin.”

Bushmeat includes everything from cave rats to elephants and even great apes. Ironically, conservation organisations have been reluctant to get involved, says Juliet, because images of severed gorilla heads are so very disturbing.

She explains why the trade happens. “People in the local communities will be the hunters and they will shoot the animals and eat the small ones,” she says. “They will then sell the chimp and gorilla meat in the cities. Previously people would hunt solely for their own consumption, but now they hunt for income. People who have left Africa come to Europe and still want bushmeat and chimps have been found in restaurants in Brussels.”

Constructing bee hives in a forest clearing

A former pupil of Cottingham High School, Juliet studied geography with zoology options at university in Manchester and has since completed a Master’s degree in primate conservation at Oxford Brookes University.

In 2006 she worked at a wildlife sanctuary for orphaned primates in Cameroon, where she hand-reared two infant chimpanzees.

“Unfortunately one of them died. It is traumatic for them seeing their mothers slaughtered and they are incredibly vulnerable when they are taken away from their mothers,” says Juliet, who found herself sleeping with the surviving baby for some weeks to comfort it. “You have to be careful because you don’t want them to become dependant on humans, but they are so like humans,” she adds. “The aim is to get them into family groups like they would be in the wild.”

Two years ago Juliet decided to go and live and work with the hunters to see if she could come up with an alternative to hunting bushmeat that would provide them with a similar level of income.

“I discovered they were hunting for income, because their main source of protein is fish and there are a lot of rivers, so it was not for food for themselves,” says Juliet, who, during her stay in Africa, lived in mud huts in a village in which she was the only person.

“I had a couple of Cameroonian assistants and although they speak Pidgin English, it’s like a foreign language until you get the hang of it,” she continues, as poodle Rusty joins us. “Living like an African is a good way to learn, to get to understand their way of life.”

"Bee keeping encourages people to keep the forest rather than chop it down" says Julia

Having assessed the options and taking into account the Africans’ skills and farming methods, Juliet decided bee-keeping was the solution. “It encourages people to keep the forest rather than chop it down or burn it. You don’t need land like you would if you were rearing animals and there are no welfare considerations with bees,” says Juliet.
“The hunters can make a lot of money from bushmeat but they could also make a lot of money from bee-keeping – from the honey, beeswax, soap and oils. There are many ways of bumping up their income.”

Juliet then set up the Lebialem Hunters’ Bee-keeping Initiative in Cameroon to train prominent bushmeat hunters in bee-keeping practices and supply them with the equipment and technical support they needed.

She also established a bee-keepers’ co-operative, to form an organised network of producers, processors and distributors that can collectively market honey and beeswax products to obtain a fair price, thus eventually creating a self-financing initiative.

“I chose Lebialem because it’s between two rivers and is a biodiversity hotspot. The species there are not like anywhere else. There are only 250 Cross River Gorillas left, and the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee is the most endangered chimp,” explains Juliet, who is also involved with an organisation that shows wildlife films to Africans so they can see the less aggressive, more human side to primates.
“I picked the two biggest hunters and got grants to train them over a period of six months. I went back in March and those two hunters were using their skills as bee-keepers; they are harvesting honey for other people and they are training other hunters so it seems to work.

“We want them to be aware of what species won’t be here in a few years and when I’ve asked them about their hunting, they say they are still hunting but they haven’t killed chimps or gorillas since I met them in 2007.”

Currently, 130 hunters are learning bee-keeping, honey processing and how to sell it in seven communities where supportive co-operatives have been set up.
The bee-keeping suits are made by a group of local disabled women, creating valuable work for them. The trainers have to be able to read and write, so they are keeping records and writing reports.

Hives are made from whatever material is available, be it hollowed-out logs or palm trees, clay pots or even empty oil drums. “Bees will colonise any kind of cavity although we teach the hunters how to make Kenyan bar-top hives,” says Juliet, who is hoping to be able to turn the project into a charity.
“The bees just come, with no interference and no queen breeding.”

It costs just £300 to train 20 hunters for each village, including providing suits; follow-up training is £80 – a small sum to give them a new livelihood and save the lives of countless endangered primates. Beverley Bee Keepers Association has been providing financial help and proceeds from the sale of this year’s open day went to Juliet’s project.

Currently Juliet is working in Monmouth for a charity called Bees for Development, writing a series of bee-keeping training manuals for use in Africa.
Next month she is returning to Africa, this time to Ghana with the And Albert Foundation, which was set up by East Yorkshire businessman David Murden. “I will be seeing if it is possible for the hunters to be trained in making crafts rather than hunting,” explains Juliet who visits Africa once or twice every year.

In between (when not writing reports), she’s a keen sportswoman. Last year she took up open water swimming and has done the Great London Swim – a one mile swim in the Royal Victoria Dock, so cold participants must wear wetsuits – twice.
And she’s a fan of rock climbing, which she does with the East Yorkshire Climbing and Mountaineering Club.

Not bad for someone who, having broken her hip caleidh dancing, is due to have a hip replacement operation. It’s something she keeps putting off and is another reason for her to return to Africa. “In Africa, my hip is much better,” she says. “The warm weather really helps.”

Bee4Bushmeat.org

Midweek Fun

2009-09-23T17:33:00.008+01:00

Every time i see this advert on TV, i laugh like mad.... Soooo Funny

I'm Back!!!

2009-09-18T17:15:00.009+01:00

I'm back and hopefully able to read all your fantastic blogs again, without the dreaded "about blank" tab popping up and throwing me off the net.. fingers crossed.

Well what a busy weekend i had last weekend.. I went on Saturday evening to watch my favourite ice hockey team The Hull Stingrays play at The Hull Arena. I've not been in almost a year as apart from the season ending, i've spent a lot of time out of town at my other halfs home.

It was great to catch up with my friends too and have a giggle with them.

Dez, Dave & Caroline been themselves!!! hahaha

I've been supporting Ice Hockey in Hull for almost 22 years now and last season was the first season i'd not been to every match. They beat Cardiff Devils 4-2 so it was a good game to watch with plenty of fights too!!

On Sunday i had a walk down to The Hull Marina to watch the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race set off on their 10 month voyage. What an amazing site to see the 10 yachts out on the River Humber ready to set sail on a voyage of a lifetime and so emotional too.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston

Thousands turned up to watch the start of the race

This Sunday we're going to Rockingham in Northamptonshire to watch the BTCC and i can't wait. I'm a real sociable person and we've got so many friends we meet up with at the meets its fantastic.

Apart from all this excitement of been out and about i've also had a weird pain in my stomach. The only thing i can describe it as is like a period pain. But as i no longer have those ( Thank heavens) it most certainly aint that.. I'm not too worried though as i visit my Oncologist next month for my 6 month check up so he'll have a prod about and see whats what.

Naughty me!!

2009-09-14T20:04:00.003+01:00

I feel awful as i havent been able to read some blogs recently ( in the last week)
Everytime i click on certain blogs,( and i have no idea who's as it just seems random) my screen freezes and i get tabs along the top of my screen saying "about blank" and i have to close down my laptop as nothing else can be done.

I have cleaned my laptop thoroughly but am a bit wary about reading blogs as it still does this odd thing.
I'll try to read all your wonderful blogs soon.. i promise.. in the mean time i apologise for been quiet... Quiet me!!!!!

PC Prudes ban Spotted Dick!!

2009-09-10T15:00:00.001+01:00

Years ago i worked in a pub and on the menu was Spotted Dick.. We had our regular old ladies come into the pub for their lunch on a daily basis and they always giggled when asking for a Spotted Dick. I decided to spare their embarassment by writing on the board that we had "Pimpled Richard" on as a desert.
They laughed like mad when i called it that and it became a known thing in the pub.. I did it as a joke and we often said that one day it would end up with a name change... lo and behold, look whats in the news!!

SPOTTED dick ranks alongside sausage and mash, jam roly-poly and shepherd’s pie as one of the nation’s best-known dishes.

But you won’t find it on one council’s canteen menu because politically correct souls have decided the name is offensive. Anyone wanting the steamed suet, flour and dried fruit pudding now has to ask for spotted Richard or sultana sponge.

The ludicrous move came after staff at Flintshire County Council’s HQ in Mold, said they were embarrassed by diners sniggering as they ordered the dish. Last night council member Klaus Armstrong-Braun said: “I find this unbelievable. I have been told it happened because it was felt the name was offensive. That is ludicrous. This dish has been around for 150 years and its name has never been a problem.

“It is part of British culture and heritage and to change it because of the childish behaviour of a few is absolutely ridiculous.

“It will even cost money because the name labels have to be changed. It is political correctness gone mad.”

Tory MP Philip Davies, Parliamentary spokesman for the Campaign Against Political Correctness said: “They are likely to get more people sniggering because they are calling it spotted Richard rather than spotted dick. It also speaks volumes that one group can be so childish and the other so sensitive.”

A council spokesman said: “We accept that the correct title for this dish is spotted dick, but because of several immature comments from a few customers, catering staff renamed the dish. Staff simply acted as they thought best to put an end to unwelcome and childish comments, albeit from a very small number of customers.”