Blood Results

Just to let you know that i've had my results on the bloods taken on Wednesday and alls well.. so i can relax and enjoy my weekend

A visit to my GP

Today I saw my Doctor about the strange lumpy thing inside my heel, kind of part way up my leg.
It first appeared about ten weeks ago and appears after either walking or even just sitting on the sofa with my legs up.
I mentioned about it to Julie when I went to stay with the Devon girls a couple of weeks ago and she said it’s a Bursitis of the Achilles Tendon, which my Doctor clarified.
When it appears and sticks out, it’s the size of a marrowfat pea and stings as if I’ve put lemon in an open wound ( that’s the only way I can describe it ).

Anyway I came home with some ibuprofen cream to rub on and hopefully sort it out.

Description of Injury
Achilles tendon bursitis is inflammation of the fluid-filled sac (bursa) located either between the skin of the heel and the Achilles tendon (posterior Achilles tendon bursitis) or in front of the attachment of the Achilles tendon to the heel bone (anterior Achilles tendon bursitis). Achilles tendonitis is an inflammation of the tendon. It often results from a small stretch injury that causes the tendon to become swollen, painful, and less flexible than a normal tendon. Untreated, the injury may fail to heal, or progress to a chronically painful condition.
Achilles Tendonosis is a degeneration of the Achilles tendon. The degeneration occurs from small tears in the Achilles tendon, the tears have a difficult time healing due to poor blood circulation and chronic irritation. Of course, in some people, these tears may progress to a complete rupture of the tendon.

Dr also decided to take my blood pressure as I am on tablets for high blood pressure and have been for a few years now, they monitor it as my mum suffered it and died of an anurism.
It’s high!! So he has upped my dosage from 20mg to 40 mg a day.
He also asked how I was doing regarding the dizzy do’s I still have and have had since chemo. I told him I pass out and feel dizzy and generally awful about every couple of weeks he has given me tablets to take when I feel like this in the hope it will make me feel better at that time and that I don’t keep passing out, here’s hoping!!.

Also he did some blood tests on me:
1 for Cholesterol
1 for liver & kidney function
1 for thyroid function
1 for a full blood count
And a fasting glucose one too.

Basically I had a full mot. I have to give the medical centre a ring on Friday afternoon to see what the results are.
All in all a good day at the Doctors.

Are your instructions making you ill?

Although you should always read the instructions that come with any medication, new research by Hull ( My hometown) University suggests that dwelling on the side effects can actually increase your risk of suffering from them.


The reason? The old placebo effect - if you think you'll experience something you're more likely to actually feel it.
'While it's essential to be informed about your drugs, it's worth bearing in mind that leaflets have to contain all possible side effects by law. This doesn't mean you'll get them, as each person responds differently.' says psychiatrist Dr Sundari of Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust.

My Chemotherapy record booklet

Today I found my little red chemo book!
This book was given to me before I started my first session of chemotherapy.
The booklet tells me about:

Infections and how to avoid them, including foods to avoid like raw or undercooked eggs, takeaways,
unpasteurised milk and cheese, live yoghurt and pate.
Things you need to tell your doctor.
Sex, pregnancy and family planning.
Medicines I took at home.

There’s also pages for me to make note of any side effects during the various stages of chemotherapy

I used to fill it in just before my next session was due. After my first chemo I had the nausea and sickness… patchy hairloss… mild constipation.. Mild pain…Transient drowsiness and a severe pain in my right arm and shoulder.

This pain was due to the needle been in that arm and after been prescribed with diclofenic tablets, it eased off by chemo 3

I was given 340mg of Paclitaxel and 700mg of Carboplaten as well as the pre meds of Dexamethasone 20mg, Ordansetron 8mg, Cimetidine 300mg and Chlorphenamine 10mg during all my sessions.

By chemo 2 everything was the same as my first session except the pins and needles had started.

By chemo 3 I had complete hairloss, I needed more rest and I’d started been sick quite a bit too as well as having diarrhoea and tingling and numbness.

Chemo 4 saw me having rest for more than half a day but the diarrhoea had stopped
For some reason I hadn’t filled in my booklet for chemo 5 and 6 !!

I'm so glad my chemo is over, i can honestly say it was the worse time of my life!!
My thoughts, love and prayers are with all of you going through this awful disease.

Cervical Cancer. The Stages:

A DIAGNOSIS is devastating. But there are effective treatment to kill the cancer cells and stop them spreading.
Cancer Research UK says the best treatment for you will depend on the stage of the cancer.

Stage 1 - the cancer is just in the cervix.

The usual treatment is surgery or radiotherapy. But if the cancer is larger than 4cm, your specialist may advise you to have a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Stage 2 - the cancer has begun to spread around the cervix

If the spread is downwards towards the vagina, then the usual treatment is surgery or radiotherapy or both. If the spread is mostly upwards into the womb, then research shows that a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy is best.

Stage 3 - the cancer has spread into the pelvis

In stage 3, the cancer has spread away from the area surrounding the cervix, such as into the lower vagina, the muscles of the pelvis, or upwards towards the ureters (they join the kidneys to the bladder). This stage is usually treated with radiotherapy and chemotherapy, because research shows that this combination can give the best success rate.

Stage 4 - the cancer has spread into other body organs

This stage is more advanced because there is secondary cancer in other organs, either in the pelvis, or further afield like the lungs. It’s treated with surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy or a combination of these treatments, depending on where the secondary cancers are.


Having radiotherapy for cervical cancer


Radiotherapy can be given externally with a beam of rays focussed on the cancer. It can also be given internally, when a small radio-active source is inserted up the vagina and into the uterus (womb). Sometimes, both methods are used.


Radiotherapy is often very successful in treating cervical cancer. However, you should be aware that you won’t be able to become pregnant afterwards.


For more info, see cancer help.org .

I had radiotherapy internally, 2 x 10 hours worth as i had stage1. I knew i had Ovarian Cancer, but it wasn't until i came round from my hysterectomy operation that my Consultant informed me that he'd also found Cervical Cancer down there too and this is why i would need the internal radiotherapy.

My Womans Health Appointment

I’ve just got home from my yearly hospital appointment with Dr Elliott. Dr Elliott see’s me about woman’s health and I’ve seen her since having my Hysterectomy in January 2007.


All went well but she’d like me to have a bone scan as Osteoporosis
is common in post-menopausal women, and I’m in that category. She also noticed on my records that I’d had my first bone break last year!! She’s decided I should have one as even though I’m on calcium tablets its best to be on the safe side.
Its just a case now, of waiting for an appointment letter to pop through my letter box

The Mad,Mad Menopause!!

Having had a full Hysterectomy at the age of 42 this article was quite amusing and so true in parts... Anyone going through the menopause will agree i'm sure



The mad, mad menopause: LOUISE FOXCROFT charts its fascinating, and sometimes gruesome, history...

Hot flushes, forgetfulness, tiredness - they are familiar symptoms for women of a certain age. But while many may believe they're going through a hard time, it's nothing compared with what our predecessors experienced.
The acclaimed physician Edward Tilt was the doctor of choice for Victorian women suffering from gynaecological problems. So it was to his consulting rooms that Mary, a 45-year- old mother struggling with depression, hot flushes and sleeplessness, came for help.
She was married to a publican and had several children. Mary, Dr Tilt recorded in his notes, was 'a tall athletic woman, with a pale face, iron-grey hair, a whimpering voice and apparently always ready to cry'.
Menopause: Just decades ago, 'the Change' was seen as a sign of lunacy
The year was 1855 and Tilt's diagnosis was swift. She was depressed with suicidal tendencies, he concluded, caused by ' cessation' - the menopause.
For the past few months, he recorded: 'She complains of being all atremble, sleepless at night, powerless all day ... she sits alone, doleful and disconsolate, ashamed of herself for being so lazy and still unable to do anything, or forgetful of what it is she ought to do . . . she is much afflicted with suicidal thoughts.'
Tilt prescribed his 'usual mixture before meals' of carbonated soda and various other remedies, including opium, a large bella-donna plaster to be placed at the pit of the stomach and vaginal injections with a solution of acetate of lead.


Further prescriptions included opium, hydochlorate of morphine, chloric ether and distilled water.

Tilt wrote, tellingly, a few months later: 'She has continued in good health, although she has left off the medicines.'

But while the potions Tilt's patients had to endure may seem bizarre, they were nothing compared with what some women went through.

Since the time of the Ancient Greeks, the menopause has been considered shaming.

Unitil the 18th century, it was seen as a natural phenomenon; but over the next 300 years it began to be viewed as a disease, leading to bizarre treatments and extremely dangerous surgery.

The Victorians were deeply suspicious of women's reproductive health.

They thought there was a direct link between the womb and the brain which predisposed women to insanity, particularly during menopause.

The remedy, they concluded, was straightforward: such women should be locked up.

Menopausal women who displayed what was considered to be undue sexual excitement or interest were at best ridiculed and at worst subjected to surgery or a spell in the asylum, diagnosed as suffering with 'climacteric insanity'.

It was believed that the very nature of a woman's physical make-up predisposed her to insanity. Even women who were not mentally ill were likely to offer 'insane interpretations' of their menopausal symptoms, according to George Savage, writing in The Lancet in 1903.

Gruesome history: Louise Foxcroft has written a book about the menopause
The Victorians reasoned that a woman's ovaries were the seat of feminine essence and all that was virtuous in women sprang from them.

But, by the same token, should they become diseased, or - as in menopause - cease to function, then all hell could break loose.

It might be better, some thought, for a woman's troublesome ovaries to be removed: women might then become more biddable, cleaner in mind and body, and more industrious.

The surgical removal of the ovaries, or ovariotomy, was a simple operation, so it was used excessively in attempts to cure mental disorder, especially nymphomania and hysteria.

The term 'hysteria' comes from the Greek, hysterus, meaning womb, and in the 1850s Tilt had called it 'the keystone of mental pathology'.

Some menopausal women came to physicians suffering from 'pent-up sexual longings' which were, they said, much worse than mere pain.

'No sooner does night come on than I am prey to such dreadfully sinful desires that drive me mad,' said one.

Women were supposed only to want to be motherly, and the idea that they could wish to be sexual was terrifying.

The first removal of ovaries in Britain was performed in 1824 by John Lizars, an Edinburgh surgeon and lecturer in anatomy and physiology.

Though his patient survived, the next three did not. By 1855, out of 200 operations, 89 women had died.

Sir Spencer Wells managed to reduce mortality to 11 per cent over the next two decades, thanks to the introduction of anaesthesia in the late 1840s.

He maintained that he performed this surgery to relieve the suffering of women, but some of his colleagues believed the only people who benefited, financially and professionally, were the surgeons.

Isaac Baker Brown, a member of the Obstetrical Society of London, insisted insanity resulted from excessive desire and recommended clitoridectomy - surgical excision of the clitoris.

He claimed this would stop hysteria developing into spinal irritation and on to idiocy, mania and even death.

In 1866, he described the following case history: 'Mrs D was 57 and had four children, with two premature labours. The last child was born 23 years ago.

'For the past year, she has never slept for more than an hour; always waking with a start; feeling frantic and very hot and flushed. She has a constant feeling that she will be lost eternally and of this she is constantly speaking.'

The woman's husband told Baker Brown that she had begun to 'show symptoms of mental derangement' a year earlier and had attempted suicide by trying to jump from a window.

He had his wife confined in an asylum for four months, but she worsened and would wake in the night in a 'frenzy'.

On examination, Baker Brown found her healthy, though she would not 'look him straight in the face'.

On December 14, he performed his 'usual operation'. A week later, she was sleeping better, but 'will not own to being better' and complained of 'her skin being dry, and burning hot'.

Baker Brown begged to differ and, almost wilfully ignoring the hot flushes, recorded merely that 'at times she perspires freely'.

On Boxing Day, her husband and nurse considered her much better, but the patient persisted in being, in her doctor's opinion, 'sulky, saying she is bad, and shall soon die'.

Lawson Tait, an influential physician whose roles included surgeon to Birmingham Hospital for Women and a Fellow of the Obstetrical Societies of London, Dublin and Edinburgh, also considered that menopausal women were at real risk of mental derangement and incurable dementia.

The worst tendency, he said, was for menopausal women to abuse alcohol.

In Tait's opinion, the relief of nearly all menopausal symptoms could be achieved by the use of an occasional drastic purgative and 'removal from home at frequent intervals' - the asylum again.

Purity Movement writers took up the argument that the more badly behaved a woman had been in her youth, the worse affected she would be by the menopause.

The Ladies' Guide In Health And Disease: Girlhood, Maidenhood, Wifehood, Motherhood, published in 1883 by the American surgeon John Kellogg, preached that women who 'transgressed nature's laws' would find the menopause 'a veritable Pandora's box of ills, and may well look forward to it with apprehension and foreboding'.

By the end of the century, however, the idea was beginning to take hold that sex hormones might be involved. A Parisian midwife gave herself liquid made from pigs' ovaries - with beneficial effects.

The prolific British-born French physiologist and neurologist Charles-Edouard Brown-Sequard thought that the ovaries of animals would yield an extract that would help menopausal women.

Over the next 40 years, ovarian hormones were isolated, and as the workings of the endocrine system were revealed, so, too, came new knowledge and new ideas.

In her book, Change Of Life In Men And Women, published in 1936, the scientist and sexual pioneer Marie Stopes laid the blame for fear about the menopause squarely at the feet of the medical profession, which had, she said, emphasised a 'revolting, frightening, misleading and injurious state'.

A ward sister at one of the 'world's most famous hospitals' told Stopes that nearly every case of menopausal difficulty she saw admitted to the hospital was induced by the ghastly things women had read and been told about what was going to happen.

She felt that without this they would have passed through the change with little difficulty.

Stopes was inclined to give what she felt might be 'the most revolutionary' advice of all: not to worry, and to carry on as though nothing special was happening.

In fact, she was of the opinion that things really began to look up after the menopause because so many women had written to her about an increase in their sexual feelings.

One letter began: 'I am a widow with a grown-up family and, since losing my husband a few years ago, I so often have an active sexual feeling, and I wonder at my age (66) if it should be encouraged or repressed, or ... if you could prescribe anything to give me just a little satisfaction at such times...

'I have always thoroughly enjoyed my conjugal rights, but I should be glad to know if it is usual at my time of life to have such strong desires.'
In 1948, Dr Josephine Barnes gave a series of talks on radio about the health of older women.

Dame Josephine, born in 1912, was an obstetrician and gynaecologist, the first Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists to give birth, and the first woman president of the British Medical Association.

In her radio broadcasts, she discussed blood loss, ovaries, hormonal changes during the menopause and uterine cancers, and sent the head of the Home Service into a tail-spin.

'The inclusion of such a talk represents a lowering of broadcasting standards,' he said.

'It is acutely embarrassing to hear about hot flushes, diseases of the ovary and the possibility of womb removal transmitted . . . at two o'clock in the afternoon.'

But, happily for the Home Service's mostly female afternoon audience, menopausal thinking was proceeding apace.

The long-held idea that the menopause caused women to go mad was replaced with the notion that menopausal women's lost femininity might be restored by hormone treatment.

Menopausal women's bodies, wrote the U.S. gynaecologist Robert Wilson in 1966, were 'a galloping catastrophe' which only oestrogen could repair and make them 'much more pleasant to live with ...not dull and unattractive'.

It turns out that Wilson, according to the New York Times, was funded by the pharmaceutical firm Wyeth, who now claim not to know if Wilson ever worked for them, but whose profits from HRT took off over the next 30 years.

Wyeth placed an advert in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1975 that claimed: 'Almost any tranquilliser might calm her down, but at her age oestrogen might be what she really needs.'

Adverts such as these provided a powerful push to the idea of the menopause as a disease, but one for which there was a cure. However, it came at a cost. Wilson's son said his mother, who had taken HRT, had died of breast cancer in 1988 after keeping her illness secret to protect her husband's reputation.

Even today, secrecy surrounds the menopause. The taboo remains: women are reluctant to discuss it and many men are embarrassed at the idea of it.

But if we are to really understand it and move on from the Victorians' view of it as something dark and insane, women have to speak up.

Their experiences have to be recorded, published and - not least - believed.
Extracted from Hot Flushes, Cold Science: A History Of The Modern Menopause by Louise Foxcroft (Granta, £14.99). To order a copy (P&P free), call 0845 155 0720.

CA125 results and Medical Notes

Since been diagnosed with Ovarian & Cervical Cancer in November 2006, I’ve never actually asked any details on how my CA125 results are doing compared to when I first was diagnosed.
Basically all my chemo friends have there bloods done and get the results when they have their 3 or 4 monthly check up with their Oncologist. I’ve always had my bloods done straight after I’ve seen him so never any wiser!
I have a new Oncologist now, Dr Bashir, as the old one retired.

4 months ago when I saw Dr Bashir he said he’s changing things as I should know my results when I see him. So last Tuesday I went to my doctors and had my CA125 bloods taken and by the time I see Dr Bashir on the 21st of this month I’ll know how I’m doing.
Today I rang Trish, his secretary to see if I can have a copy of my medical notes as I feel I’d like to know what actually went on and what was took away etc. I know I had a full hysterectomy and some other bits but feel I’d like to know more. I was told at the time but to be honest it was all a blur, especially as there were some other things going on in my life at that time too.

Trish has put me in touch with a lady who is going to send out a request form for me to fill in.
Also I asked Trish if she could get all the results of my CA125 ready for me so I can see how the numbers have gone down, I don’t even know what stage cancer I had!
Apparantly all I need to do is ask Dr Bashir when I see him and he’ll print off all my blood results.
Is it weird that I’m quite excited about this?

Tumour-shrinking miracle drug gives fresh hope to women suffering ovarian cancer

Thanks to Claire for sharing this article






A new ovarian cancer treatment, that works in a similar way to the breast cancer 'wonder drug' Herceptin (pictured), could be available in just five years

A drug developed by British scientists could offer fresh hope to women with ovarian cancer.

The deadliest gynaecological cancer, ovarian cancer affects almost 7,000 British women a year - and kills two thirds.

Dubbed 'the silent killer', it is symptomless in the early stages and so not usually diagnosed until it is too late.

No new drugs to combat the disease have been introduced for more than a decade.

The new treatment, which could be available in just five years, works in a similar way to the breast cancer 'wonder drug' Herceptin.

Doctors gave the drug, known only as CNTO328, to 18 ovarian cancer patients from north-east London and Essex in a trial that started in late 2007.

None had been expected to live more than a year because their cancer had returned despite several courses of chemotherapy.

Eight found their tumours stabilised or stopped growing - likely extending their life expectancy.

While the figure may seem small, it is much higher than the five to 20 per cent response rate seen with most experimental cancer drugs.

Lead researcher, Professor Iain McNeish, of Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, said: 'The hope with this group of patients was to slow down the progress of their ovarian cancer, improve their quality of life and possibly make them live longer.

'We have been quite successful in doing that.

'If this becomes a treatment, this is a whole new approach to ovarian cancer.'

CNTO328, developed in conjunction with a Dutch biotech firm now owned by Johnson & Johnson, is an antibody that zeroes in on a compound the cancer needs to grow and spread.

Professor McNeish told the Guardian: 'The dream scenario is that a combination of existing chemotherapy drugs and this type of antibody will be a big breakthrough and open up a new avenue for the treatment of ovarian cancer.'

Annwen Jones, of charity Target Ovarian Cancer, said the research was at an early stage but showed promise.

She added: 'Women being treated for ovarian cancer could be forgiven for despair, particularly when they grow resistant to chemotherapy and there are no drugs that can get them over this hurdle.

'Research projects such as this are vital if we are to develop desperately needed new treatments.'

Rethink on Cervical Smear age

Women below the current age limit of 25 could soon be offered cervical smear tests.

The Government is carrying out a review of the current age limit in England which is already in line with World Health Organisation recommendations.
In making their decision, a panel of leading experts will assess the impact of HPV vaccinations on future levels on cervical cancer in young women.

They will also assess the awareness among women of cervical cancer's symptoms and likely take-up rates of any new programme.
Tony Kerridge, international spokesman for Marie Stopes, said: "We are delighted that the Department of Health are re-considering their decision to cut routine screening for under 25s. Cervical screening currently begins at age 20 for women in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but women in England have to wait until they are 25.

"Jade Goody's case has shown that cervical cancer, whilst extremely rare among women under 30, does nevertheless represent a potential threat to their lives and wellbeing."
He also warned that the HPV vaccine programme does not offer cast-iron protection against the disease.
"The vaccine is not a bullet-proof shield against cervical cancer but there is concern that, once vaccinated, some young girls may think they are 'safe'. It is therefore vital to encourage girls to start thinking about their own cervical health as early as possible, and to develop a screening culture amongst young women to ensure as many cases of this preventable form of cancer are detected as possible."
National Cancer Director Professor Mike Richards said: "It is important that we look at any emerging evidence so that we can be sure, and can assure young women, that this is still what is best for their health.

"Early detection and treatment can prevent around 75 per cent of cervical cancers developing in women so we will also look at what more we can do to highlight the importance and benefits of screening."
Health Minister Ann Keen said: "We are very proud of our cancer screening programmes in the NHS, which are internationally recognised as world-class.
"Cervical screening saves around 4,500 lives every year and we want to ensure that our programme remains in the best interests of young women.

"Experts will review the latest available evidence in this area as well as consider how we can increase awareness of the importance of screening and encourage more women to decide to take up this important service."

Raising Ovarian Cancer Awareness

This lady was on This Morning today



March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

For years it has been dubbed the 'silent killer,' with symptoms of ovarian cancer often being misdiagnosed, ignored, or attributed to far less serious conditions.
One woman who knows only too well how devastating a late diagnosis can be, is forty-nine year old Wendy Morris, who found out last August that the abdominal bloating, indigestion, and chronic exhaustion she was experiencing were, in fact, the symptoms of advanced ovarian cancer.Now Wendy is determined to speak out, hoping that her experience will help raise awareness of the condition, and might help others catch it early enough to get the treatment that could ultimately save their lives.Visit http://www.ovarian.org.uk/ for more information on ovarian cancer and research, awareness and fundraising work.


Here's the symptoms


Ovarian cancer used to be called 'the silent killer', with most women not being diagnosed until the cancer had spread.But there is now growing scientific evidence that the frequency and combination of particular symptoms could alert women and their doctors to the possibility of ovarian cancer, even when it is in the early stages, when survival rates are much higher.

Diagnosis can be difficult because symptoms are often similar to those caused by more common, less serious conditions.

The early symptoms which could indicate ovarian cancer are:

*Persistent pelvic and stomach pain
*Increased abdominal size / persistent bloating - not bloating that comes and goes
*Difficulty eating and feeling full quickly.Patients should ask their GP whether ovarian cancer should be considered if they experience any of these three symptoms on most days.

Symptoms of later stage ovarian cancer include:
*Indigestion
*Constipation
*Nausea
*Needing to pass urine frequently
*Pain during sex *Ongoing fatigue that can't be explained
*Shortness of breath

Visit http://www.ovarian.org.uk/ for more information on ovarian cancer and our research, awareness and fundraising work.

If you are worried that you are experiencing one or a range of the common symptoms on most days, can download a Symptoms Diary from the website, which allows them to note the frequency and type of symptoms they are experiencing and present the diary to their GP.

If you are experiencing any of the common symptoms on most days, it is unlikely you have ovarian cancer but it is important to ask your GP whether ovarian cancer should be considered.

Bleugh!

I had a funny turn last night. About 6pm I started to shake and felt really sick too. Also I thought I was going to faint.
I’d had something to eat during the day so it wasn’t as if I’d been starving myself ( heaven forbid, I love food)

I never got much sleep last night either as my stomach was bubbling a bit and boy did it hurt. Today I got up but have felt so sleepy all day and dizzy and sicky too.. I took Dave out in the car to see if he could find a hoover, but still no joy. I went into one shop with him but had to sit in the car for the next shop as I felt absolutely shocking. I never mentioned to Dave how I’ve felt all day as I feel a right fraud and a moaner so I’ve stayed quiet as I always do.

He’d said this morning that he fancied fish & chips for tea so straight away I knew I didn’t have to cook tonight ( a blessing when I feel like this). At 6.30 he decided he didn’t want fish and chips but fancied a pizza so off he trotted to buy one.
Even the smell is making me feel like puking.. I have a hot mug of coffee and that’ll do me.. And an early night too is on the cards.

Walking my weight off Hopefully)

On Monday I had some things to get from the next town.. My car sat there but I decided as it was a crisp winters day, I’d walk.

I love walking anyway so it wasn’t a problem. I did what I had to and bought what I had to and started walking home.. Brrrrrrr head wind and boy was it cold. I walked briskly to get home quicker. Later that night as I tried to stand up, the front of my thighs absolutely killed me.. I suppose the 2 mile walk must have done me some good.

Yesterday Myself and Dave went for a walk to Tesco’s for a few bits and bobs, a 3 mile round trip. The dogs came too, we walked briskly through fields and on dry land too! Coming home I could feel my legs tightening again just like on Monday, also my stomach hurt a bit like my thighs did.. I hope its because I haven’t done much exercise recently and my stomach muscles are starting to work and that I’ve not given myself another blooming hernia as I really couldn’t face yet another operation on my stomach.

I’m going to rest a bit and see if it settles down but anyone reading my blog, I’d appreciate your input on the muscle and stomach situation please.

Send a Virtual Cupcake and support Ovarian Cancer

I saw this on a friends blog and thought i'd pass it on too

From the website:

"Electrolux is proud to support The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. Electrolux and Kelly Ripa have teamed up to raise more than $500,000 to support this important cause. Electrolux is also making a $1 donation to the OCRF (with a minimum of $25,000 and a maximum of $30,000) when you send a virtual cupcake to a friend."So click http://kelly-confidential.com/ , register and send a cupcake to help support Ovarian Cancer research.Thanks Electrolux and Kelly for raising awareness and funds for OC research

My Hernia & Dave

The Humber Bridge

I had an appointment yesterday with my hernia consultant.

I saw Mr Yoga and I half expected to walk in and find him in the lotus position. Thankfully he had his feet firmly on the floor.

He examined my belly and also got me to cough too, which wasn’t hard to do as I’m full of cold.

Everything is fine and he discharged me which was a relief. I asked him about doing any form of exercise and was told to carry on with the brisk walking but not to do any running or anything else until the end of March.

I travelled on train back to Hull as it worked out cheaper than it would have if I’d have put petrol in the car. On leaving Doncaster station I saw a red fox, never seen one before and he looked gorgeous, shame I didn’t have my camera at the ready.

On returning back to Newcastle, I was greeted at the door by Bertie & Molly and a Quasimodo look-a-like with a snotty nose.
It was Dave, he too has a bad cold AND a sore rib.

He went to the doctors as I got home and came back with the news that he’s fractured a rib and torn a cartilage off it too!

All we can think is that when he’s sat in his chair, Molly loves to dive on him! She’s only little and skinny but goes at some speed to get on him.

He’d taken them both for a walk yesterday afternoon and they both pulled at the same time, that’s when the heavy pain arrived!
He’s now on painkillers.

Welcome back Tracey hahaha

Incisional Hernia Repair Explained

An incisional hernia occurs at the site of a previous incision (A). Intestinal contents break through the abdominal wall and bubble up under the skin. In a laparoscopic repair, the surgeon uses laparoscopic forceps to pull the material, omentum, from the hernia site (B). A mesh pad is inserted into the site to line the hernia site (C and D), and is tacked into place (E). (
Illustration by GGS Inc.)


Definition

Incisional hernia repair is a surgical procedure performed to correct an incisional hernia. An incisional hernia, also called a ventral hernia, is a bulge or protrusion that occurs near or directly along a prior abdominal surgical incision. The surgical repair procedure is also known as incisional or ventral herniorrhaphy.

Purpose

Incisional hernia repair is performed to correct a weakened area that has developed in the scarred muscle tissue around a prior abdominal surgical incision, occurring as a result of tension (pulling in opposite directions) created when the incision was closed with sutures, or by any other condition that increases abdominal pressure or interferes with proper healing.

Demographics

Because incisional hernias can occur at the site of any type of abdominal surgery previously performed on a wide range of individuals, there is no outstanding profile of an individual most likely to have an incisional hernia. Men, women, and children of all ages and ethnic backgrounds may develop an incisional hernia after abdominal surgery. Incisional hernia occurs more commonly among adults than among children.

Description

An incisional hernia can develop in the scar tissue around any surgery performed in the abdominal area, from the breastbone down to the groin
Depending upon the location of the hernia, internal organs may press through the weakened abdominal wall. The rate of incisional hernia occurrence can be as high as 13%
with some abdominal surgeries. These hernias may occur after large surgeries such as intestinal or vascular (heart, arteries, and veins) surgery, or after smaller surgeries such as an appendectomy or a laparoscopy, which typically requires a small incision at the navel. Incisional hernias themselves can be very small or large and complex, involving growth along the scar tissue of a large incision. They may develop months after the surgery or
years after, usually because of inadequate healing or excessive pressure on an abdominal wall scar. The factors that increase the risk of incisional hernia are conditions that increase strain on the abdominal wall, such as obesity, advanced age, malnutrition, poor metabolism (digestion and assimilation of essential nutrients), pregnancy, dialysis, excess fluid retention, and either infection or hematoma (bleeding under the skin) after a prior surgery.

Tension created when sutures are used to close a surgical wound may also be responsible for developing an incisional hernia. Tension is known to influence poor healing conditions because of related swelling and wound separation. Tension and abdominal pressure are greater in people who are overweight, creating greater risk of developing incisional hernias following any abdominal surgery, including surgery for a prior inguinal (groin) hernia. People who have been treated with steroids or chemotherapy are also at greater risk for developing incisional hernias because of the affect these drugs have on the healing process.
The first symptom a person may have with an incisional hernia is pain, with or without a bulge in the abdomen at or near the site of the original surgery. Incisional hernias can increase in size and gradually produce more noticeable symptoms. Incisional hernias may or may not require surgical treatment.

The effectiveness of surgical repair of an incisional hernia depends in part on reducing or eliminating tension at the surgical wound. The tension-free method used by many medical centers and preferred by surgeons who specialize in hernia repair involves the permanent placement of surgical (prosthetic) steel or polypropylene mesh patches well beyond the edges of the weakened area of the abdominal wall. The mesh is sewn to the area, bridging the hole or weakened area beneath it. As the area heals, the mesh becomes firmly integrated into the inner abdominal wall membrane (peritoneum) that protects the organs of the abdomen. This method creates little or no tension and has a lower rate of hernia recurrence, as well as a faster recovery with less pain. Incisional hernias recur more frequently when staples are used rather than sutures to secure mesh to the abdominal wall. Autogenous tissue (skin from the patient's own body) has also been used for this type of repair.

Two surgical approaches are used to treat incisional hernias: either a laporoscopic incisional herniorrhaphy, which uses small incisions and a tube-like instrument with a camera attached to its tip; or a conventional open repair procedure, which accesses the hernia through a larger abdominal incision. Open procedures are necessary if the intestines have become trapped in the hernia (incarceration) or the trapped intestine has become twisted and its blood supply cut off (strangulation). Extremely obese patients may also require an open procedure because deeper layers of fatty tissue will have to be removed from the abdominal wall. Mesh may be used with both types of surgical access.
Minimally invasive laporoscopic surgery has been shown to have advantages over conventional open procedures, including:
reduced hospital stays
reduced postoperative pain
reduced wound complications
reduced recovery time
Surgical procedure
In both open and laparoscopic procedures, the patient lies on the operating table, either flat on the back or on the side, depending on the location of the hernia. General anesthesia is usually given, though some patients may have local or regional anesthesia, depending on the location of the hernia and complexity of the repair. A catheter may be inserted into the bladder to remove urine and decompress the bladder. If the hernia is near the stomach, a gastric (nose or mouth to stomach) tube may be inserted to decompress the stomach.
In an open procedure, an incision is made just large enough to remove fat and scar tissue from the abdominal wall near the hernia. The outside edges of the weakened hernial area are defined and excess tissue removed from within the area. Mesh is then applied so that it overlaps the weakened area by several inches (centimeters) in all directions. Non-absorbable sutures (the kind that must be removed by the doctor) are placed into the full thickness of the abdominal wall. The sutures are tied down and knotted.
In the less-invasive laparoscopic procedure, two or three small incisions will be made to access the hernia site—the laparoscope is inserted in one incision and surgical instruments in the others to remove tissue and place the mesh in the same fashion as in an open procedure. Significantly less abdominal wall tissue is removed in laparoscopic repair. The surgeon views the entire procedure on a video monitor to guide the placement and suturing of mesh.
Diagnosis/Preparation
Diagnosis
Reviewing the patient's symptoms and medical history are the first steps in diagnosing an incisional hernia. All prior surgeries will be discussed. The doctor will ask how much pain the patient is experiencing, when it was first noticed, and how it has progressed. The doctor will palpate (touch) the area, looking for any abnormal bulging or mass, and may ask the patient to cough or strain in order to see and feel the hernia more easily. To confirm the presence of the hernia, an ultrasound examination or other scan such as computed tomography (CT) may be performed. Scans will allow the doctor to visualize the hernia and to make sure that the bulge is not another type of abdominal mass such as a tumor or enlarged lymph gland. The doctor will be able to determine the size of the defect and whether or not surgery is an appropriate way to treat it. A referral to a surgeon will be made if the doctor believes that medical treatment will not effectively correct the incisional hernia.

Preparation

Many months before the surgery, the patient's doctor may advise weight loss to help reduce the risks of surgery and to improve the surgical results. Control of diabetes and smoking cessation are also recommended for a better surgical result. Close to the time of the scheduled surgery, the patient will have standard preoperative blood and urine tests, an electrocardiogram, and a chest x ray to make sure that heart and lungs and major organ systems are functioning well. A week or so before surgery, medications may be discontinued, especially aspirin or anticoagulant (blood-thinning) drugs. Starting the night before surgery, patients must not eat or drink anything. Once in the hospital, a tube may be placed into a vein in the arm (intravenous line) to deliver fluid and medication during surgery. The patient will be given a preoperative injection of antibiotics before the procedure. A sedative may be given to relax the patient.

Aftercare

Immediately after surgery, the patient will be observed in a recovery area for several hours, for monitoring of body temperature, pulse, blood pressure, and heart function, as well as observation of the surgical wound for undue bleeding or swelling. Patients will usually be discharged on the day of the surgery; only more complex hernias such as those with incarcerated or strangulated intestines will require overnight hospitalization. Some patients may have prolonged suture-site pain, which may be treated with pain medication or anti-inflammatory drugs. Antibiotics may be prescribed to help prevent postoperative infection.
Once the patient is home, the hernia repair site must be kept clean, and any sign of swelling or redness reported to the surgeon. Patients should also report a fever or any abdominal pain. Outer sutures may have to be removed by the surgeon in a follow-up visit about a week after surgery. Activities may be limited to non-strenuous movement for up to two weeks, depending on the type of surgery performed. To allow proper healing of muscle tissue, hernia repair patients should avoid heavy lifting for at least six to eight weeks after surgery, or longer as advised.

Risks

Long-term complications seldom occur after incisional hernia repair. Short-term risks are greater with obese patients or those who have had multiple earlier operations or the prior placement of mesh patches. The risk of complications has been shown to be about 13%. The risk of recurrence and repeat surgery is as high as 52%, particularly with open procedures or those using staples rather than sutures for wound closure. Some of the factors that cause incisional hernias to occur in the first place, such as obesity and nutritional disorders, will persist in certain patients and encourage the development of a second incisional hernia and repeat surgery. Each subsequent time, the surgery will become more difficult and the risk of complications greater. Postoperative infection is higher with open procedures than with laparoscopic procedures.

Postoperative complications may include:

fluid buildup at the site of mesh placement, sometimes requiring aspiration (draining off)
postoperative bleeding, though seldom enough to require repeat surgery
prolonged suture pain, treated with pain medication or anti-inflammatory drugs
intestinal injury
nerve injury
fever, usually related to surgical wound infection
intra-abdominal (within the abdominal wall) abscess
urinary retention
respiratory distress
Normal results
Good outcomes are expected with incisional hernia repair, particularly with the laparoscopic method. Patients will usually go home the day of surgery and can expect a one- to two-week recovery period at home, and then a return to normal activities. The
American College of Surgeons reports that recurrence rates after the first repair of an incisional hernia range from 25–52%. Recurrence is more frequent when conventional surgical wound closure with standard sutures (stitches) is used. Recurrence after open procedures has been shown to be less likely when mesh is used, although complications, especially infection, have been shown to increase because of the larger abdominal incisions. Laparoscopy with mesh has shown rates of recurrence as low as 3.4%, with fewer complications as well.


From http://www.surgeryencyclopedia.com/Fi-La/Incisional-Hernia-Repair.html

My Incisional Hernia

Last Friday, the 5th December, I had a incisional hernia operation. Apparantly many people get these after other surgery.
The operation had been cancelled 3 times before I finally got it done.
I had keyhole surgery but had signed a consent form to say if they needed to open me up it was fine.
All went well and there was a possibility I could be home the following day. But this is me and nothing is ever straight forward.

As the nurses tried to help me up on the Saturday, I fainted…later on they sat me on the comode and went to sort another lady out…. I fainted! My bum was on the seat but my top half was kind of on my bed! Sexy hahaha.

Sunday morning.. I fainted…
Later in the day a nurse noticed that my blood pressure had been low. When I first went into hospital I gave my medication to the nurse who informed me they self medicate at that hospital and I was to take my pills myself after okaying it with the nurse at the time.. This I did.
I’m on High Blood Pressure tablets! So this was why I was fainting…. Good job one nurse was on the ball or I’d still have been fainting.

I was discharged on Monday afternoon and the nurse made an appointment with my GP to review my blood pressure pills.
I went to see my GP on Tuesday for the review but she wanted to check my “wound” and it hurt to say the least when she touched me.. My heart was racing and she got straight on the phone to another hospital and I was admitted!
I was put on a drip, had more blood taken, had a ECG ( or AVG as I asked for doh!) had a chest x-ray, they x-rayed my tum and I stayed in for the day while under observation. They let me home at 7pm and all was well
All I could do was apologise as I’d only gone to my GP for a review of my pills and ended up getting proded and poked and sent back in.

They put some mesh inside to mend my hernia, they use some metal coil stitches and boy do they hurt! every time I get up or move in the wrong way, I feel like I’m been stabbed. I can walk better now, not truffling along like a 90 year old now hehe but my stomach is still swollen but I feel ok ish.

Cancer and Me Part 2 Chemotherapy

This is how i had my hair cut before it all fell out!This is before i started chemo

Thursday 8th February 2007
“ Started Chemotherapy today, was there from 11am to 6.15pm
I'm on Taxol & Carboplatin... i found a website all about it http://www.cancernet.co.uk/chem-taxcar.htm

My veins are so small the canular hurt like hell going in. I was very tired when I got home and was awake all night with aching muscles and felt sicky too.”

Friday 9th February 2007

“I Decided to have my hair cut into a short style, that way, when chunks start coming out, I can at least get my wig on.. I had my hair dyed purple too J
I love it.
At night I was tossing and turning, aching and having hot sweats too.. Awful.”

Saturday 10th February 2007
“ I took a sleeping pill to see if it helped me sleep but it didn’t I was aching and having hot sweats all night.”

Sunday 11th February 2007
“I felt tired and really down all day, I took the last of the tablets the hospital gave me, woke at midnight with really bad heartburn. I wish this aching and sweating would go.”

Monday 12th February 2007
“Woke feeling sicky and achy and went dizzy, felt like I’d pass out but I never.”

Tuesday 13th February 2007
“Slept the best since starting chemo, only had the hot flushes no aches.”

Friday 23rd February 2007
“ My hair is falling out.”

Tuesday 27th February 2007
“I shaved all my hair off today as its uncomfy.. Britney Spears, if you can do it, I can, unfortunately I have no choice.”

Thursday 1st March
“ My 2nd Chemo in at 11.00am out at 9.15pm.. So so tired.”

Friday 9th March
“Got a NHS wig today cost me £55.10, but it’ll help me look more normal.”

Thursday 22nd March
“ Chemo number 3.. I’m half way there.. Yippeeee.
In at 11.00am out at 5.10pm.”

Thursday 12th April 2007
“ Should have been Chemo 4 today but my white blood cells are very low.”

Tuesday 17th April 2007
“Had Chemo number 4.”

Tuesday 8th May 2007
“Chemo 5 one to go.”

Wednesday 30th May 2007
“Should have been Chemo 6, the final one, but my cells are off on one again.”


Thursday 7th June 2007
“ Had my final Chemotherapy today and saw Dr Hamid who told me what to expect during my radiotherapy.”

Thursday 19th July 2007
“ I went for Radiotherapy today. I laid flat on my back for 10 hours while a wand was inserted inside me doing what it does.. I read, watched television, watched DVD’s and managed to eat a sandwich laid on my back!! “

Thursday 26th July 2007
“ I went for my second 10 hour stint today but it got aborted after 2 hours.. The pain inside me was awful, it felt as if a Bunsen burner had been lit inside me. He wasn’t unduly worried about having to stop as it was only a precaution anyway and I’d managed the full 10 hours last week.”

Cancer & Me Part 1 The operation

So back in January 2007 I had a full hysterectomy due to having Ovarian AND Cervical Cancer, I was just greedy having 2 lots of cancer going on.
While I was in hospital I kept a diary, good job really as I’d never have remembered half the things that happened.
I’ll write down what I entered into my diary

Monday 1st January 2007
“Not a very good start to the year. I’m petrified about the operation”
( my first ever operation, never had children, broke a limb, nothing)

Tuesday 2nd January 2007
“I’m getting picked up by hospital transport at 2pm. I tried to eat some toast to line mt tum but couldn’t.
I arrived on the ward at 2.30 had 3 bourbon biscuits and a cup of tea, at 4pm they gave me some piclax, a fantastic invention that cleans you out completely
No food from now on and no drink after midnight. I’m more terrified now
Mr Russell the Anesthetist, came to speak to me about the pain relief etc. I agreed to be a type of guinea pig.
Basically they’re trying a new thing. When I went down for surgery they stuck a thing on my forehead that felt like a brush, I could feel bristles. They also put on a extra type of cuff to my arm along with the usual blood pressure cuff.
These apparently, send signals to the brain and make it possible for those round the operating table, to keep a close check that I don’t get pumped up with too many drugs or wake up through the operation.
It worked, I don’t remember a thing! And wasn’t sick the whole of my stay in hospital, which a nurse (Penny) said is very unusual after such a big operation."


Wednesday 3rd January 2007
“I woke really early but was the last to go to theatre. I finally went at 2.15pm and had all my pipes attached by 2.30pm. I had an epidural and drip tubes fitted. I arrived back on the ward at 4.30pm, felt ok but the caphiter is a weird thing, feels odd to be able to wee in my bed, hehe
Now feeling nervous about the outcome.”

Thursday 4th January 2007
“Five of us had the operation yesterday and we all had a restless night last night. We had our blood pressure taken every hour.
They tried to get me out of bed this afternoon and I fainted, the rest of the day I slept.
The drip was taken off this afternoon”

Friday 5th January 2007
“Another bad night, restless all night. Mr Young, the Consultant came and told me I had cysts on both ovaries so he removed ovaries, oventum and womb. As he took away one of the ovaries the skin was very thin and it burst inside me. I have an appointment on 25th January for a pathology report. I will need chemotherapy.
I feel devastated
The caphiter was taken out at 10 tonight.”

Saturday 6th January 2007
“It felt odd walking un aided, had a shower, had a poo, which stopped lots of cramps”

Sunday 7th January 2007
“Woke at 3am, I feel real down, can’t stop crying”


Monday 8th January 2007
“Going home today.
Popped into work on the way home and they all said how well I looked, I feel awful, really awful, I must have put on a good act! It’s weird not been able to do anything”

Tuesday 9th January 2007
“I had a fantastic nights sleep only woke at 7.20am. Wasn’t too bad climbing the stairs either.
Cried a lot as I’m dreading losing my hair”

Wednesday 10th January 2007
“District nurse came today to take my 15 big metal stitches out, alls well apparently. Had a little walk around the block, was nice to get some fresh air.”

Thursday 25th January 2007
“Saw Mr Young at outpatients, he’s happy with my stitches healing”

Thursday 1st February 2007
“ My 43rd Birthday!
Saw Dr Hamid about starting chemotherapy, he said I’ll be starting it in 2 or 3 weeks time.. So so scared”

Monday 5th February 2007
“I got a phone call today, I start Chemotherapy this coming Thursday!!”

Wednesday 7th February 2007
“ I had my bloods done and they got sent away ready for chemo tomorrow”

My first scary post
Right then.... Here we go, go, gooooooooooooooo
I have no idea why i'm blogging to be honest as i'm really boring. But Sandhy told me to get my arse in gear and get doing one, so here i am.. Blame Sandhy hehehe

Well after finishing all my cancer treatment, i now visit my Oncologist every 4 months so he can have a prod, poke and general rummage to see if everything is behaving itself and upto now its all been good news, which i'm thankful for.
I had my checkup last week.. Dr Bashir is my new Oncologist as my original one has retired and is a lovely man.. he's changed things around for the better regarding my blood tests. Prior to seeing Dr Bashir, my CA125 bloods, were always done after my visit to see the Oncologist, so i never got any results on them.. Last week he told me to go and get my bloods done 2 weeks before i see him, that way he can let me know whats what... My next visit is March 2009.