Health Update

Dear All

For more than 10 years I have lived with the effects of an major anterior MI and for the past 5 had the help of a Medtronic Protecta - 3 lead biventricular resyncronising defibrillator. Which shows no sign of battery run down.

All of ths was a mere practice for diagnosis of 2 primary cancers at the same time having just got my wife through breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. So I am in treatment (just over 4 weeks now) for AML (Leukaemia) at Christies Hospital, Manchester, UK, to achieve remission so the surgeons can remove my bowel cancer. I gladly report that my blood levels are recovering and I stop routine antibiotics tomorrow. I cannot say it is pleasant being in isolation for 5 weeks but the standard of care here so increadibly high it is difficult to believe! all is currently looking better than 6 weeks ago when my local hospital said they could not do anything and I had 6 months to live. 

My message to everyone is, never give up, always question, take it day by day and if anything does not seem OK then do whatever is necessary to get specialist second opinions. For those not well enough or otherwise unable to stand as their own advocate, ask for help - even in this current backward, topsy turvy Trumpist, Brexit world there are people who will.

Good Luck to you all

Kind regards

Glyn

3 Comments

Complications

by Loonylil - 2017-11-06 04:37:58

Dear Glyn

what a catalogue of life changing challenges you have had to cope with!

i do admire your spirit and wish you and your family well in the future

i know the Christie hospital in Manchester very well and I don't believe you could be anywhere better so hang on in there

with love and best wishes to you❤️

Complications

by Loonylil - 2017-11-06 04:57:41

Dear Glyn

what a catalogue of life changing challenges you have had to cope with!

i do admire your spirit and wish you and your family well in the future

i know the Christie hospital in Manchester very well and I don't believe you could be anywhere better so hang on in there

with love and best wishes to you❤️

NHS excellence

by Selwyn - 2017-11-06 12:12:01

You are at one of the best centres in the UK. Christies Hospital has vast experience and people of excellence. Although I am a Merseysider, I chose to speak to the nurse specialists when I had need of another opinion concerning my lymphoma management.  Even though I was not a patient at the hospital, I received excellent advice and counselling. 

The treatment of blood cancers has progressed so much over the last years. New treatments for leukaemia, and lymphomas are being released almost on a week to week basis (seriously!). Bowel cancer treatment has also advanced. There are many people walkng around having been cured.

I can only hope this happens to you, and you spend many years going up and down to the hospital for check ups to be told all is well.  It is worth beiing fed up with out-patients!

We should be so grateful that for serious, life threatening illness, the NHS offers us free access and treatment at centres of world excellence. 

With best wishes,

Selwyn 

 

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