Calling all triple negative breast cancer patients in the UK
Comments
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Hello Mary,
I was so happy to see you back on the thread. I had to chuckle about your comment on my adding detective to my resume. A good friend of mine who works at Barts Hospital in cardiology told me that she thought in a second life I could be a detective! I have been supporting a cousin in London for quite some time as he has memory problems. It has involved a lot of information seeking as well as interpreting what he says.
It is very weird that adagio reappeared with a different name and under deltag only her latest postings are counted and all the ones from adagio are not there, but if you try to post to adagio it does not work. I have been in touch with the Moderators and there was obviously some kind of technological mishap on May 7th, when all this happened, not only with adagio/deltag, but also with HelenLouise. The moderators were going to try to trace HelenLouise but said it might take a couple of months to put the technological mishap right! It could be HelenLouise may be staring at us under a different name! Technology is getting far too complicated.
As for Marias, there have been no posts or activity in a long time. She was very unwell, but I still think her departure from the thread was very sudden. The same can be said for Hanieh and remember her name went from Hanieh to Honeytagh.
You have been going through a very bad time and I hope the New Year will be better for you and for your family.
Gill is right, in her post to you, when she mentions those hazards that can happen to all of us, especially as we age. Baths are very dangerous, but showers can also be dangerous. Rugs are real trip hazards and should not be used.
I do hope that you will be able to have your trip to Australia and New Zealand in the not too distant future.
It has stopped raining here for a while which makes everything seem more cheerful, but even if the weather improves the state of this country will not improve. We have an unelected Prime Minister, a broken health service, and unprotected borders to our country and the politicians do not have a clue how to solve all this.
The state of the world seems very dangerous and the people in charge so belligerent.
I had better stay off my soapbox today as it is Raymond's birthday.
Wishing you all the very best, Mary, and please stay with us.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Gill,
I did know about proton beam therapy for treatment of breast cancer. I think it has been around for some time but not available on the NHS. I did not know about it being perhaps safer for women with heart issues. Breast cancer treatment affects the heart anyway, especially chemotherapy. I had ECGs before and after my treatment. I think, on the whole, we are probably not told all that can happen to us during breast cancer treatment.
I was sorry to read that you have been feeling quite unwell for the past few days and I hope you are feeling better now. Cranberries are supposed to be excellent for urinary tract infections. I often buy frozen whole cranberries and cook a few at a time in hot water without sugar. They do not need much cooking. I then put them on the top of a dish of soy yoghurt. I do hope you do not have to go onto antibiotics and have to go through the stress of trying to get an appointment.
I cannot see any improvement in sight for the NHS. I thought that Sunak's speech and his five 'promises' was useless. What a dreadful speaker. I did not think much of Starmer's speech either. We shall not be making much progress with those two. We need that General Election and it looks as though we need two new parties.
Everything is much the same here in Exmouth. The weather makes you feel low in spirits, not to mention all the dire news. I have been reading about the latest Covid variants. They are BQ.1 and XBB. We are not getting much news about them but they are supposed to be highly contagious. I have heard from two friends who are quite poorly with flu. I have also noticed that the excess death rates are still going up.
Wishing you better and wishing you a better New Year. I try humming to myself that song by Morecambe and Wise "Bring me sunshine with your smile", as well as "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine". I am not sure who used to sing the last one.
That is all for now.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Sylvia,
I really don't see how any new breast cancer treatments will be funded now that the NHS has crashed. Chemotherapy will be high risk as sepsis needs to be dealt with immediately and it can't be. So many medical staff have resigned, with many more to come in the next few months. The UK trains 8000 medical students per year. Last year almost 7000 qualified doctors applied to work abroad. This is the biggest disaster of my lifetime. I'll always be grateful that I had breast cancer treatment before all this happened.
The front pages are full of Harry and Meghan. I don't know anyone who cares. What a shallow country we've become and how depressing everything is. I can't see any light at the end of the tunnel.
The new covid variants are a worry, but the Government is ignoring them. Doctors are asking for masking to be brought back and no-one is listening. I went to the health centre for my 'once in a lifetime' pneumonia jab yesterday. Masks are compulsory, but several patients were ignoring the rule and the staff weren't challenging them. This health centre is much bigger than the one I'd used previously for 30 years. Very busy and organised too.
I'm off now to learn the words to 'Bring Me Sunshine' and 'You Are My Sunshine' . Well it works for you......
Try to keep sane, despite the madness all around.
Love,
Gill xxx
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Hello Gill,
Thank you for your latest post.
I do agree with what you said about the state of the NHS. It is in a state of collapse and no matter what this government says, it is responsible for it. I think the whole system needs rebuilding from the ground up. The NHS has become a bureaucratic monster. There has also been a lot of abuse in general with the idea that it is 'free'. There is so much waste. It was not meant, either, to be an International Service with all sorts of people using it.
As far as Harry and Meghan are concerned, I am not a monarchist and find the monarchy a total bore and an expensive anachronism.
The new Covid variants are indeed a great worry and are being hidden. We no longer hear much news about them and there is also nasty flu, nasty respiratory viruses, and strep A. What happened to monkey pox which we are not allowed to call by that name, even though it comes from monkeys?!
I agree that most people are just not wearing masks or keeping social distance.
I am posting the words of the two songs I mentioned. They are needed in the miserable country that we have become.
Everything is much the same here. At least, today, it is not raining yet.
Take care.
Love and best wishes.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello everyone,
These are the happiness songs.
Bring me sunshine
In your smile
Bring me laughter
All the while
In this world where we live
There should be more happiness
So much joy you can give
To each brand new bright tomorrowMake me happy
Through the years
Never bring me
Any tears
Let your arms be as warm
As the sun from up above
Bring me fun
Bring me sunshine
Bring me LoveBring me sunshine
In your smile
Bring me laughter
All the while
In this world where we live
There should be more happiness
So much joy you can give
To each brand new bright tomorrowMake me happy
Through the years
Never bring me
Any tears
Let your arms be as warm
As the sun from up above
Bring me fun
Bring me sunshine
Bring me Love, sweet love
Bring me fun
Bring me sunshine
Bring me Love
Hey!You are my sunshine
My only sunshine
You make me happy
When skies are grey
You'll never know, dear
How much I love you
Please don't take
My sunshine awayThe other night, dear
As I lay sleeping
I dreamed I held you
In my arms
When I awoke, dear
I was mistaken
So I hung my head and I criedYou are my sunshine
My only sunshine
You make me happy
When skies are grey
You'll never know, dear
How much I love you
Please don't take
My sunshine away0 -
Hello Sylvia,
One scandal after another, so fed up with it all. The NHS won't be able to help us when we become ill, nothing can save it now.
Thank you for the words of those two well loved and cheerful songs. I can't hold a tune, absolutely tone deaf, so Michael's not going to enjoy my singing much.
I have nothing much to say about breast cancer, science has all but disappeared in the press as we have wall to wall coverage of Harry and Meghan. I don't know anyone who cares.
Keep warm as the cold weather approaches.
Love,
Gill xxx
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Hello Gill,
It was good to hear from you. I do understand your feeling fed up with everything. I feel exactly the same. I do agree that the NHS is now beyond saving. Too much has gone wrong. All I can think of is complete rebuilding, but I do not think the will power is there. I still think we are way overpopulated and do not have sufficient staff. There are also too many people claiming who are not entitled to our National Health Service but they still claim. It is not an International Service.
The education system is all messed up because of gimmicks. Children in primary school need to learn the three Rs. I do not think five year old children should be learning about changing gender!
If you cannot sing the songs just hum them.
I do agree as well that the press has been dumbed down and the main concern is sensationalism. I cannot believe the amount of time that has been given to Harry and Meghan and Harry's new book Spare. I do think though that Harry has been traumatised by the death of his mother and the way in which she died. He and William should not have been put on show to the public after her death and should have been left in private to grieve.
It is hard to post about breast cancer because so much is already on the forum and in all the little adverts on it. All you can do is relate you own experiences and the ways in which you coped with anything as you went through your journey. It seems now that vaccines are in vogue and are being used in some cancers.
Of course, we still have to be careful what we are doing because of Covid etc. I now seem to know quite a lot of people in my entourage that are coming down with Covid. I have a friend who is a District Nurse and after three years since it all began she caught it recently and has been very unwell with it. She is on extended sick leave. A friend in Canada also went down with it recently and recovered quickly because her doctor put her on Paxlovid. I do not know if we can get this here.
That friend in Canada has also told me that there health system is in a dreadful mess. It is a welfare state system much like ours and we found it excellent when we were there. At that time it had a very low population and a very good quality of life. I think it has changed quite a lot since then.
The cold weather is back and we are so fed up with it all. We do hope we get an early Spring!
I see once again that we are not getting regular posters.
That is all for now. Take care.
Love and best wishes.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hi Gill and Sylvia,
I'm so sorry to hear all of the things about the NHS. I believe that here, in the US, our healthcare is quite good. However, we have so many people who do not have insurance. That often causes them to choose not to go to the doctor when they are sick. I can't even imagine the number of women who are not having an annual mammogram. They can't afford it. Many people only go to the doctor if they are very sick, and by that time...who knows.
I was listening to a radio show on the way to work yesterday. There was a man who was complaining about our healthcare. But I had a hard time agreeing that the care is nominal in general. I think the care is good. But it's very expensive and if you don't have insurance, you're in a bad spot if/when you get sick.
Our schools don't sound much better than yours are sounding right now. We have children, still suffering from losses as a result of the pandemic. The social and emotional issues are staggering. I am working with a boy after school right now in second grade. He was 3 during the pandemic and missed so much socialization. But he also missed the experiences early on that should have helped him become a student. He can't sit still or focus on one thing for longer than 5 minutes and has a great deal of difficulty focusing long enough to hear what he should be learning. It's hard to work with him, but he is making some progress.
My husband just wrote a letter to the newspaper which is getting a lot of attention. He talked about our legislators and how they need to stop adding to school curriculum and making inane rules for education until they spend a month as a substitute teacher in a classroom. Now that our law-makers feel that the pandemic is "over," they want to go back to "normal." But they are ignoring the kids' needs. They're adding to our curriculum instead of looking at how teachers manage each day with what we have.
We are so short on teachers. There are no substitutes for teachers who become ill. We have several teachers out right now with covid and there are no replacements. Instead of dealing with the real issues, our representatives in government are fighting over who is right and wrong and making decisions for us without knowing what's actually taking place in a school.
Ah well. As you know, we keep soldiering on---on all accounts.
Stay well and warm!
Love, Sue
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Hello Sue,
Thank you for your most interesting post.
I have had a very busy day again today but I hope I shall have more time tomorrow to answer.
Love and best wishes.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Sue,
I think it is very difficult to know what to think about health care systems. Neither of them really works properly. With the insurance based system that works fine for those people who can afford to insure themselves or who have employers who insure them. If you do not have insurance then you are in trouble. Healthcare should never be based on your ability to pay.
As for our system here in the UK, it is a tax based system. I was brought up on that system and it came into effect here in 1948, brought in by a Labour Government. It worked for a time but that was when we had a small population and when healthcare was very simple and basic. It does not work in our overpopulated country with big hospitals and lots of expensive equipment, and too many bureaucrats! I also think it was a mistake to say that it was 'free'. It was free at the point of use but it was paid out of taxation. I think it has been used and abused on all sides, both the medical side and the patient side. There seems to be over-treatment and things done because they can be done, not because they are needed. Patients do not seem to worry about being wasteful, especially when it comes to medication.
Our education system is certainly not working and children have suffered because of lock-down and because too much information is being enforced on them and not enough attention given to the basics, such as reading, writing and arithmetic. There is not enough discipline in the schools either. It is far different from when Raymond and I went to school. We were thoroughly grounded in the basics and treated as children not little adults.
I would not like to be teaching now. I taught 11 to 18 and I certainly would not like to be doing that now.
We also have a two-tier system of private and state education. Again, I do not believe that a good education should not be based on an abilty to pay.
We also have a shortage of teachers and it is the same for doctors and nurses etc.
I do hope you are taking care of yourself and not overdoing things. I was glad to read that your husband had been doing his bit and telling the legislators where to go. They do not have a clue about anything!
There is a lot of sickness here. We still have different variants of Covid, not to mention very bad flu as well as strep A. I feel sorry for anyone going through cancer treatment here or any other kind of treatment. We have seven and a half million people here on waiting lists for medical treatment of one kind or another. We also have huge numbers of excess deaths.
Love and best wishes.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Sylvia,
Couldn't find our thread at first. It appears to have moved up. I do get very fed up having to sign in every time I post.
Yes, I'd heard about the Canadian health system being in about the same position as our NHS. Adagio mentioned this prior to her heart surgery. I think that outside Europe people need to be fairly well off to access everything available to us via the NHS - or what used to be available via the NHS. Sunak had a meeting with US health insurance providers a few days ago. With an 80 seat majority the Tories will drag this through Parliament.
To see so many public services destroyed and so many freedoms lost in such a short time is depressing. They're coming for our schools next. Why aren't we fighting back? Even talking about organised demonstrations is now against the law. Showing asylum seekers in a positive light is also against the law. If I leave the thread without warning you'll know I've been arrested! The rest of Europe and America looks on open mouthed.
I lost my glasses at the hairdressers on Wednesday, so I'm wearing an old pair which are too heavy and not much use. I've booked an appointment for an eye test in two weeks. New glasses are so expensive. At least it's possible to see an optician, unlike a dentist.
Hope all is well with you and Raymond. The weather is due to warm up in February, thank heavens.
Love,
Gill xxx
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Hi Sue,
It was good to hear from you and know you're doing well.
Our NHS was the best in the world until 2010, when we has a change of Government. It's so broken now that I don't think it can be saved. Like in the US, they'll be a lot of people here who will be unable to afford health insurance. Michael and I will , but it doesn't sit well with me that we can afford to buy essential services when others can't. Healthcare for all should be a basic human right.
It's sad that your schools are as bad as yours. Teachers want to do their best for every child regardless of social class, but it's difficult when there aren't enough teachers or educational resources to do one to one teaching for every child lagging behind. I hope you are able to help the little boy in second grade. My granddaughter's coming up to her fifth birthday, but doesn't seem to have suffered too much from covid isolation. Having a brother two years older helped. Your husband's right, by the way. It's very much the same situation here. The basics are falling victim to unnecessary extras and ridiculous rules. Perhaps the Government might care to leave teaching and what to teach for the teachers to decide.
Stay healthy.
Love,
Gill xxx
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Hello Gill,
It is true that using the forum these days can be very tiring. Will it ever change?
I think we are all fed up these days and there seems to be no solution to anything. The government in the parliament does not seem to care. All they care about is getting re-elected. The latest scandals are unbelievable.
It is so sad and depressing to see the hard-won welfare state destroyed like this.
Raymond and I are just longing for Spring!
Love and best wishes.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Sylvia,
Weary fellow traveller here. The sun was shining all morning, It's surprising how much better sunshine makes us feel.
You will be up to date on the latest Government corruption no doubt. If this was a Television drama it would be laughed at as unrealistic fantasy. 11% of nurses have left the NHS in the last year. Many doctors have gone or are planning to leave. Privatisation won't magic up qualified medical staff out of thin air. Neither will it build fully equipped hospitals. It's depressing, but was absolutely predictable.
Nothing new to say about breast cancer. Research will slow down when the public can no longer afford to fund cancer charities.
Keep safe and well and try not to do too much.
Love,
Gill xxx
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Hello Gill,
I do agree with you about what is going on with this government. It is just one scandal after another! Will it ever end? I really do wonder if any of these politicians are up to the job. They have too much money and are too well paid for what they do compared to many people who are doing essential jobs.
What are your views on all these people, mainly young men, who are coming illegally into our country? What on earth is going on in all these hotels etc. where we are told 'children' are going missing? How is it that the age for children coming into the country is up to age 25? I think the Home Office needs to get its act together.
What do you think about what is going on in Ukraine? I was born during WW2 during the London blitz and I fear that I shall probably die during WW3!
We are not doing much here of any interest and have felt very tired lately, probably due to the nasty weather and lack of enthusiasm because of all the doom and gloom.
We were at our surgery yesterday, to see the nurse for Raymond to have a routine blood test. The nurse was very pleasant and helpful and remembered us from our last visit. We were struck by the emptiness and lack of atmosphere in the surgery. We were the only ones there apart from a lone receptionist. No doctors emerged from any consulting rooms, of which there were five and it all seemed strange. There was a fancy new machine at the entrance for measuring your height and weight and taking your blood pressure by putting your wrist through a hole. It must have cost a fortune. We did not wait long to see the nurse. She took the blood pressure the old fashion way! We found the results on Raymond's on line health records this morning. It all seems in order. What I find strange is that all five doctors seem to have a hand in reviewing the results. I do not know whether this has always been the case. There were a couple of non-doctor names with people carrying out bureaucratic functions. It all definitely lacked the communal atmosphere that we were used to.
Like you, I cannot think of anything new to say about breast cancer, triple negative or otherwise. I do miss the atmosphere of our own thread. Our group seems to have gone into hiding.
Another cold, sunless day here.
Thinking of you and sending love and best wishes.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hi Sylvia and Gill
I share your unease at things going on in the world, it seems there are such machinations going on behind the scenes, and we are left out and are told to walk on, nothing to see here. I know I sound like a paranoid person, but there it is. We have had millions of people walk across our southern border and enter illegally, only a couple of TV networks talk about it. Covid is still present, but is greatly reduced in presence in populace, and yet, media and the CDC still tell us to get more vaccines, at the same time we are told that Covid vaccines may cause strokes, especially in older people.
The super-rich present at Davos Cimate Summit tell us we must sacrifice everything for the climate, and yet they seemingly sacrifice nothing, as they jet to and fro and pat themselves on the back. A pack of pompous fools who probably don't believe their own words.
My list goes on, but most days I try to live and not dwell on these things too much. And most of the people I know do the same. If someone stands up and speaks the truth, they are applauded by a large group of people who are afraid to do the same, but most are puzzled by such behavior, and many are angered.
Winter drags on, and yet I don't mind too much, ours has been relatively mild with periods of bitter cold and snow here and there. I did cut out a small article with pictures of the 2023 AAS Award Winners in flowers and vegetables. The Salvia Blue Bayou is beautiful, and a multicolored Sun Coleus. Snapdragons, leucantheum, and echinacea. And a colocasia royal Hawaiian, not sure what that is, looks somewhat like a hosta. Perhaps I will find something that will fill my side flower bed that gets harsh all-day sun, only a few survivors there.
Such is life, wax and wane, spring follows winter. I wonder what spring will bring to the people of Ukraine? Billions and billions of dollars are being sent there, along with equipment. Does anyone know where all this is going? I suspect some are getting very rich while the common people suffer through the war.
I'm very glad you are doing OK and making it through this season, I think of you often, and treasure your friendship. I still think I will make it there to meet you one day in Exmouth, we could have tea in a shop and a lady will bring us a plate of scones! Gill will come too, it would be jolly. I have seen Exmouth on a map, but I am not sure where Gill lives.
Anyway, have a good weekend, greetings to Raymond and Michael
Love, Mary
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Hello Sylvia,
Very dull here, not too cold though. Lots of green shoots appearing, so fingers crossed there won't be another frost.
If the Tories hadn't cut so many services, people arriving in small boats could be interviewed quickly and either registered as genuine refugees or deported quickly. Suella Braverman hasn't a clue about her role. The Government is determined to silence public debate, protests and strikes. All public services will be sold off for profit and they'll be nothing left for ordinary people.
The medical centre we recently moved to has now closed online contact for the next week or so due to staff shortages. Burn-out is a huge problem for GPs as their workload is far too great. My daughter was working her way through prescriptions in her own time when we visited in December. She has no time during the working day to do tasks like this.
Covid is hardly ever mentioned despite the number of cases. I'll go to Mass this evening and no-one else will be wearing a mask. The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital insists on masks, but there isn't anyone to enforce the rules. Vulnerable people are still very much at risk. There's also another risk to hospital patients. A kind of fungi that clings to surfaces, and equipment like drips and blood pressure measurement devices. It's extremely difficult to clean off and has caused the closure of hospital wards. It appears to be particularly prevalent in the UK.
The thread's very quiet, but it's good to see Mary's dropped in.
Keep warm.
Love,
Gill xxx
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Hi Mary,
Good to hear from you as always. Life is all a bit dark and depressing in Blighty. It's unlikely to change without a General Election and that won't be for well over a year.
You don't mention your little dog any more, I hope he's keeping well , taking you for walks and generally being a reliable friend. Seasons come and go and we plough on, making the best of it or just letting it all wash over us.
Davos was a jolly for many representatives. Good food, wine, luxury hotels, sport and - according to news outlets - coaches loaded with prostitutes for extracurricular entertainment. Nothing says 'saving the planet' quite like private jets and gas guzzling limousines. Boris Johnson invited himself because he was running away from his latest get me rich quick scheme. When it didn't blow over as quickly as he'd hoped, he rocked up in Ukraine dressed as Winston Churchill. It's like being stuck in a very long nightmare.
I imagine us all having a cream tea together too. You must visit Cornwall while you're in Devon and I'll escape from Norfolk. It's in the East of England by the way, cooler and windier than Devon.
Keep well and don't overdo things on the farm.
Love,
Gill xxx
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Buddy the dog is fine, still a handful at times. I think hes a good dog though.
this was his Christmas picture.
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Hi Everyone
Hope everyone is well. I can't believe it's nearly Feb. This year is flying. We had a great time in Kuala Lumpur for New Year and haven't really had a hot summer which is really unusual for Oz. I hate the thought of cold weather coming. It's really depressing. I’ve posted a pic of the beautiful infinity pool at our hotel.
I've been try to decide whether to go into private practice to do more clinical before I retire as I really miss the hands on clinical side of my profession. I've had quite a few GP clinics wanting to take me on! Just not sure just yet.
Also try to decide whether I want to do some more study. I love to learn and I think I'm keen to do a Grad Cert in women's health to help me if I go into private practice as an NP.
Stay well everyone
Much love Kath
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Hi Mary,
He looks mischievous too. A good friend all the same.
X
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Hi Kath,
Love the infinity pool.
I gave up studying about 15 years ago when it became too expensive. It's nice to have the choice though. The retirement age here is 67 and likely to keep on rising. Nursing on a busy ward will be a challenge for many in our understaffed NHS and for so many who are in physically and mentally demanding jobs.
Take care.
Gill xxx
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Hello Mary, Gill and Kath,
Many thanks for your posts and pictures. I shall try to sit down this afternoon and answer them. It was so good to hear from you. I have been very busy with work at our complex and also trying to suppot family members who are not well, in addition to making sure I look after Raymond. I shall talk to you all soon. I hopw adagio will be in contact and still hoping to hear from HelenLouise. I have not heard back from the Moderators about sorting out what happened to the mess up with her posts.
It is still too cold here.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Mary,
Thank you for the photograph of Buddy. He does look like a very nice little dog.
I do agree with you about the powers-that-be doing what they like behind our backs. We just have to pay our hard-earned money back in taxes and shut up. This is called 'democracy'.
As in your country, we have people walking into our countries with no checks. This should be the number one issue but it is a subject not to be mentioned. We are too busy waging a proxy war that can only end in calamity.
As for Covid vaccines, which are causing all kinds of harm, this is only just beginning to come to light. The minimum is said about all the excess deaths.
You are right about the Davos Climate Summit, it is totally hypercritical. Again it is one law for the rich and famous and another for ordinary people. Very soon in this country people will have to beg for a holiday flight and beg to drive a car and if allowed to drive a car they can only go a certain distance! How on earth did we get in to all this absurd enforcement?
I was interested in what you said about the 2023 AAS Award Winners in flowers and vegetables. They all seem very beautiful.
I was glad to see the last day of January today. It is a bit warmer here in Exmouth but still quite cold and not much sun. At least we have daylight for longer hours.
I read today that we have about 14,5 million people living in poverty here and that we are bottom of the list of the developed countries when it comes to the economy. Never mind, Boris is around again and showing off, so we can count on him to 'save us all'!
That is about all for now. Please try to stay with us.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Gill,
Thank you for your recent post. I do not think there will be any hope of change until we have a General Election and also have another referendum on the European Union. I do not think there is much chance of either of these in the near future. We need about 50 people to revolt in the Conservative party to bring the government down. That will not happen!
I have no confidence in the Labour party under Keir Starmer and I cannot see anyone on their front bench who inspires my confidence. Where are we going? Governments are not elected, they are voted out!
As for the problem of immigrants, if they are coming in illegally and destroying all documents they should be sent back. As for the legal ones, we should decide on small numbers and work out who the real refugees and asylum seekers are.
I feel it is a shame that doctors are being turned into paper pushers. What a waste of training. I do not agree with these telephone appointments. We need to see our doctors face to face.
I was interested to read about the fungi that cling to surfaces and equipments like drips and blood pressure measurement devices. Raymond thinks we are all doomed!
It was good to see Mary and Kath back on the thread. I do hope they will stay with us.
That is all for now. I feel that we have so much going on in our different countries that we barely have time to think about breast cancer and especially all the patients that are not being diagnosed in time.
Regards to Michael.
Love and best wishes.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Kath,
Welcome back to the thread. I was glad to know you had a good time in Kuala Lumpur. You deserved the rest. Thank you for the photograph. What exactly is an infinity pool?
I was not surprised to read that you are trying to decide whether to go into private practice. I can understand that you miss the clinical side of your profession. I am not surprised that you have quite a few GP clinics wanting to take you on. You have a difficult decision to make.
I do hope you decide to do some more studying. A love of learning is a very good thing, so I would say go for that Grad Cert in Women's Health. I am sure that it would be very interesting to study it.
Thinking of you and wishing you all the very best. Take care and keep with us and tell us more about Australia and your life there.
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Sylvia,
I had a call from a friend who has had triple negative breast cancer twice in the last 5 years. Both were primary cancers, one in the left breast, one in the right, both were less than 1cm in size. No recurrences. She had her treatment at Mount Vernon Hospital and has regular appointments for checks, breast examinations and so on. Another friend with TNBC was treated at UCHL, she has regular checkups with both her breast surgeon and oncologist, plus cat scans and other tests, despite no recurrences or problems. Here in Norwich I saw my breast surgeon twice and very briefly, no contact at all after two years. Don't get breast cancer if you live in Norfolk.
I went for an eye test yesterday, part NHS and part self funded. For £75 I had a whole range of back of eye photos and a whole eye ultrasound scan. Had a go on some new and very impressive equipment, plus an interesting talk with the opthalmologist. She found cataracts on both eyes, but everything else was good. There was no sign of cataracts two years ago. So they've grown quite quickly. I'll need surgery in 5 years, could be sooner. I asked about causes and was told that the likely cause is chemotherapy. I had no idea. Chemotherapy is more of a problem than I originally thought. Oncologists need to produce a printed list of potential deficits and allow patients to make the right decision for themselves. I feel very let down. Informed consent?
The weather in South Norfolk is good for the beginning of February. We do need some rain though.
Try to have a break over the weekend. Best wishes to Raymond.
Love,
Gill xxx
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Did you have PCR of the primary lump after neoadjuvant chemotherapy?
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Hello Gill,
Thank you for your post.
All I can say about breast cancer treatment now in the UK is that it is really non-existent. When I was going through it back in 2005 I had no complaints about my treatment. Everything was done thoroughly. I was diagnosed swiftly and had a CT scan and a bone nuclide scan on diagnosis, along with an ECG. For the first five years after I had finished I was seen regularly three monthly and then six monthly alternating between the oncologist and the breast cancer surgeon. After that it went to yearly alternating between the oncologist and the breast cancer surgeon. The breast cancer surgeon then dropped out but I continued to have yearly check ups with the oncologist. In 2015 I was told by the oncologist that I could be discharged. Since then I have had no check ups or anything else. I was told I could see the mobile mammogram unit if I wanted to but I chose not to. With the state the health service is in I doubt very much whether treatment will ever get back to what it used to be. I doubt if waiting lists will ever reduce.
Probably the only way to get looked after is to go private.
I think in the US there has always been more treatment than we get here because it is all motivated by making money. For this reason there may be over treatment.
From what you say about your visit to the optometrist, it looks as though the money motivation may be taking over. I do not know whether it is true about chemotherapy and cataracts. My information about cataracts is that they are caused mainly by ageing and exposure to ultraviolet rays. What is certain is that chemotherapy does your body no good whatsoever. I would think it causes heart problems and ruins your immune system.
All we can say is that it has kept us alive and we shall never know whether we would have survived without it and the radiotherapy.
Here we are again on a Monday and I have to push myself to have some kind of motivation to go through the rhythm of daily living. I was so angry recently to turn on the television to TalkTV to discover that Nadine Dories has been given her own interview programme and this was the first one. There she was cosily interviewing Boris Johnson and the whole thing was completely contrived! It was so obvious that he is out to run again and so is she. Have these people no shame?
There is not much else happening here in Exmouth. It is still cold and dull.
The thread is definitely not working how it should and we do not hear from newly diagnosed Brits to know what is going on with them.
I suppose all we shall get soon is Coronation mania!
That is all for now. Keep well, keep safe and try not to worry in this completely mad world!
Love.
Sylvia xxxx
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