Some Good News on Pancreatic Cancer?
I think this article on the BBC web site may prove to be a glimmer of hope in the treatment of pancreatic cancer.
Pancreatic cancer may lurk in the body for many years before patients fall ill, US scientists say
Research hints at earlier opportunities to spot and treat the disease, which is fatal in 95% of cases.
Genetic analysis of tumours by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Johns Hopkins University suggested the first mutations may happen 20 years before they become lethal.
UK survival rates for the disease have not improved in the past 40 years.
The disease is often aggressive and unresponsive to treatment by the time it is diagnosed.
The study, published by the Nature journal, found that tumours appear to be slow growing.
In other words if we could find a test for pancreatic cancer, we might be able to catch people suffering from the disease very early in the growth of the cancer. I know of pancreatic cancer survivors, who were caught very early, so perhaps something might work.
I know that my old University of Liverpool is looking for such a test amongst other pancreas research, so perhaps they are on the right track, if not for a complete cure, but for something that might help.
Let’s hope so, as I wouldn’t want anybody to suffer the same death as my son did from an uncureable cancer.
Today’s Nottingham Card
friend has asked me to give him some pointers to the races at Nottingham today.
Here are my quick thoughts.
Race 1 – Neytiki as it’s got the most attractive jockey! She’s a coeliac too! Avoid Brand Bob as the horse has a bad draw. The horse is also owned by someone I know!
A general point is that it’s probably worth watching Richard Hughes mount in the first, but a PlacePot using all his mounts would be a good idea, as he’s closing in on the jockey’s championship.
I can’t say I can guarantee these selections, but my father’s ability to pick winners improved after he’d had a stroke.
Race 2 – Ittirad as trainer Michael Jarvis and jocky Philip Robinson are often dangerous in this sort of race.
Race 3 – Academy and Charles Camoin.
Race 4 – If Hayley wins the first, back Ace of Spies here. Make My Dream is probably worth looking at.
Race 5 – Be patriotic and back the Queen’s horse – Starshine. Seriously though it looks like a horse that gets a distance and few except the Queen run those.
Race 6 – Spinning is napped and should go close and Naddwah is my pick. But don’t underestimate Compton Blue because of Richard Hughes going for the championship.
Race 7 – Point North and Colour Scheme.
Race 8 – Kenyan Cat as trainer a great and honest guy and horse just missed a hat trick.
A CT Scan for My Sinuses
I’ve had several of these over the years, but yesterday’s to check my sinuses was the quickest and most efficient. It was also on time. I think it is true to say, that all of these checks are now getting this way, so at last health practitioners are getting their systems right, which will benefit us all in improved quality of health care at hopefully a lower cost, as expensive machines running 100% of the available time must be more cost effective.
I should get the results in a few days.
But I am feeling better, although I still have a fair bit of pain in my face. But it’s getting better, probably due to the small dose of Amitriptyline I’m taking before I go to bed. It’s certainly making me sleep longer and probably slightly better.
Gene Therapy on the Horizon
Horizon tonight was on gene therapy. It really did give people with genetic diseases hope.
As both my wife and our son died of cancer, it was thought that he may have inherited a faulty gene. He hadn’t, but I can understand how much something like that, would blow families apart.
On the other hand, I have an inherited genetic disease in coeliac disease. Would I want to be cured by gene therapy? Probably not now, as I control my symptoms through diet, but it would have been nice to know, I carried the faulty gene earlier and I could have modified my diet accordingly.
It Would Appear It’s Nothing Serious
The doctor did a thorough job and used all the equipment in his back-room to give my sinuses a thorough check-over and it would appear it’s nothing more serious than neuralgia. I’m to have a CT Scan for a final check and go back to see him in six weeks.
So that isn’t too bad is it?
He also gave me some pain killers to take before I go to bed.
Blast! I Just Broke a Glass
I like to document all my clumsiness, so that I try harder! I was looking for something to drink and found a bottle of Green’s Premium Golden Ale. it’s not my favourite, but I try to like it. Perhaps these thoughts made my hand slip with the opener and the bottle fell over on the tumbler and broke it!
I must be more careful, next time!
My State of Health
Since I ended up in Addenbrooke’s a week ago, I’ve not felt well at all.
- My teeth feel like I haven’t cleaned them in a week and it’s almost as if they’re covered in slime, which I guess is the muck pouring out of my sinuses.
- My arm and face are in pain. But it seems that my left hand is better on the keyboard though!
- But at least my eyesight has improved and I am able to use a pair of binoculars. I thought that yesterday at the football, I followed the match better than at any time since my stroke.
- My throat hurts and I suspect that is the coughing to try to clear it.
- I thought for a while yesterday that I was totally constipated, but that cleared up this morning.
- At least I’m sleeping reasonably well, but I don’t like the number of pain killers I’m taking. I’m well below limit set by my doctor, so I suppose that is one thing.
I’m seeing a consultant about my sinuses on Tuesday morning, so at least the end might be in sight.
I really hope so!
Feeling Much Better This Evening
Because of the infection I had treated in A & E on Sunday, I’ve been taking anti-biotics. And I’m feeling an awful lot better. For instance, I just got a pair of binoculars out to see if I could see any of the heavens. It’s overclouded so the stars were all obscured, but I could pick out lights in the distance easily. So my eyesight definitely is better! Last time using binoculars was actually painful.
So have I had this infection ever since I’ve come home from hospital? I really do think so!
A Bit of a Scare
I got up at the usual time of about six this morning, as I was intending to see the Japanese Grand Prix. However, within a few minutes, I had such pain in my face, that I did the only thing I could think of and that was dial 999. The thought of another stroke occurred to me, but then I could still type and speak!
The ambulance arrived fairly quickly and I was taken off to Addenbrooke’s after they found me wandering about in the house.
It turned out to be a blocked sinus, or that’s what they think it is. I’ve had bad taste in my mouth for months, teeth and cheek pain and a lot of other symptoms that fit with a severe sinus problem. I should also say, that for years as a child I suffered from the same problems and they really only went away when I went gluten-free.
At least now, as i write this, I feel a little bit better! but i must get to see a specialist.
For example could the blocked sinuses, which often cause a lot of muck to discharge into your throat and gut, be the cause of my almost permanent soft and very ginger motions?
Messages That I Like
One of the members of the UK-Coeliac Yahoo Group has told me that my typing seems to be getting better.
I like that! Thanks!
The Anonymous Widower 