Important Advice for the Atos Medical Examination: Beware the warm smile and the gentle voice!

I was at the SHP blog workshop on Friday when a conversation began about the Atos medical examination and about the assessment procedure. One of the participants in the conversation had recently been for a medical examination she had taken a friend to observe the procedure. Her friend began taking notes at which point the examiner told the person to stop as it is not allowed.

That was wrong.

Drinking has got me into a lot of problems in my life

It started when I used to go out with my ex-girlfriend.  I was drinking quite a bit, normally about six pints when we used to go out, it started getting worst when she saw me with a few black eyes and sometimes being abusive toward her.

It got to the point where she couldn’t take it anymore. This is when I fell off the bus when I was a bit drunk; when she broke up with me this the drinking started getting worst. When I try to get her I was hanging around her and home, about six pints a day; this is when it started getting me to into trouble with the police and having a lot of convictions and being in prision.

It’s caused lot of problems with my family, arguing and being abusive. Drinking has got to the point where I cannot remember previous; I lost a lot of jobs because of drinking – and a lot of money, and getting into debt, and have lost a lot of accommodations.

Drinking has caused some mental health issues, being in and out of hospital, and as a result of this I have to acknowledge what drinking does. I have lost a lot of friends: people don’t really want to know you any more.

The bad thing about drinking is:

1. it causes anxiety.  
2. your perception of life is different.
3. health.
4. become isolated.
5. aggressive behaviour.
6. mixed emotions.

--Anonymous

Would You Recognise Prostate Cancer?

Hello again

When my Husband was first diagnosed with Prostate Cancer I felt guilty for not knowing the symptoms but how would I have known? There was nothing happening to him out of the ordinary or so I thought.   My Husband was a very private person and this would have been difficult for him to speak about even with me. 

It was at a hospital appointment which I attended with him that questions were asked and answers given that I first heard about his symptoms.

Some of the symptoms of Prostate Cancer are:

Poor stream – The flow of urine is weaker and it takes longer to empty the bladder.

Hesitancy    -   You may have to wait at the toilet for a while before urine starts to flow.

Dribbling     - A bit more urine may trickle out and stain your underwear soon after you finish.

Frequency   - Passing urine more often than normal

Urgency      - The need to get to the toilet quickly

Poor emptying –The feeling of not quite emptying your bladder.

I have been informed that the above symptoms are very common and do not always mean that Prostate Cancer is involved, however it is best to get them checked by your doctor.

My husband was aware of all the symptoms hence his visit to the doctors but these symptoms had been happening for a very long time and not long before his death he did say to me how stupid it was of him not to have gone to his doctors much earlier but this is where I have to say how was he to know that these symptoms could possibly be signs of the final outcome.

So this is the question I am left with: why is there nothing out there in the general public that promotes knowledge and awareness of this horrible disease?

C

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BEER MATS ON PROSTATE CANCER?

Hello

Have just read back my first piece of blogging just to get the flow of things and l now realize that my intentions of my last blog to be specific about events around my husband’s cancer may be too difficult for me at the moment. On writing my last piece l became very emotional even though l thought l was strong enough to do it so l have decided to explore cancer my generally .

l am still waiting for any progress on awareness for men on prostate cancer 2005 to 2013 l have not investigated statistics wildly on deaths of prostate cancer but within my community  family and friends there is a high rate. Back in 2005 l was informed that beer mats in public houses with information on the subject were out there circulating which l thought was maybe a start, there well maybe info but l don’t see it. As a woman there is much information around  breast cancer and it is well publicized.  l receive letters, phone calls when a smear test is due, likewise with mammogram for testing on breast cancer.

There is a test that can be done to give men a reading of their blood count relating to prostate cancer: you would need to speak with your doctor about this. l am going to end here and hopefully continue next week .

Life Saver

I just want to tell you about my experience during treatment for Hep C. To be honest it is hard, but for people like us with addictions etc., so is life eh? So, don’t let that bother you. Yes, it’s long but like a prison sentence it starts off slow and once you’re into it and stable it’s coming to an end. Once halfway you will want to finish it. At no time did I want to stop. The decision to do treatment was easy because I  wanted to do something positive for my health in a controlled environment with support, plus I had a nurse at the hospital too who was there throughout the course. I was seen quickly at the hospital so it wasn’t a pain. The mental side of it was to begin with a nightmare, it took four to five weeks to get the medication right then I lost the bears head and started being approachable again. One thing I will say is I wish someone had told me what to expect then I may have handled it better. I think I lost it once when I asked the doctor for sleepers and he told me he didn’t want to give them to me because they are addictive, not funny eh? I got them in the end, you have to be assertive with the GP.  Positives are when your liver gets an M.O.T. whether or not you clear it. There are two different types of virus. I got type one the more aggressive one, so I am not putting my hopes up. So, you have the test and find out before writing it off. If you drink it may save your life or at least put a few years on it by doing the treatment. About the medication, the weekly first injection is the one that knocks you out. The others are ok and the tablets too. I found I was tired a lot of the time and found it hard to get motivated. That is the thing I remember most and the loss of appetite. I managed to get the health drinks ‘Ensure Plus’ to get me through the treatment. Everyone’s different, if you can eat great. I couldn’t. Well, it is doable don’t let people put you off, it is your life you will be saving or extending it, not anyone else’s.

J