Catching up with Cancer on Radio 4: Cancer reform in the UK

I've been listening to this series on Radio 4, called Catching Up With Cancer

It is very interesting, especially with regard to catching cancers early on, which is, after all, key to improving our survival rates. The problem is that in what the medical profession call "the worried well", cancer just isn't suspected. Take my case: regular visits to the doctor from July onwards, and being told I was well. Just costochondritis. Or a strained muscle, or stress. And it was costochondritis, but that condition - inflammation of the rib cage - has a root cause. My GPs were treating the symptom and didn't look for a cause. It was only that I kept returning and demanding more tests that we ever found my cancer.

So don't be worried and keep quiet. If you have a dark voice in the back of your mind, get yourself checked out! I had a clear chest x-ray, and clear bloods, and still had a niggling voice telling me something was very wrong, and that it wasn't just gallstones either.

And cancer sufferers are getting younger all the time, so it may be worthwhile thinking about organic food, pesticides, the pollution in our atmosphere, etc., before it's too late!

But get a balance, eh! Don't become a hypochondriac either!!!

_________________________________________________________________

And on a lighter note, my youngest has a rash on her torso, so has been shipped of to the docs in case it's something I can catch! Looks like chicken-pox to me, which she's had already, but you can get it twice I'm told. Let's hope it's a couple of bug bites, eh!
_________________________________________________________________

Don't think I'll make the gym today! Still queasy, and been awake since 2.30 am, so would probably just drown mid-length if I went swimming!