Touching Message from A Dying Father....

A father's message from beyond the grave: My darling children, here's how to live your lives when Daddy's gone

By Rachel Porter

Last updated at 1:04 AM on 23rd July 2011

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Memories of Mandy Flanagan’s late husband Paul fill the house they used to share. 


Pictures of him as a floppy-haired schoolboy, a handsome teenage rugby star, a 
newlywed, and a devoted dad, adorn the walls and window ledges of their country cottage. 


But Paul, a teacher, who died of cancer at the age of 45 in November 2009, passionately believed his children, Thomas and Lucy — just five and one-and-half years old at the time — should have more than fading photographs to remember him by.

Paul Flanagan with his children Thomas and Lucy. He died of cancer at the age of 45 in November 2009

‘There was nothing more important to Paul than being the best father he could be,’ says Mandy, 44. 


‘When he knew he was dying, there was no time for self-pity. He became absolutely focused on doing whatever he could to continue being a good dad to them throughout the years, even though he wouldn’t be here in person.’


He wrote them letters, filmed DVD messages, bought future birthday presents, and even filled a large chest with his favourite books.

‘Each book is accompanied by a note to Thomas and Lucy explaining why Paul loved it, and how much he hopes they will too when they’re old enough to read it,’ explains Mandy.


But perhaps Paul’s greatest gift to his wife and children was a document titled ‘On finding fulfilment’, which Mandy discovered on his laptop, by chance last month.


‘I opened it and, with tears rolling down my cheeks, I discovered his bullet-pointed code to living a good and happy life,’ says Mandy.

‘The list of 28 instructions for living a good life contained no empty platitudes; each one completely reflects the way that Paul lived his own life. 


‘He was wise and brave and decent to the core, but I could never have found the words to sum him up so perfectly as he has himself. 


'I can’t tell you what a comfort it is to know that our children will grow up with a real understanding of what made Paul, Paul.’

Mandy Flanagan with husband Paul's document 'On finding fulfilment' which she found on his laptop by chance last month

She adds: ‘It would have been our tenth wedding anniversary this year, and while we didn’t have a perfect marriage — lots of love and laughs, but lots of arguments too — I realised when I read his words that, when it came to the stuff that really matters in life, we were absolutely united.’


Addressing his children, who were too young to comprehend the tragedy that was unfolding, Paul writes: ‘In these last few weeks, following my terminal diagnosis, I have searched my soul and heart to find ways in which I can reach out to you as you grow up.


‘I’ve been thinking about the matters in life that are important, and the values and aspirations that make people happy and successful. In my view, and you may well have your own ideas by now, the formula is pretty simple.


‘The three most important virtues are: Loyalty, integrity and moral courage. If you aspire, friends will respect you, employers will retain you, and your father will be immensely proud of you. 


‘I am therefore giving you several pieces of advice. These are the principles on which I have tried to build my life and they are exactly those that I would have encouraged you to embrace, had I been able to. 


‘I love you very much. Never forget that.’


What follows is an extraordinary list of rules, which could enable us all to live better lives. It encompasses everything from the importance of table manners to the perils of gossiping and everything in between. 


‘And it’s just so Paul!’ laughs Mandy today. 


‘It makes me cry but it really makes me smile too. 


‘He was an old-fashioned school-master and utterly meticulous when it came to manners. I’m obsessive over the kids’ “pleases and thank yous” because I know that Paul never let them get away with it.’


Mandy reads aloud from the list: ‘Be punctual … Show moral courage … Never, ever let a friend down … Well, that was Paul. He was maddeningly early for everything.

He spoke up for what he felt was right, no matter how unpopular it might have made him. And I have never met anyone so loyal to their friends. 


‘He also wrote that they should never give up, and he certainly never did. He fought so bravely, so courageously, right to the end.’ 


Paul was first diagnosed with skin cancer in 2004. A birthmark on his chest had become malignant, and was swiftly removed in November that year, when their son Thomas was just a few months old. 


In January 2008, after years of regular check-ups, he was given the all-clear, when Mandy was expecting Lucy.

‘He was such a positive person, but he never allowed himself to believe that the cancer had been dealt with,’ says Mandy. 

'Paul was wise and brave and decent to the core, but I could never have found the words to sum him up so perfectly as he has himself,' said Mandy 

That May, a swelling appeared under Paul’s arm and specialists quickly confirmed his worst fears. The cancer had spread to the lymph glands in his arms, and was detected in his neck soon after. Surgery and radiotherapy did little to halt its progress. And, in March 2009, scans showed that the cancer had spread to his brain and his condition was terminal. 


‘He never pitied himself,’ says Mandy. ‘The diagnosis, and perhaps the drugs he was on, triggered a sort of mania. He suddenly had so much energy. While I lay awake upstairs worrying, Paul would work through the nights, determined to get his affairs in order.’ 


He meticulously organised the family finances, arranged his own funeral, and even bought his own memorial bench for the grounds of Reigate Grammar School, where he had taught economics since 2003.

He also set up a cricket team for all of his friends, who now play annual memorial matches to raise money for the Melanoma Foundation.

Over the weeks, piles of shoeboxes full of paperwork, hand-written letters and DVD messages for his family and friends took over the dining room. 


And as his health deteriorated, Paul insisted that he and Mandy went shopping for Thomas and Lucy’s 18th and 21st birthday presents. 

‘I wonder how we got through those days, but there’s a strange kind of adrenaline that just keeps you going,’ says Mandy. 

‘You just want to do whatever feels right. We went to a jewellers in Spitalfields market in London to buy Lucy an eternity ring for her 21st.
‘When the woman at the counter asked: “Is it the right size?”, Paul and I just looked blankly at each other. “We don’t know,” I said.
‘She looked at Paul and saw how desperately ill he was. Then all three of us looked at Lucy sitting in her pushchair, completely oblivious to it all.’
Lucy was christened last summer. As a result, she has one godmother and nine godfathers — each a close friend of her father’s.

‘He wanted his friends to have a permanent tie to his family, I think,’ says Mandy. ‘And if Lucy couldn’t have her father, a fantastic team of godfathers was the very least she deserved.’ 


By the time Paul died — at home, eight months after his terminal diagnosis — Mandy felt certain that he would rest peacefully in the knowledge that he had left the best legacy that any father could. 


‘When some people are told they have just a few months to live, they decide their life won’t be complete until they’ve bungee-jumped off Sydney Harbour Bridge or seen the Grand Canyon. But that wasn’t Paul. All that was important to him was right here. 


‘He lived and died by his own rules, and I know he had found his own fulfilment.’


For information on melanoma visit melanoma.sgul.ac.uk

A FATHER'S RULES FOR FINDING FULFILMENT

•  Be courteous, be punctual, always say please and thank you, and be sure to hold your knife and fork properly. Others take their cue on how to treat you from your manners.

• Be kind, considerate and compassionate when others are in trouble, even if you have problems of your own. Others will admire your selflessness and will help you in due course.

• Show moral courage. Do what is right, even if that makes you unpopular. I always thought it important to be able to look at myself in the shaving mirror every morning and not feel guilt or remorse. I depart this world with a pretty clear conscience.

• Show humility. Stand your ground but pause to reflect on what the other side are saying, and back off when you know you are wrong. Never worry about losing face. That only happens when you are pig-headed.

• Learn from your mistakes. You will make plenty so use them as a learning tool. If you keep making the same mistake or run into a problem, you’re doing something wrong.

• Avoid disparaging someone to a third party; it is only you who will look bad. If you have a problem with someone, tell them face to face.

• Hold fire! If someone crosses you, don’t react immediately. Once you say something it can never be taken back, and most people deserve a second chance.

• Have fun. If this involves taking risks, so be it. If you get caught, hold your hands up.

• Give to charity and help those who are less fortunate than yourselves: it’s easy and so rewarding.

• Always look on the upside! The glass is half full, never half empty. Every adversity has a silver lining if you seek it out.

• Make it your instinct always to say ‘yes’. Look for reasons to do something, not reasons to say no. Your friends will cherish you for that.

• Be canny: you will get more of what you want if you can give someone more of what they desire. Compromise can be king.

• Always accept a party invitation. You may not want to go, but they want you there. Show them courtesy and respect.

• Never ever let a friend down. I would bury bodies for my friends, if they asked me to . . . which is why I have chosen them carefully.

• Always tip for good service. It shows respect. But never reward poor service. Poor service is insulting.

• Always treat those you meet as your social equal, whether they are above or below your station in life. For those above you, show due deference, but don’t be a sycophant.

• Always respect age, as age equals wisdom.

• Be prepared to put the interests of your sibling first.

• Be proud of who you are and where you come from, but open your mind to other cultures and languages. When you begin to travel (as I hope you will), you’ll learn that your place in the world is both vital and insignificant. Don’t get too big for your breeches.

• Be ambitious, but not nakedly so. Be prepared to back your assertions with craftsmanship and hard work.

• Live every day to its full: do something that makes you smile or laugh, and avoid procrastination.

• Give of your best at school. Some teachers forget that pupils need incentives. So if your teacher doesn’t give you one, devise your own.

• Always pay the most you can afford. Never skimp on hotels, clothing, shoes, make-up or jewellery. But always look for a deal. You get what you pay for.

• Never give up! My two little soldiers have no dad, but you are brave, big-hearted, fit and strong. You are also loved by an immensely kind and supportive team of family and friends. You make your own good fortune, my children, so battle on.

• Never feel sorry for yourself, or at least don’t do it for long. Crying doesn’t make things better.

• Look after your body and it will look after you.

• Learn a language, or at least try. Never engage a person abroad in conversation without first greeting them in their own language; by all means ask if they speak English!

• And finally, cherish your mother, and take very good care of her.

I love you both with all my heart.

Daddy x

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Seaweed to protect the heart

Seaweed 'is natural way to protect the heart' as algae helps bring down blood pressure

By Sophie Borland

Last updated at 8:51 PM on 21st July 2011

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It's hardly the most appetising vegetable side dish. 

But tucking into a clump of seaweed at dinner time could help stave off heart attacks, say researchers.

They have discovered key ingredients in the plant that help lower blood pressure, similar to commonly prescribed drugs.

Tuck in: Seaweed has been a neglected nutrient source in the West

According to a major study, seaweed is a rich source of proteins known as bioactive peptides – which are also found in milk.

These chemicals have a similar effect to ACE inhibitor drugs, which are widely 
prescribed to help lower blood pressure and prevent heart attacks and strokes.

Seaweed is rarely eaten in Britain but has been a staple of the Japanese diet for centuries.

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Popular varieties include Wakame, used in miso soup, Kombu, and Nori, which is dried and used to wrap sushi.

One of the few types eaten by Britons is the red seaweed called laver, which is used to make laver bread. But experts insist many of the clumps found on our beaches are, in fact, edible. 

Dr Maria Hayes, of the Teagasc Food Research Centre in Dublin, said seaweed - known as macroalgae - was an 'untapped source' of these healthy ingredients.

Beneficial: Seaweed is very low in calories and some scientists claim it helps weight loss by preventing the absorption of fat

The research, published in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, looked at evidence from 100 other studies. 

It called for more effort to exploit the bioactive compounds and 'their potential for use and delivery to consumers in food products'.

The report stated: 'The variety of macroalga species and the environments in which they are found and their ease of cultivation make macroalgae a relatively untapped source of new bioactive compounds, and more efforts are needed to fully exploit their potential for use and delivery to consumers in food products.'

Seaweed is very low in calories and some scientists claim it helps weight loss by preventing the absorption of fat. 

Japanese researchers recently found that rats fed a certain type of seaweed lost 10 per cent of their weight.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2017289/Seaweed-natural-way-bring-blood-pressure-protect-heart.html#ixzz1SqmYDFIt

Another message from a dying mother....

Doctors laughed at me when I said I feared cancer... now I'm dying

• Ex-nurse labelled 'hysterical' by surgeons after she asked for lump in her breast to be removed

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 7:54 AM on 21st July 2011

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Ridiculed: Catherine Calland's fears she had a cancerous lump in her breast were dismissed by doctors, but the misdiagnosis has meant she now has terminal cancer

A retired nurse with terminal cancer told yesterday how she was originally dismissed by doctors as being ‘hysterical’ for wanting a breast lump to be removed.


Catherine Calland, 65, was wrongly given the all-clear after a series of tests six years ago.


Although she told medics she had a ‘bad feeling’ about the lump on her left breast, she claims she was laughed at. Just one year later, Miss Calland was diagnosed with fatal malignant lymphoma. 


However, she only found out about the original misdiagnosis last year when she received a letter stating her case was being reviewed. 


It was one of 26 cases at the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust to be investigated following a string of alleged misdiagnosis incidents.


Miss Calland said yesterday: ‘I am furious about this. If I had the radiotherapy a year before, I might not have cancer now. But it was missed in the early stages. I might not be living with cancer today if this avoidable error had not occurred.’

Miss Calland, of Hotwells, Bristol, had an initial mammogram at the University Hospitals central health clinic in December 2005 and was called back for a biopsy.


The results were reported as benign in 2006 after doctors told her they had found a harmless enlarged lymph node in her breast. But when she questioned the diagnosis, she claims the female surgeon called her ‘hysterical’.

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The mother of two said: ‘She said it was probably an infection through my nipple. I disputed this and said, “I have a bad feeling about this, can you please remove it”.
‘She laughed at me and said I was “being hysterical about it”.

A mammogram in 2007 showed that the lymph node was still enlarged and this time she insisted on having it removed.

Miss Calland opted to be treated at nearby Frenchay Hospital, run by the North Bristol NHS Trust.

It was there that she was diagnosed with malignant lymphoma.
Her doctor also carried out a series of tests on the sample taken from her breast in 2005 – finding it also had the malignant lymphoma. 

But she was not told about the misdiagnosis until last year.

'When I found out I spoke to the North Bristol Trust and asked them why they had not told me. They said they thought it was not in my best interests to do so. I find that really patronising and insulting'

The former ward sister, who has many medics in her family, said: ‘When I found out I spoke to the North Bristol Trust and asked them why they had not told me. 

‘They said they thought it was not in my best interests to do so. I find that patronising and insulting.’

After a bout of radiotherapy treatment, Miss Calland was told the lymphoma had spread around her body and was terminal.

She has been told patients with the disease rarely live longer than ten years. But early treatment could have increased chances of survival.

The review of histopathology – the analysis of tissue samples – at the University Hospitals Bristol was launched by the Royal College of Pathologists in 2009 following concerns by doctors at NBT.

It found the diagnosis was correct in just seven of the 26 cases. Now, as health bosses discuss setting up a single histopathology department in Bristol, Miss Calland is calling for doctors to be more open.

Dr Jane Luker, deputy medical director for University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, said: ‘We apologise unreservedly for the cases where patients have come to harm.’

Dr Chris Burton, NBT medical director, said: ‘As soon as the RCP confirmed a diagnostic error, we contacted Ms Calland. We failed to raise with her the initial concerns ... and have apologised.’

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Diesel fumes 'increase the risk of heart attacks'

Last updated at 8:06 AM on 15th July 2011

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Diesel fumes are as bad for your heart as they are for the lungs, new research revealed today.


Scientists in Scotland have found that tiny particles produced when diesel burns are harmful to blood vessels and can increase the chances of blood clots forming in arteries, leading to a heart attack or stroke.  


The research by the University of Edinburgh measured the impact of diesel exhaust fumes on healthy volunteers at levels that would be found in heavily polluted cities. 

Congested traffic on Princes Street in Edinburgh: New findings suggest lives could be saved by cutting harmful nanoparticles out of exhaust 

Scientists compared how people reacted to the gases found in diesel fumes - such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide - with those caused by the ultrafine chemical particles from exhausts.  


The research, funded by the British Heart Foundation, showed that the tiny particles, and not the gases, impaired the function of blood vessels that control how blood is channelled to the body's organs.  


The 'invisible' particles - less than a millionth of a metre wide - can be filtered out of exhaust emissions by fitting special particle traps to vehicles.
Particle traps are already being fitted retrospectively to public transport vehicles in the US to minimise the potential effects of pollution. 

 

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Dr Mark Miller, of the university's Centre for Cardiovascular Science, said: 'While many people tend to think of the effects of air pollution in terms of damage to the lungs, there is strong evidence that it has an impact on the heart and blood vessels as well. 

'Our research shows that while both gases and particles can affect our blood pressure, it is actually the miniscule chemical particles that are emitted by car exhausts that are really harmful. 

'These particles produce highly reactive molecules called free radicals that can injure our blood vessels and lead to vascular disease.

'We are now investigating which of the chemicals carried by these particles cause these harmful actions, so that in the future we can try and remove these chemicals, and prevent the health effects of vehicle emissions.'

Researchers want environmental health measures that are designed to reduce emissions to be tested to determine whether they reduce the incidence of heart attacks.  


Professor Jeremy Pearson, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: 'We've known for a long time that air pollution is a major heart health issue and that's why we're funding this team in Edinburgh to continue their vital research.

'Their findings suggest that lives could be saved by cutting these harmful nanoparticles out of exhaust - perhaps by taking them out of the fuel, or making manufacturers add gadgets to their vehicles that can trap particles before they escape. The best approach isn't clear yet.  

'For now our advice remains the same - people with heart disease should avoid spending long periods outside in areas where traffic pollution is likely to be high, such as on or near busy roads.'

The results are published in the European Heart Journal. 

 

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Women drivers ARE more dangerous behind the wheel.....

It's official! Women drivers ARE more dangerous behind the wheel, scientists discover

• Researchers looked at 6.5million car crashes that took place in the U.S. between 1998 and 2007
• The results are even more surprising as men spend more time driving than women

By Graham Smith

Last updated at 1:45 PM on 7th July 2011

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Women drivers are more likely to be involved in an accident, according to scientists.

Researchers looked at 6.5million car crashes and found a higher than expected number of accidents between two female drivers.
They also discovered that women have a tough time negotiating crossroads, T-junctions and slip roads.

Truth to a stereotype? Women drivers are more likely to be involved in an accident, scientists found after analysing data from 6.5million car crashes

The results are even more surprising given that men spend more time behind the wheel than women. On average, men drive 60 per cent of the time, and women 40 per cent.


Michael Sivak, of the University of Michigan, said: 'The results indicate that in certain crash scenarios, male-to-male crashes tend to be under-represented and female-to-female crashes tend to be over-represented.'

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Dr Sivak and his colleague Brandon Schoettle studied data from a nationally representative sample of police-reported crashes in the U.S. from 1988 to 2007.

They had expected to find that accidents involving two male drivers would make up 36.2 per cent of all crashes, while female/female accidents would account for 15.8 per cent and male/female 48 per cent.

 

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Instead, they discovered that accidents involving two women drivers were 20.5 per cent, while male/male crashes were much lower at 31.9 per cent.

Accidents involving male and female drivers stood at 47.6 per cent, as expected.
The scientists also found that women were more likely than men to crash at a junction - their cars are often hit on the left-hand side when trying to make a right-hand turn, and vice versa.


Dr Sivak said this might be due to height difference between the sexes.


He said: 'There are three dominant driver-related factors, including the probability of being at the wrong place at the wrong time, one's own driving skills and the driving skills of the other driver involved.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2012188/Women-drivers-ARE-dangerous-wheel-scientists-discover.html#ixzz1RhqqKtIC

Boy dies for 40 minutes......

Boy dies for 40 minutes before doctor brings him back to life by massaging his heart with his BARE HANDS

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 1:06 PM on 6th July 2011

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A little boy whose heart stopped beating for 40minutes made a miracle recovery after a doctor opened up his chest and pumped the organ by hand.

Joshua Baker, 5, suffered a huge cardiac arrest just a few days after undergoing a risky operation to correct a rare heart condition.


Luckily one of his surgeons, Mr Giles Peek, was passing the room at the time and rushed in.

Joshua was admitted to hospital in November after a check-up revealed that the one functioning side of his heart was working so hard it was likely to explode

His mother Rebecca, said: 'Straight away, he just opened up Josh's chest and started massaging his heart.

'Josh was down for 40 minutes altogether - we were so relieved when he came back.'

However, doctors warned his parents that even if he survived the night, Joshua would probably suffer brain damage because his brain had been without oxygen for so long.


But just a few months after coming back from the dead, Joshua is now a happy and healthy little boy.


He is enjoying being back home in Birmingham, with his parents, Rebecca, 31, and Lee, 29, a gardener, and sisters, Chloe, 6, and Mia, 3.

 

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Mrs Baker said: 'We are absolutely blown away by Josh's recovery.

'He has been very ill since he was little, and we have thought so many times that we were going to lose him.

'Sitting in a hospital and seeing my little boy's heart stop beating is the most terrifying thing that has ever happened to me.

'We cannot explain how grateful we are to the surgeon who saved his life - he is a wonderful man.

'The whole family is so grateful to have Joshua back home. It's amazing to see him running around and playing with his sisters. I feel so lucky.'

Joshua was diagnosed with a complex congenital heart disease just two weeks after he was born.

Criticall: Joshua, pictured in hospital last November, had four major operations and seven minor procedures by the time he was two

His parents were devastated when they were told their son had a hole in his heart - as well the right side of his heart failing to function, and pumping blood around his body the wrong way.

He had four major heart operations and seven minor procedures before he turned two - but in November 2010, a check up revealed that the one functioning side of Josh's heart was working so hard it was likely to explode unless he had a major operation.

However, the surgery to strengthen his ventricles was so risky that medics warned his parents there was only a 20 per cent chance he would survive.

Mrs Baker said: 'We were left to make an impossible decision. The operation was so dangerous, and there was so little chance that he would pull through, that I almost couldn't bring myself to consent to it.

'But I knew that without help, his heart would give up. I couldn't let him slip away from us.
'Joshua's a fighter and I know we had to give him a chance to fight. The operation lasted an agonising 15 hours, and Josh was critically ill afterwards. It was one of the worst times of my life.

'His heart was swollen and bruised from the surgery, and as a mum, all I wanted to do was pick him up and cuddle him, but I couldn't.'

Joshua survived the operation, but was kept on the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester for two weeks.

His condition suddenly deteriorated after his heart developed a bleed - and he suffered a massive cardiac arrest.

The full-time mother added: 'We had been by Joshua's bedside constantly since the operation. He was hooked up to dozens of machines, when suddenly nurses and doctors started rushing in.

'We were terrified. Everything happened so quickly we had no idea what was going on, but obviously, we knew it wasn't good news.

Magic medicine: Joshua (centre) with his parents Rebecca and Lee and sisters, Chloe and Mia. His sisters managed to rouse him in hospital by singing a Christmas song

'Luckily, Joshua's surgeon had been passing his room when his heart failed and came rushing in.
'Straight away, he just opened up Josh's chest and started massaging his heart.

'Josh was down for 40 minutes altogether - we were so relieved when he came back.'

His family then faced an anxious wait to see if he would recover.


'We brought Josh all his favourite toys and hoped he would recognise them, but there was nothing,' Mrs Baker said.

'He was too ill for his sisters to visit him, but I let them speak down the phone to Josh.
'It was just before Christmas, and the girls sang Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer over the phone to him. Suddenly, his eyes flickered and a huge grin spread over his face.

'It was the best moment of my life. My husband and I burst out crying, and so did all the nurses on the ward.

'His sisters were his magic medicine, and he's been getting stronger and stronger ever since.'

Joshua had problems walking when he came out of hospital and still gets tired easily but is gaining strengths and enjoys playing football with his father.

'We are just so grateful to Dr Peek and everyone who looked after Josh at Glenfield Hospital,' Mrs Baker said.

Carmel Hunt, matron for the East Midlands Congenital Heart Centre, said: 'Joshua spent three weeks with us at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester and spent his fifth birthday with us.

'We are delighted that he is now back home with his family and is making a fully recovery.'

 

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Threatening brain tumour and cyst.....

Doctors miss life-threatening brain tumour and cyst - even though they were the size of an ORANGE 

• Brain tumour diagnosed as an infection, cluster headaches and even a deviated septum

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 11:54 AM on 6th July 2011

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Doctors failed to spot Terry Purkiss's life-threatening brain tumour and cyst - even though they were the size of an orange.
They repeatedly missed the symptoms over six months and when his condition was finally spotted he was told he was weeks from death unless he had urgent surgery.

Recovering: Terry Purkiss, pictured on holiday in New York, had a large tumour removed last month after it was found pushing down on his brain

He first complained to his GP about crippling headaches in January. He went on to visit three different hospitals, on one occasion in an ambulance.
He was in agony, unable to walk straight and lost vision in one eye. But again and again he was given antibiotics or painkillers and sent home. 

 

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Finally he had an appointment with a neurologist booked by his GP, who found the brain tumour and cyst the size of an orange.

Crippling headaches: Terry was first diagnosed with a deviated septum at Queen's Hospital, Romford

The tumour has now been removed and Mr Purkiss is recovering at home in Thurrock, Essex.

TERRY'S DIAGNOSIS HELL

January: Terry visits Brambles surgery in Brentwood complaining of painful headaches, infection in aftermath of bad cold. Prescribes a course of antibiotics.

A week after he goes back to get another course of antibiotics, the GP then puts him on the list for a non-urgent CT scan and an appointment with a neurologist.

February: Pain worsens so Terry goes to see GP Dr Abela in Chafford Hundred where he now lives. Dr Abela prescribes him another course of anti-biotics for a suspected infection.

February 13: Terry is crippled by a severe headache and partner Julia calls an ambulance.

After a few hours in A&E at Basildon Hospital, Terry is seen by a doctor who diagnoses him with cluster headaches brought on by stress. He sends him home with painkillers.

February/ March: Terry tries to get an appointment at the GP's in Chafford about the ongoing pain. Told he must wait for an appointment because it isn't an emergency. A doctor prescribes him with painkillers after phone conversation.

In desperation the couple visit Queens Hospital, Terry is sent home with more painkillers, he visits Queens A&E again within weeks, and an A&E doctor diagnoses chronic sinitus.

April: Terry has the CT scan booked in January at Queens Hospital, Romford.

Days later he has to visit Queen's A&E again as the pain intensifies, a doctor perscribes more painkillers and nasal sprays.

He sees a doctor at King George Hospital, Redbridge.

The doctor books Terry in for non-urgent surgery for a deviated septum and for his sinuses to be flushed and made bigger, he is told this will be in two to three months time. At this stage Terry cannot walk properly anymore.

June: Terry tries to get an appointment at the GPs but is told its a four week wait. They go to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford, where they are told Terry is out of the catchment area.

June 13: Terry has the appointment with neurologist at Orsett Hospital that was booked in January. The specialist shines a light in Terry's eyes and spots a large brain tumour.

He requests an urgent MRI scan.

Days later they see a doctor at Nuffield private hospital, who says Terry's symptoms don't match up with the diagnosis of sinitus.

June 24: Terry goes to Basildon Hospital for an MRI scan which confirms the tumour.

June 27: Terry is taken to Queens Hospital where he has an operation to remove the tumour and a large cyst

His partner Julia Bathie, 43, said the couple have been 'on a roller coaster to hell and back' in the last few months.

She said: 'I'm so angry at the way Terry was treated. He was just fobbed off by doctors and endured months of pain when he didn't need to.'


Before the brain tumour was picked up, Mr Purkiss saw two GPs, visited Basildon A&E once and Queen's A&E in Romford three times, during which he had a CT scan. He was also taken to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford. 

Over the six months he was incorrectly diagnosed with an infection, cluster headaches and even the common nose disorder of a deviated septum.
 
The life-threatening condition wasn't picked up until he went to an appointment with a neurologist at Orsett Hospital in June, that had been booked in as a precaution by his GP back in January. 

The neurologist shined a light in Terry's eyes and immediately picked up on the tumour.

An urgent MRI was then requested, and the benign tumour and cyst were removed at Queen's Hospital.


Julia said: 'The doctors told him the cyst was the size of a Jaffa orange, and was one of the biggest he had ever seen.


'They said the tumour and cyst were three millimetres away from his optic nerve, he could have lost his sight, or been left paralysed.


'He would have been dead within four weeks if they hadn't got it out, because of the pressure it was putting on his brain.


'Despite what he went through before, we would like to thank Mr Low the surgeon who saved his life.'
Mr Purkiss is now recovering at home after the operation, he has since complained to the Patient Advice and Liaison Service, and Thurrock MP, Jackie Doyle Price, about the care he received.

Pat Trinnaman, spokesman for Basildon Hospital said: 'We are unable to go into details about an individual's treatment, but it would appear that once this patient saw one of the trust's specialists, his condition was swiftly diagnosed and treated.

'Talking generally, patients coming to A&E with a headache or any other long-term pain or problem, would be assessed and have appropriate tests carried out.

'A doctor would refer a patient for an x-ray or a scan only if there was a clinical indication for one.

'It would be clinically wrong - all imaging carries a degree of risk - and financially and logistically impossible to do so as a matter of course.' 


Nicola Eves, spokesman for Queen's Hospital, added: 'We have not received a complaint from Mr Purkiss regarding his care, but apologise if he feels that mistakes were made.

'We are pleased that we successfully managed to remove his brain tumour and wish him a speedy recovery.
'If a complaint is received by the trust then we always carry out a full investigation.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2011710/Doctors-miss-life-threatening-brain-tumour-cyst-size-ORANGE.html#ixzz1RQayOK4j

Europe E.coli outbreak......

Europe E.coli outbreak may have been caused by Egyptian seeds

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 5:20 PM on 30th June 2011

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The deadliest outbreak of E.coli ever recorded, which infected more than 4,000 people in Europe and the U.S, may have stemmed from seeds grown in Egypt, experts say.

The strain, which has killed at least 48 people, has been linked to sprouted fenugreek seeds in initial investigations by European scientists.

The bacteria caused a major outbreak in Germany and a smaller one around Bordeaux in France in May.

Almost all of those who sickened lived in Germany or had recently travelled there.

Victim: A patient in intensive care at the Hanover Medical School after becoming infected with E.coli

Experts from the Sweden-based European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the Italy-based European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have carried out initial investigations.

In a joint statement they said: 'The tracing back is progressing and has thus far shown that fenugreek seeds imported from Egypt either in 2009 and/or 2010 are implicated in both outbreaks.'

Fenugreek is used as a herb or spice.


At one point British seed trader Thomson & Morgan had been cited as a possible source for the outbreak in France, but they were cleared by health authorities.

A speciman dish with E.coli bacteria: There is still uncertainty as to whether Egypt is the source of the outbreak 

The strain of E.coli infections in the current outbreaks - known as STEC O104:H4 - can cause serious diarrhea and, in severe cases, kidney failure and death.

The ECDC and EFSA inquiry teams warned, however, that since contamination of the seeds could have occurred at any stage in the long and complex supply chain between seed production, transport, packaging and distribution, 'this would also mean that other batches of potentially contaminated seeds are still available within the EU (European Union), and perhaps outside.'

The ECDC and EFSA said a batch of fenugreek seeds imported from Egypt in 2009 appeared to be implicated in the outbreak in France, and a 2010 batch was 'considered to be implicated in the German outbreak.'

But they said there was still "much uncertainty" about whether these seeds from Egypt were 'truly the common cause of all the infections' as there are currently no positive bacteriological results.

'Until the investigation has been finalized, ECDC and EFSA strongly recommend advising consumers not to grow sprouts for their own consumption and not to eat sprouts or sprouted seeds unless they have been cooked thoroughly,' they said.

 

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Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2009946/E-coli-outbreak-Europe-U-S-caused-Egyptian-seeds.html#ixzz1R3btCJ6j