medical
Your diagnosis is the start of a journey
Being diagnosed with an asbestos related disease is likely to change your perspective on life. Things that used to matter may no longer seem so important. The relationships and everyday things you took for granted may now take on new value. Understanding what your body needs You will find out what really makes you tick.…
Read MoreNICE offers new hope for patients with asbestosis
For the first time, patients and their doctors will no longer need to choose between trying a new medicine which has the potential to extend their life and the alternative of claiming Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit and a lump sum from the Workers’ Compensation Scheme. Drugs which slow the progression of pulmonary fibrosis were previously …
Read MoreCoping with a life-changing diagnosis and setting your own goals
Writing on mesotheliomahelp.org, nurse specialist Lisa Hyde-Barrett reminds us that being diagnosed with an asbestos related disease is life changing. Patients handle this differently. Everyone is unique and so there is no right or wrong way. She says, ‘We must allow ourselves or our family members to feel their fear, or anger, or whatever emotion…
Read MoreCoping with the stress caused by asbestos
A recurrent theme when we first speak to new service users is stress. The diagnosis often comes as a shock. People are frequently stunned to realise that they have been exposed to asbestos or that it has caused them harm, often many years afterwards. Once the news has sunk in, there is then the everyday…
Read MoreYou can’t rely on the internet to tell you the facts about mesothelioma
It may seem strange for a website to tell its readers that you can’t rely on the internet to tell you the facts about mesothelioma. However, a recent survey in the USA found that one third of the websites and blogs which talk about mesothelioma are providing misleading advice. Another third are providing advice that…
Read MoreMarian’s story: the impact of mesothelioma on my mental health
Marian, a former social worker who lives in Birmingham, shares her thoughts and feelings about being diagnosed with mesothelioma. In October last year my life changed. A brief telephone call, from one of the medical registrars from the Hospital where I had undergone investigation, told me that I had a rare form of cancer and there was…
Read MoreQuality of life is all important
Researchers in Australia have confirmed what we probably already knew. Quality of life is all important. When patients have an illness like mesothelioma it can also help them to live for longer. Previous studies had already shown that people survive for longer, on average, when they receive good palliative care or symptom control. This new…
Read MoreThe role of our genes in mesothelioma
People often wonder they have got mesothelioma. Sometimes this happens after a very small exposure to asbestos. Our genes are one of the things which play a part. For instance, one gene, BAP1 or BRCA1 associated protein-1, mutates in some people. This seems to make them more vulnerable to mesothelioma. Chemoresistance The same gene also…
Read MoreDon’t feel you have to delay asking for help during the Covid-19 winter crisis
The charity Mesothelioma UK is advising patients not to delay asking for help if they need it during the Covid-19 winter crisis. News broadcasts on TV, and articles in the press, are telling us that hospitals are exceptionally busy. This is true, but if you have an asbestos related disease and need to ask for…
Read MoreWhy palliative care can help
It can be a shock, and very disappointing, when the oncologist says that – in their opinion – the best available treatment is palliative care. Deciding the best treatment for a patient is always a balance. The patient and their doctor have to weigh the likely benefits and the likely side effects. These might make…
Read More