Protest On Here

More than 16,000 patients had procedures and appointments cancelled today as a result of a public services day of action in protest at proposed cuts in next month’s budget. A quarter of a million public sector workers took part in the 24-hour stoppage which resulted in closing schools, delaying social welfare payments and disrupting hospital services. Our economy is broke and with just weeks to go to a tough budget, a nationwide strike is the last thing this country needs.

Today’s day of action will have done nothing constructive and will only add to the problems. Those that work in public services are lucky to have secure jobs and pensions. The real casualties of the economic downturn are the many thousands who have lost their jobs in the private sector. Public sector workers are now threatening to stage a second nationwide strike on December 3.

After today’s disruption of the health service, I’ve lost any sympathy for public sector workers. In the midst of a serious swine flu pandemic, it’s outrageous that vaccination clinics were cancelled today. I find it totally unacceptable that the public sector unions have dragged the most vulnerable in society into a dispute with government over their terms and conditions. As my own health has been put at risk by this dispute, I have good reason to protest.

Coffee anyone?

Drinking a cup of real coffee is one of life’s small pleasures. Caffeine is the world’s most widely used stimulant drug and coffee is the form in which millions of people prefer to take it. It improves short-term memory, raises alertness and it tastes delicious. I love coffee. In truth, I crave the smell, the taste and the ritual of brewing it. I’m not a coffee snob but I know what I like. I’d be lost without my morning cuppa.

Caffeine is absorbed and distributed throughout the body very quickly. After absorption, it passes into the brain where it acts as a central nervous system stimulant. As it has diuretic properties, caffeine is not accumulated or stored in the body, but is excreted in the urine some hours after it has been consumed.

Contrary to popular belief, caffeine does not not reduce the effects of alcohol, so a cup of coffee will not “sober up” someone who is drunk. Caffeine may be used as a treatment for migraine and will, for short time spans, relieve fatigue or drowsiness.

However, excessive caffeine intake can lead to a fast heart rate, increased urination, nausea, vomiting, restlessness, anxiety, depression, tremors and difficulty sleeping.

Abrupt withdrawal of caffeine may cause headaches, drowsiness, irritability, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms. Reduce caffeine intake gradually to prevent any symptoms of withdrawal.

The body has no nutritional requirement for caffeine. However, a moderate tea or coffee intake is not likely to have a negative effect on health, as long as the person lives an otherwise healthy lifestyle.

While three 8oz cups of coffee per day would be considered a moderate intake of caffeine, ten 8oz cups per day would be considered excessive.

Information source: Irish Times HEALTHplus

These days, I restrict my intake of coffee to 2-3 mugs per day. When I temporarily lost my sense of smell and taste last summer, I gave up drinking coffee as it held no pleasure. Interestingly, I found this loss much more difficult to accept than the loss of being able to enjoy food. I know, I’m hooked! It was like manna from heaven to discover I could smell and taste coffee again. Life just ain’t the same without coffee!

Your health is…

I should have known better. Last week, I bragged about how many anaesthetics I’ve had. Yesterday, I got told I need another one.

I was reviewed at the hospital as I’ve been in trouble with headaches again. My sense of smell and taste has also gradually changed. On endoscopic examination of my head, the surgeon identified a new area of inflamed bone (osteitis) just above the bridge of my nose. Osteitis can be a precursor of osteomyelitis so prompt action is required to prevent further deterioration of the bone. I’ve been booked in for day surgery under general anaesthetic.

I should be having my surgery next Tuesday but unfortunately that’s the day when a national strike is planned. The protest will see most health, education, civil service and local authority services withdrawn for 24 hours. Hospital appointments and non-emergency surgery will be cancelled that day and many patients will suffer the consequences. It seems that wealth has become more important than health.

Blips of the Heart

If I were to tell you the number of general anaesthetics I’ve had over the years, I’d be afraid you might pass out. In the last 5 years alone, I reckon I’ve had about 20 hours of surgery under general anaesthetic. People often ask me how I remain in such good form. This could have something to do with being full of gas!

I’ve come face to face with many anaesthetists and I can honestly say that I’ve never met one that I didn’t trust with my life.

Special thanks to the comedy duo the Amateur Transplants.

One dose or two?

I received my swine flu vaccination yesterday as I belong to the category of people considered more ‘at-risk’ from the virus. The vaccine was administered by the practice nurse at our local surgery and it caused minimum discomfort. However, it seems that the mixed messages emanating from the vaccination campaign, are causing major headaches.

On arrival at the surgery, the reception staff were clearly harassed from trying to deal with multiple enquiries about the vaccine. I was asked to fill out a consent form which requested my name, age, at-risk status and a PPSN (Personal Public Service Number). The information supplied with the form clearly stated that two doses of the vaccine would be required, at least three weeks apart. I was surprised to read of this as I had understood from the vaccination campaign, that one dose was sufficient for adults.

While having the injection, I asked the nurse to clarify the situation and she confirmed that a second dose would be required. She asked me to make a booking for it at the reception desk on the way out. When I consulted the receptionists, the story changed again. I was told that one dose may be sufficient for adults but that as studies are still under way to confirm this, I should check back with the surgery in a few weeks time. Having waited the required 15 minutes to ensure that no adverse reaction occurred to the vaccine, I left the surgery feeling decidely sorry for the staff caught up in this evolving campaign.

On checking out the HSE’s website (Frequently asked questions for Healthcare Professionals – last updated 28th October 2009), it read…

“Current recommendation is two doses of pandemic vaccine are required at least three weeks apart. Preliminary studies indicate that one dose might be enough to give full protection for those aged 13 and over but this has not yet been confirmed”.

I recommend that people consult the HSE website regularly for the latest updates on the vaccination programme rather than bombarding the busy GP surgeries with phonecalls.

For information, visit www.swineflu.ie or Freephone 1800 94 11 00

Today, I’ve experienced some of the common side effects of the vaccine and they’ve served as a welcome reminder of the need to be protected from the swine flu. Any adverse reactions to the vaccine should be reported to the Irish Medicines Board online.

Making History

Last June, I was admitted to a specialist unit of an NHS hospital for surgery on my head. I was no stranger to the place having had a major operation there two years previously. Revision surgery was now required as further complications had developed. On this occasion, I was under the care of  a surgeon who specializes in image-guided endoscopic surgery. I was about to undergo an operation which required high precision and carried a significant risk of accidental damage to critical organs. I was also about to make medical history.

I was admitted to the hospital the day before the operation, to be assessed for the complex surgery which lay ahead. My first port of call was to a photographic studio in the basement of the hospital, to have my head photographed from every angle. This was because of my stunning good looks to record the cosmetic defect in my facial profile, due to previous surgery. Next, it was off to the nuclear medicine department to have my head scanned under the supervision of the surgeon. These scans were subsequently used for navigational purposes throughout the technically demanding surgery.

When all the preparations were complete, it was time for a consultation with the surgeon and his team. It was at this stage I learnt that plans were afoot to record my operation for teaching purposes. My history of multiple sinus surgeries* provided the surgical team with an unusual challenge and the operation now planned, had the potential to become a valuable training resource. I had absolutely no hesitation in granting them permission to make me a ‘film star’ for a day. Anything that helps to lessen the risks associated with complex surgery and ultimately, increases patient safety, is to be encouraged.

*For those with an interest in Otorhinolaryngology…

My ENT surgical history includes : A bilateral antrostomy; a Caldwell Luc procedure; multiple endoscopic nasal surgeries; 5 external frontoethmoidectomies; a Riedel’s procedure and a modified endoscopic Lothrop procedure (Draf 111).

My ENT medical history includes recurrent sinus infections, chronic frontal sinus disease, MRSA infection, orbital cellulitis and osteomyelitis.

I also have an inherited connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) which has added to the complications over the years.

Well, as you can see, I’ve lived to tell the tale. While the signs are encouraging, it’s still too early to know if the latest operation will prove successful in the long run. After what seems like a lifetime of surgery, I feel I’ve earned a place in medical history.

Any guesses what label I’ll be given?

Original of the Species

I recently wrote about a crisis point when I came close to losing hope of winning the battle against a serious infection. I’d been re-admitted to hospital having developed complications at home following specialised surgery in the UK. It was a tough time but I never expected the outcome that followed…

Osteomyelitis, an infection of bone, was raging inside my skull and was failing to respond to a combination of IV antibiotics. I was considered at high risk of developing cavernous sinus thrombosis, meningitis, intra-cranial infection or septicaemia, all potentially fatal conditions. My eyesight was also under serious threat. When my condition deteriorated further, it was decided that I should be taken to the operating theatre to have multiple bone biopsies taken for analysis. On waking from the anaesthetic, I was informed that osteomyelitis had been confirmed and that a new regime of IV antibiotics would be commenced. Within hours of starting the new treatment, I’d turned the corner and was out of danger.

When the surgical team arrived at my bedside the following morning, they were beaming from ear to ear. The senior registrar turned to me and said, “You do realise that you’re famous, don’t you”? I looked at him in puzzlement. He told me that when my head was examined in theatre, it had caused enormous excitement. The pioneering surgery carried out in the UK, had proved fascinating to the Irish surgeons. The internal anatomy of my skull has been so radically altered, I’ve become an original of the species. It seems I’m now regarded as a rare medical specimen. Thankfully, an alive one!

Next week, I’ll tell you about how I became a ‘film star’ for a day.

Saving Your Bacon

At long last, the swine flu vaccine has arrived in Ireland. The vaccine and it’s administration, are free of charge for everyone. The distribution of the vaccine to GP surgeries begins today and the vaccination programme will start on November 2nd. It’s not a minute too soon. Rates of infection with H1N1 virus have been increasing week by week. So far, four people have died from the virus in Ireland, of which three had an underlying health condition. The arrival of the new vaccine brings a whole new meaning to saving one’s bacon!

At-risk people will be vaccinated first. Pregnant women, patients with underlying health problems, people who live with someone with a compromised immune system and healthcare workers, will be the first to be offered the vaccine. People aged 65 and over seem to have some immunity to swine flu so they are not in the most at-risk group and will be vaccinated at a later stage.

Most people will need only one dose of the vaccine although children will be given two. Test results of the swine flu vaccine have indicated that children under 10 are likely to need two shots to be fully protected.

The HSE has a 24 hr Flu Information Line Freephone 1800 94 11 00 for up to date recorded information on swine flu or you can link to swineflu.ie

The H1N1 virus is highly contagious and spreads quickly from person to person through tiny droplets in coughs and sneezes.

Here’s something nicer to pass around instead…

A Smile

Smiling is infectious, you catch it like the flu.

When someone smiled at me today, I started smiling too.

I walked around the corner and someone saw me grin.

When he smiled, I realised, I had passed it on to him.

I thought about my smile and then realised it’s worth.

A single smile like mine could travel round the earth.

So if you feel a smile begin, don’t leave it undetected

Start an epidemic and get the world infected!

A Bitter Pill

I don’t know about you but I’m finding the expenses revelations very hard to swallow. At a time when the country is in financial crisis, the idea that somebody who’s on more money than the Taoiseach, should get a bonus is highly questionable but it’s all the more outrageous when you consider the current state of the health service. Add to this, the revelations about expenses accrued by Mary Harney as Minister for Health and it becomes a bitter pill to swallow…

The Sunday Tribune has revealed that Mary Harney ran up the highest departmental bill in terms of ministerial costs and expenses. Granted our Minister for Health is a busy woman but you have to question why it was necessary for her to travel by the ‘€7,000-an-hour’ Government jet for her business trips abroad.

“Health Minister Mary Harney and her husband Brian Geoghegan ran up a bill of nearly €65,000 on hotels, limousine hire and accommodation in the space of just three years. That figure does not include the massive bill for the Government jet, which Harney used on almost every occasion she travelled abroad and which cost the taxpayer more than €735,000.” The Sunday Tribune, October 2009

Next, we are told that the HSE board has awarded it’s CEO Prof Brendan Drumm, a bonus payment of €70,000, based on his performance in 2007. This bonus is being awarded at a time when the HSE is making plans to reduce spending on the health service by up to €1.2 billion!

Here’s what Dr James Reilly, opposition Health spokesperson, had to say on the subject…

Morning Ireland – RTE News

My thanks to The Sunday Tribune, to Dr James Reilly and RTE radio, for exposing this outrageous carry on.

Be Aware, Be Active

Did you know that regular physical exercise is important for your breast health? Inactivity is estimated to cause 10-16 percent of breast cancers. Engaging in moderate exercise for at least 30-60 minutes every day can help your future breast health.

Breast Health Day on 15 October 2009 aims to raise awareness of the benefits of physical activity on breast health and to encourage women to choose a more active lifestyle.

Europa Donna Ireland (EDI, the Irish Breast Cancer Campaign, is urging women throughout Ireland to do something active to mark the day. Events are taking place around the country and you are invited to come along and join in the fun.

Please see the EDI website for more details.  

This is an awareness-raising, not a fund-raising day!

Information source and graphic: Europa Donna Ireland and JBBC blog.