Wednesday 28 April 2010

Flying Doctors For Industry












The number of industrial plants/off shore rigs and factories located in isolated or extremely congested areas where emergency evacuation by land would be difficult, in Nigeria are immense.

We have had significant demand from these industries, particularly within the oil and gas sector, to design a product specifically to meet this unique set of needs.

It turns out that many of these companies recruit expats from Europe/America and Asia to provide their expertise. One of the main issues for recruiters is how to guarantee their safety at work.

The team and I have thought about these issues at length and come up with the 'FLYING DOCTORS FOR INDUSTRY' product. This does not require every single employee to take out an individual plan, rather it covers the company as a whole.

This means that The Flying Doctors now can guarantee, in the event of an emergency at work anywhere in Nigeria, the individual(s) will be in a state of the art facility within minutes.

The Flying Doctors Nigeria also takes responsibility for training staff in basic life support skills on a course designed specifically for industrial environments as part of our package.

All Flying Doctors medics are HUET trained and winch trained, we are therefore capable of retrieving patients from areas where it is difficult or impossible to land as well as covering offshore facilities.

Taking out Flying Doctors Cover For Industry is a cost-effective way for any company to provide a safer working environment for it's staff as well as attract additional talent to the company. It boosts staff morale and therefore increases productivity.


For further information on this or any of our other products please see our website or email Dr Ola directly at olao@doctors.org.uk

Thursday 22 April 2010

Living With Cancer

By this stage in my career as you can imagine, I've explained the diagnosis of cancer to hundreds of people. As you may or may not be able to imagine, it never gets easier.

I wrote this article through the eyes of a doctor who has seen, diagnosed and treated many cancer patients over the years. I have only see a glimpse of what these people are going through. But I hope this piece can provide some knoweledge and maybe some inspiration.


There are a few words in the English language that conjure up as much fear and anxiety as a diagnosis of cancer. The thought of the cells of our bodies developing limitless replicative potential, giving them the ability to evade the evolutionary mechanisms put in place to protect us is a terrifying concept. It is indiscriminate and it is ruthless having no respect for age or status or gender.

So this article is dedicated to the domestic workers, the bankers, the train drivers, the market stall owners, the sex workers, and the teachers; the mothers, the uncles, the daughters and the friends; those that campaign and research and teach….to everyone that has felt he scourge of cancer either directly or through family and close friends. I hope it helps.


The Diagnosis.


This is usually where it starts. Your head is spinning wildly and you feel like the life has been sucked out of you, all in one moment life as you know it is gone. ‘Getting diagnosed throws your entire universe into freefall’ . It’s almost guaranteed that 90% of what the doctors says after he’s given the diagnosis falls on deaf ears, so taking as much information in form of writing is essential. You should have leaflets describing in some detail, the type of cancer and it’s prognosis, as well as sources of spiritual and clinical support within the hospital and out in the community.

The most important thing to remember is that you are not alone. There are thousands of support groups online providing an immense amount of inspiration and information for newly diagnosed patients and their families. Nobody understands you quite like another cancer survivor; they are a very valuable resource to tap into.


Management



My veins are filled, once a week with a Neapolitan carpet cleaner distilled from the Adriatic and I am as bald as an egg. However I still get around and am mean to cats.
John Cheever, letter to Philip Roth, 10 May 1982, published in The Letters of John Cheever, 1989, concerning his cancer and its treatment



‘How are we managing her?’ my consultant often barks out me. ‘Management’ is another one of these umbrella terms; we’ve invented to encompass everything we are doing for a patient. By using terms like these we are able to neatly divide a persons entire future into a series of succinctly delivered bullet points, one of the many strategies we adopt to avoid involvement in thire so vividly shattered lives, which like a tragic subplot , we encounter during almost every surgery and ward round. Of course every patient needs a plan of management, but sometimes in our rush to concoct our plans, the patients own wishes are neglected or ignored.

The management of cancer is complex and involves a whole host of professionals making decisions on each case individually. Communication between all those involved is vital, it is of utmost importance that the doctor acknowledges and explores the ideas and concerns of the patient, but it is also important for patients to voice their management preferences and expectations. As the patient your opinion matters and it facilitates you being as involved in your management as you want. So look on the internet, read books, speak to friends, family and those invaluable support group members, having some opinion or preference for how you want to be managed will inevitably help you doctor give you more personalised help, tailored specifically to your own individual needs.

That said, it is important to remember the internet is no substitute for your oncologist who has passed gruelling exams and managed countless cases, dedicating his entire career to cancer research, diagnosis and treatment. If you could get everything you needed to know about medicine from Wikipedia, then none of us would have gone to medical school and certainly not bothered with the 10 or so subsequent years of 50 hour weeks, on-calls, research, audits and professional exams that follow it.

Below are some of the most common management options
1) Surgery: In many cases a tissue diagnosis of cancer is made with either a tissue diagnosis or an operation to remove the tumour. Although it is sometimes the only treatment required in early tumours of the GI tract, soft tissue sarcomas, and gynaecological tumours, it is often the case that the best results follow a combination of chemotherapy and surgery. Surgery also has a role in palliating advanced disease.
2) Radiotherapy: This is the use of ionising radiation to kill cancer cells. Radiotherapy can be used in active treatment or palliative treatment eg for bone pain
3) Chemotherapy: This is the use of drugs to fight the cancerous cells. Chemotherapy can also be active or palliative.

Management lies in the hands of the doctors informed by the patient, it’s important that what ever plan that is formulated meets your needs.


Healing


One must not forget that recovery is brought about not by the physician, but by the sick man himself. He heals himself, by his own power, exactly as he walks by means of his own power, or eats, or thinks, breathes or sleeps.
George Groddeck, The Book of the It, 1923



Whilst management lies in the hands of the doctor informed by the patient, healing lies in the hands of the patient the doctor merely assists in this process. Healing concerns not just the cancer itself. But every area of your life the cancer has damaged.

Sexuality can be impacted hugely by a diagnosis of cancer. Not everyone who has cancer will have changes in sexual desire or how they feel about themselves sexually. You may not notice any changes at all. Other people lose interest in sex and feel very tired. But you may find that the changes cancer causes to your body image affect the way you feel about yourself and having sex. At the other end of the scale, some people say that they want to make love more than usual. If you are in a relationship, a crisis can sometimes bring couples very close together.

Because we’re all so different and have different sexual needs, it’s impossible to say exactly how cancer will affect each person’s sexuality and sex life. Some types of cancers and their treatments affect your ability or desire to have sex more than others. If you are already in a loving relationship your concerns may be different than for someone who is single.

If your feelings about your body and having sexuality change during your cancer treatment, it doesn’t mean that it will last forever. If you are able to talk to your partner or a health professional about your worries, it can help to lessen them. And they may be able to suggest ways to help improve any problems you’re having.

Self esteem and self image also tend to take a bashing. Cancer and its treatment can change the way you feel about yourself (your self esteem). This may be because of physical changes to your body or it may be about less obvious changes.

The intense emotions that cancer can cause may also lower your self esteem. You may feel that you have lost some of your independence and can't do things that you used to enjoy.

You may feel so tired and worried that activities you used to find easy now seem too difficult to do. Your future plans may have to be put on hold. You may begin to feel as though you have no control over your life. All these things can make you feel less confident about who you are and what you do. Having confidence and a healthy self esteem are very important to us all.

It can be very difficult to boost your self esteem when you feel so low. But there are things that you can do. The most important thing is to talk to someone about how you are feeling. This can be a close relative or friend or a health professional. Just talking about your feelings can help you to feel better. Give yourself some time to come to terms with all you’ve been through. It will take time to raise your confidence and self esteem again. But it is possible.


‘Once I was able to change my focus desperation led to inspiration’


Get creative and design a healing plan for yourself. A combination of lifestyle changes, input from the complementary therapies and of course your friendly oncologist; is helping people with cancer lead healthier lives.


Research into complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has increased over the last few years. This is due to a significant change in how health professionals and patients see alternative therapy. There are several reasons for this shift in views:

•A general increase in the use of CAM to almost 6 million people in the UK each year
•The number of people with cancer using these therapies is estimated at over 3 in 10 (30%). Some recent research has shown that as many as 4 in 10 (40%) use them .
•Reports showing that some therapies do improve quality of life for people with cancer


Alternative therapies such as aromatherapy, reflexology, massage and meditation have helped countless cancer survivors by empowering them to take charge to their own healing journey.

The American Institute for cancer research, which funds research studies that focus on the role of food and exercise in cancer prevention and treatment recommend a diet that’s at least two third’s vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans.

A 2005 study showed that 92% of nearly 3,000 women with breast cancer who walked or did other exercise three to five hours weekly were still alive 10 years after diagnosis, compared with 86% of those that exercise less than an hour a week.

This shows that changing lifestyle factors has a least some role in cancer outcomes.

Kris Carr puts it more eloquently than I ever could when she says:

Here’s the deal, cancer is a just a silly metaphor, like it or not, it’s in each of our lives in some way. For me it’s tumors, for you it may be a bad job, your weight or a dead end relationship. It’s spooky but it doesn’t have to be taboo. It’s just life, so we have to wake up to it! Some skeptics have asked, “What’s so sexy about cancer, lady?” My response: the women who have it! We are crazy, sexy, whole, loving, surviving, delicious women, so get out of our way!


All of us have or will have things in our lives that change it drastcically and cause us pain. It is the inevitable companion of lives led authentically. Not only cancer patients need healing plans.

Life is a terminal condition which is never completely predictable. As a doctor, I’ve learned to use the word impossible with the greatest caution . We’re all going to die. On further reflection, as I look through photos taken on my 80 year old mothers trek through Thailand, I realise, cancer patients just have more information, but we all in some ways, wait for permission to live.

Thank You LadyBrille Nigeria

Dr Da Vinci is flattered to have been named LadyBrille Magazine's Personality Of The Month and is grateful to be part of the powerful revolution incited by young Nigerians which is turning the country's fortunes around.

The Ladybrille®Nigeria is Nigeria’s pioneer and first ever fashion industry magazine connecting Nigeria’s fashion professionals worldwide. They provide intelligent and brilliant coverage of fashion events, fashion shows, retail, business of fashion, trade laws, global fashion, financial news, profiles and interviews on Nigeria’s top fashion personalities and much more!

Thank you for your support!!!

You can read the full article here

The Bad Medicine Diaries: Entry 1







Dr Da Vinci has decided to start sharing her diary of examples mostly gleaned from friends and family where Bad Medicine is being practiced.

I hope it helps patients to make informed decisions about thier health care.The moral of all of these stories is......if in doubt, see a doctor!


I was watching a dvd with my friend tech guy, you may remember him from my post 'The Wonderful....well' when I spotted a rather foul looking mole on his shoulder. The following conversation went something like this:

Dr Da Vinci 'I should take that off for you with my handy scalpel before it grows wings'

Tech Guy (Beaming) 'You doctors are so brash, there is a practitioner down the street who can just melt it off. My friend the German got his taken off there and is very please with the results'

Dr Da Vinci 'Is the practitioner a doctor?'

Tech Guy 'No, but she knows a lot about whipping off moles'

Dr Da Vinci 'But the problem is she doesn't know any medicine, if she did she would have heard if the ABC Score moles like yours should always be CUT out by an experienced physician and sent for pathology! Not burnt off!!!'


Malignant melanoma is a rare, but yet killer disease. This is why we send every suspicious looking lesion for pathology. If melanoma is diagnosed in its early stages, there are greater chances of effective treatment because the tumor has not yet dug deep into the skin tissue. One must remember that when melanoma is not extracted in its early stages of growth, it will be harder for the person to control spread in nearby tissues and parts of the body.

So Tech Guy, the reason why I choose the scalpel over the acid/liquid nitrogen for all my patients is not because the all-natural, buck-wheat ingesting, amino acid injecting practioner down the street is cooler than me, but rather it is because I refuse to practice Bad Medicine.

This is Bad Medicine entry number one, stay tuned, Warm Regards, Dr Da Vinci