I don’t think many of you know I’ve had an op. this year for bowel cancer. It’s a bit of a cheek using the Headcases site to raise awareness, but I decided to share my story here in case it jogs someone’s memory to return a test or get symptoms checked. The bowel cancer screening programme worked well for me, and might have worked even better had I not put the first test I received in a drawer to forget about! Two years later, the second test came back positive…

If there is one message, it’s SEND YOUR TEST BACK AS SOON AS YOU RECEIVE IT

In a similar way, please don’t ignore any head and neck symptoms that are worrying you. It’s not easy for busy G.P.s to make an initial diagnosis and refer patients for further testing. Be persistent. Keep going back until you get a proper diagnosis, whether or not it turns out to be a head and neck cancer.

Anyway, you’ll find my story here:

https://www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk/how-we-can-help/real-life-stories/personal-experiences/

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Well, we’re all keeping our fingers crossed that the Covid infection rate continues to drop and we can begin to consider normal activities restarting. I’m sure lots of weary home-schooling parents will be breathing a sigh of relief that their kids are heading back to school this week.

Fred and I have talked recently about the possibility of a meeting in June or July this year. Of the two dates, I’m fancying the July might be the safer bet. We’d previously thought February might be a possibility but the pandemic is very good at undoing any plans so please keep checking back here. I’ll be putting in monthly updates. In the meantime, try to stay active, and safe.

Our thoughts are with anyone who is currently undergoing head and neck treatment of any description. Stay strong, and hang in there!

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Our sincere thanks to Marie Clubb (former Headcases Treasurer) and Mrs Williams for their ongoing support for our group.

Their monthly donations enable us to continue to provide items for use by the Hospital, or directly by head and neck patients.

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I’ve been in touch with Vince at HaNC. @HaNCCommunity is the twitter account of the Merseyside and Cheshire Head & Neck Cancer Support Group, based in Liverpool. The University are struggling to get enough patients/carers to join in with this survey, which could have a positive impact on future care. Please have a read below, and if you’re interested click on the image and it will take you to the survey.

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I’d like to join Anne and Alec in wishing all our group a happy, safe and healthy New Year. I’m also very happy to be able to share some very good news with our group.

Anne has just messaged me to say that she’s had the ‘5 year clear’ from her Consultant! Head and Neck cancer treatment can be a brutal and prolonged business, after which come the annual checkups and the nervous waiting. The words “you are now considered cured” are what every cancer patient dreams of hearing.

Anne also asked me to pass on her thanks to all the group members for the support she and Alec have received. Most people attend their first meeting either during, or soon after treatment and there is a degree of trepidation involved! I’d love to be able to predict when we can safely meet again as a group but tonight’s lockdown announcement shows just how long we might have to wait.

There ARE things we can do in the meantime though. Our fabulous Specialist Nurses are still braving the virus and going in to work. They are willing and able to support existing and new head and neck cancer patients at any stage in their journey. There are various phone numbers on this site, and we’ll all do our utmost to help if we can.

Let’s hope these vaccines will light the pathway out of this Covid mess, but in the meantime stay apart, clean hands and keep the pressure off our NHS heroes as much as possible.

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We seem to be teetering on joining London in Tier4. It’s been a very tough year for a lot of folks. It might take most of next year to get back to some kind of normal. Please keep safe. Share your experiences as a patient, friend or carer. Stay positive and have a very….

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I hope you’re all keeping safe and well in these strange times. We had previously talked about considering November as the first possible meeting time.

Now Stoke has been demoted to Tier 2, and with no end in sight to the restrictions, we can safely say that no meetings will take place before February 2021. We traditionally skip the January meeting in any case.

A very big thank you to all our NHS heroes, working on the front line in the fight against this virus. Other subjects seem to be stealing the headlines, but I know the work has been non-stop, and very difficult for everyone involved in the diagnosis and treatment of Covid 19.

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A quick update from Headcases. Fred and I have talked to a number of members regarding when to restart meetings. Our group is mainly very vulnerable to Covid 19, and so we are keeping a close eye on the infection rate. At this time, November looks like the earliest meeting date.

These are strange times indeed. Please be mindful of your mental health, and take plenty of time to relax. Fighting against things you can’t control is a recipe for stress, leading to high blood pressure and other problems. I’m speaking from personal experience here.

Here’s a video from MIND with some good tips on how to relax…

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Now that mask wearing is becoming mandatory in shops, the demand for masks is increasing. One of our members, Lisa is making cloth masks in adult size. These are fully washable and so don’t contribute to the mountain of paper and plastic waste.

Lisa’s Facebook page is Rainbow Craft, and can be accessed using the link below…

https://www.facebook.com/Rainbow-Craft-2104597352885269/

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Hi all, hope you’re keeping safe from Covid-19. This is just a quick reminder that Headcases are also on Twitter, and during the pandemic, I’ve been putting updates on there. If you’re new to Twitter it’s a free app for your phone, or a free download for your computer. It takes 5 mins to set up an account.

I try to keep the Headcases twitter feed dedicated to Head and Neck issues, but the occasional cat picture, or slightly political comment might find its way onto there. We have almost a hundred followers, many of whom are medical professionals specialising in Speech and Language for example.

Our account is https://twitter.com/headcases2

Take care all…

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