We Talk Brain Tumours

Hi Robin,  I was just thinking of you.  I do hope life is as well as for you all?  There was a room available from Monday, but I've chickened out.  It is Doreen's birthday that day and I didn't think it an appropriate   gift! Excuses, excuses I know. Please keep in touch, friends are at a premium these days.

Take care, Martyn.

Hi Martyn  Sending you & Doreen love & best wishes too. I agree both Pete & Doreen are a formidable pair. Long may they continue to be so. I know how you must be feeling about the hospice admission for Doreen, I too was very wary about this and anxious that it would upset Pete but have to say my fears were foundless. Pete has certainly seemed to benefit from the different surroundings & excellent care & attention the staff can give him. He was more poorly yesterday but even so he has had a few good days. As for me it has given me a break although I do visit him everyday. I hadn't quite realised how much I needed time to myself, daft as that might sound.  I hope Doreen has a good birthday on Monday also.

Thinking of you all as always. Love Sue xxxx

Suexx

Hi Charlotte ,

I have just read your post , I am new on here , but you are not alone , i am going through exactly the same with my dad , GBM diagnosed after op on April 16th , Radiothaerapy diagnosed 30 shots , but 15 in and he is terrible , so they have suggested we stop .. I was dreading him thinking he couldn't stop as he thinks it is neccessary to kill the cancer , but it isn't , its only pallative .  He thinks he is just having a little break , they have increased his steroids now to 12mg a day , but there is little change , which leads me to suspect it may have grown again, it has been 2 months since the last scan , so they have suggested maybe a scan is a good idea to look at the state it is in .

I can only symaphise with you , it is so hard watching someone you love deteriorate in such drastic steps, and when you look at the Brainhospice/ org website it answers a lot of the questions which i cannot believe that nobody is telling us , it is hard to read , but if you are like myself you need to know what to expect .. i feel that way we at least can know that what is happening is not abnormal for their condition .

I wish someone would talk to the families, it makes you feel so confused & lonely whilst trying to cope with so many other things , and with no experience of caring like myself , if it wasn't for the internet & this website  i just don't know where i would be ..

Jenny x

Hello all you lovely people:

As always you are doing an amazing job supporting each other, even if these dark times.  I'm one of the very oldies and just wanted to drop in to say hello to those who remember Sue and me and also to send Martyn and Doreen my very best wishes.  My twin, Sue has just been in hospital for some respite care (there isn't a hospice nearby but the hospital made her very comfortable and the staff were very caring so it was pretty close!).  It was good for Sue as her daughters tell me she looked better than she had for many months.  It was also good for Jim as he was able to spend quality time with Sue at visiting time and not spend all his time doing chores and other tedious stuff which left him exhausted.  I hope it works that way for you guys too, Martyn.  You certainly both deserve a little bit of respite!!  Much love to you both and to all the amazing people posting here.

Love from across the pond.

Jill

Dear All. Report out today with regards to MOBILE PHONE USE.

A £15 million, decade long study concluded that half an hour a day on your mobile phone could increase the risk of developing Brain Cancer by 40%. 13 different countries have taken part in the study. The World Health Organisation Interphone Report found you more likely to develop tumours on the side of the phone usage. SAR levels play an important factor. In America the maximum SAR level for mobiles is set at 1.6w/kg, while Europe has a higher maximum of 2w/kg, which is causing concern. SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) ,w/kg (Watts per Kilogram).

In America, San Francisco, is the first city to demand that shops clearly state the SARs level for the phones they are selling. In Britain it is very difficult to locate the levels. The lower the level the safer the phone.Dr Andy Goldsworthy of Imperial College London states that the cell damage done by the pulsing, even when on standby,from phones can cause cells to vibrate dislodging calcium which binds cells together. This makes them more permeable which can lead to enzymes being released that cause damage to DNA, including those that fight cancer.

Sweden, University of Lund have results that show cells in the brain die after 2 hours of phone use. Austrian Company AUVA warn that mobile phone use causes irreversible damage to DNA.

Bluetooth users are at risk, if they are wireless because they emit radiation continuosly, especially if you wear it between calls

Children are more vulnerable due to: Thinner skulls and the fact their cells are dividing more quickly than adults and are more susceptible to damage. Dr Lennart Hardell from Orebro University Hospital in Sweden, a epidemiologist and cancer specialists, warns that the out look for children is more serious because they will have been expossed far longer than adults have.

Many scientists from around the world think there will be a BRAIN TUMOUR/CANCER PANDEMIC in the not too distant future, although this has been dismissed by Professor Anthony Swerdlow, one of the British Researchers, who has said that he hasn't seen convincing evidence as yet........LET'S HOPE HE'S NOT TRYING TO PULL THE WOOL OVER OUR EYES!!!!!!

I know that this information is too late for us, but I would rather be safe than sorry, and if it means us being a little more careful the so be it.

My love to you all. Stay strong

PEABS XXXXXXX

We took part in this research, having our survey in 2003.

Dear Martyn

I think that mobile phones will carry the same health warnings as cigarettes in the future. Men, they have found, also increase the risk of fertility problems, due to them placing phones in trouser pockets. There are so many other things that they've listed but I only posted thethings relevant to us on these threads.

Love to you and Doreen.

PEABS XXXXX

Hi Peabs,

You know I'm always interested in this sort of research so you set  me reading immediately! What I don't understand is that the WHO press release's conclusions, I don't think, fit with conclusions printed in some newspapers. I haven't read or found the full WHO paper.

In the WHO press release, they seem to being more cautious in their conclusions and say there is no significant connection, although they seem less firm on the  bt location question.

I didn't know what to think about 25% of the funding for the study came from the industry - I think funding is always a difficult question even when declared.
And, as the WHO report said, the analysis was started, as Martyn also noted, several years years ago before phone use was anything like as great as it is now - and also now for music, texting, internet access as well as plain old talking. So, as they say, more study is certainly necessary and planned.

I feel odd writing this because my gut feeling is overwhelmingly that there must be a connection but I so distrust conclusions printed by the press and feel very strongly that often they cause more heartache for those of us affected.
(But that's an old hobby-horse of mine as you probably know!)
I just feel that with too few funds being spent on bt research, it has to be spent on the right area that will bring a real cure.

But as always you are doing a sterling job keeping all the various options in focus on here and I think you for that. You last paragraph is spot on of course.

Sending you and your lovely family my very best wishes.
CHxx

Hi Peabs,  thanks for the warning.   I wondered why one of those dozen oysters didn't work!

What absolutely amazes me is when I see very young children with their own phones and possibly sitting in a cloud of their parents cigarette smoke.  In my opinion the merchandising of toy mobiles aimed at those just passed the toddler stage is as mind blowingly stupid as if they also sold toy cigarettes, or do they already?

PS,  Doreen has never used a mobile phone, but our consultant says that digital, cordless homephones are on a par. 

Nuff said,  best wishes.  Martyn.

Hi Martyn. Hope Doreen has a happy and comfortable birthday... sending lots of love Jenny x