Morphine An Answer to Ease the Journey of Death

I am always surprised how easy it is for people to make decisions for their pets when they are too ill and need to be euthanized.

When it comes to health decisions for family members there are so many barriers including emotional ones. I find that even healthcare professionals cannot agree on the use of morphine for end stages of cancer. The main reason for addiction and to work around the reasoning does not make sense especially when the patient is termiinally ill and experiencing pain.

Somehow, there appears to be difficulty in making that responsible decision, yes the patient will die but given the morphine he/she will have an easier transition. This includes the family who are caught in the middle having to support their loved one and witnessing the suffering, feeling helpless and being forced to be put in advocacy situation.

It has been twenty years since my father passed away from cancer who in his last days was in severe pain and every dose of morphine had to be begged from the treating physician who was concerned about addiction for my father who only had days to live.

In a recent article on BBC World News the reader is informed patients in the USA and the UK are given morphine if needed but in Third countries availability is a problem. We are introduced to Joyce dying in a Uganda hospital in agony due to pain and a lack of available morphine.

The poignant part of Joyce and other patients who are dying in needless pain is that this issue needs to be addressed as a priority regardless of where one lives that patients have the right to die in dignity and painfree. Unfortunately, those who can be spokespersons pass on and the family members traumatized by the events rarely have the energy to address this. So, it is up to responsible individuals who need to address this issue now in the hopes there will be guidelines in place if they should ever require  such humane care.

Hospices are a vital link to dying at home or home setting with all the available resources at hand. Many are associated with local hospitals and are able to provide services and special attention to services than on an ordinary ward. They have specialists and may assist getting through the red tape for pain management. Hospice is a vital option to those who require support both in services and to the family.

OHIP Appeal Board, the Enemy of Patients

The OHIP Appeal Board is the news more frequently as a result of cases involving prior approval for out of country medical services denied by the ministry. The main issue as Canadians we are brought up to believe that we have universal healthcare and that we will be taken care of by our government.

Unfortunately, with an aging population, decreased medical resources and long waiting lists some Canadians have looked elsewhere for healthcare including India for cardiac care and Thailand for hip replacements. We are not talking about third world care but first world care and medical care with affordable prices and no wait times making this an attractive proposition.

What is in the news today are the most tragic of stories of individuals being caught in having to leave the country for care due to a lack of experts in Canada necessity a leave such as my March 24, 2012, “Ordinary People Do Get Cancer “:
“Lisa, 34 years of age is one such person living in the Ottawa area who was living a full life when she was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis. During a routine check up in her late teens she was informed was told she had neurofibromatosis but that it was benign and if they grew she would have them removed.

Fast forward to about two years ago when Lisa was experiencing difficulty eating as the tumours had grown so large, she was unable to swallow. After seeing specialists in Canada and the USA, she was informed there was nothing that could be done. In 2009 there was clinical trials at the Mayo Clinic and she was accepted with OHIP coverage, as there was no other treatment available in Canada. Then she was informed by OHIP they would not accept it as it was termed “experimental”. The cost was $50,000 and as an average citizen there was no extra cash. Lisa is a public servant working at the Canada Border Services Agency. Family, friends and community have supported Lisa with donations on her website and it is at the $33,455.81 mark. “

Recently, Erika Crawford’s family have spent over $90,000 to have surgery for Ehlers-Danlos syndrome to stabilize her neck and if not done any fall or sudden movement could have taken or life or made her a quadriplegic. 17 years old with her whole life ahead of her and to be faced with waiting to die or as in this case her family and her community supporting her to recovery. The specialist was in Maryland, USA and this is classified as out-of-country care. The final bill from Maryland is over $90,000 and was denied by OHIP. The appeal hearing is booked for January 2013 but maybe pushed to February 2013.
There are other individuals in the news such as Brooklyn Mills, Oakville and Charlie Smith, Kingston who have been denied. With the surgery Erika has a new lease on life.
Read Susan Gamble’s article in The Brantford Expositor.
What Canadians should ask is why the OHIP Appeal Board exists as it appears it serves no purpose other than to pay representatives that they are giving a “fair hearing to Canadians”. While in actuality the members are bound by strict rules and legislative law. The board is not even allowed to make recommendations back to the government, so when you think if you do not get monetary compensation, that this will allow justice for other Canadians, it does not. This hearing is one sided. This appeal process should be overhauled or abolished as it costs taxpayers money and brings false hope to those who are seeking a fair hearing and loss of valuable time to their lives of two years at least. The sad part it is not the money in the end, but that as Canadians we are given a voice in a democratic society.

What happens to other Canadians who do not have family or a community -give them a voice in the next election. Shout loud and hard.
STOP OHIP APPEAL HEARINGS & SAVE TAX DOLLARS & LIVES

Tea the New Healthy Beverage

 

Tea is the old, new kid on the block being touted as the new wonder antioxidant.
After water, tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world.
Tea is derived from the tea leaves of the Camiellia sinensis plant and different teas derive from the way it is processed. Herbal teas are not infact tea but made from infusions of fruit or herbs.

Tea has been drunk for taste and ritual. Ony recently have we been given the facts of the health benefits of this centuries old drink.

Tea’s origins are in China and were brought to England as part of Catherine of Braganza dowry to Charles II where it became all the rage at Royal Court. It was a drink for the rich. Tea was kept under lock and key. The Chinese controlled the supply and not wanting the origins of the tea to be known it was dyed blue green colour with arsenic. Throughout history ea has a presence in every culture as part of a daily routine i.e. tea break and for social gatherings such as afternoon tea.

Recently tea has come back into favour due to the discovery of health benefits of flavinoids: green and black tea may protect against cancer including a lower risk for cancer metasis and recurrence,as well as cardiovascular disease. As well, tea’s antixiodants benefit the skin keeping you looking younger.

White tea which is two leaves and a bud and silvery in colour and green teas have the reputation as teas as the highest antioxidants. These teas are best prepared with water just below the boiling point 65-85 degrees C. Since oxygen reacts with phenolic molecules to turn them brown and reduce potency as antioxidants. Therefore bring the water to full boil then cool to desired temperature to ensure the best antioxidant qualities.

A lesser known fact is that tea prevents tooth decay and fights bad breath with catechins kill bacteria, and the calcium and magnesium in tea helps with teeth maintenance.

Green tea is touted as reducing the risk of coronary artery disease with flavonoids reducing cholesterol and build up of plaque on artey walls.

Black tea is known for weight loss as catechins block fat mainly abdominal fat. It also protects the brain against developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Tea drunk without milk has the most benefits as milk proteins adhere to the catechins and interfering with the benefits. So clear tea with no milk or lemon is preferred.

Research on prostate cancer shows it benefits in a British study published by the Tea Council.

Research in Sweden 2005 in a 15 year study with 60,000 women  notes drinking 1-2 cups of tea a day can reduce your chance of developing ovarian cancer by 46 %.

As with anything that is good for you, drink in moderation 2-3 cups daily. Limit cutoff before 4 pm as if sensitive to caffeine this may impact on sleep patterns.
Although tea is picked as an alternative to coffee as it has less caffeine.

Raise a cup of tea to good health.

Wall says refugee health cuts 'unbelievable'

Reblogged from Metro News:

REGINA - Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall is criticizing a federal decision to deny chemotherapy to a refugee as "unbelievable" and un-Canadian.

Wall says he doesn't understand the rationale behind the move.

"It's unbelievable that some of the decisions that have been taken federally are having this impact on people who are clearly the most vulnerable, refugees who are obviously fleeing something quite terrible — that's why they're refugees," Wall said Thursday.

Read more… 505 more words

Everyone pays taxes for universal healthcare. Canadians need to realize this does not exist not just for refugees but every Canadian. Make your vote count.

SARS and Why We Should Be Scared Again?

he headline in Britain reads: A new respiratory illness similar to the SARS virus that spread globally in 2003 and killed hundreds of people has been identified in a man treated in Britain.

There is always news about viruses especially come fall into winter, but for those who lived through SARS it was a frightening time. This was due to the fact no one in the medical and/or scientific community knew exactly what was the cause and failure to put in safeguards such as isolation protection putting the public and professionals at risk. Little did we hear of the nurses or physicians who either developed symptoms and died or still disabled.

What did we learn or anything at all?

It was a time Canadians started to think about medical care access and accountability as lives depended on it. Hospitals were off limits canceling surgeries and services. There were long line-ups to the emergency department due to increased protocols. Emergency service has not improved and that once again will be a problem needing a solution.
This new virus is a coronavirus from the same family as the common cold and SARS, identified in Britain for the first time and the second incident both stemming from the Middle East. Symptoms include fever, cough, breathing difficulties and kidney failure. There is no vaccine or cure.

It is thought to be spread by droplets when the infected person sneezes or coughs. The key control is good isolation techniques of patient, and protective barriers for direct contact.
The message is not to worry at this time but to be vigilant in hand washing and to stay away from crowded areas such as malls.

Stay tuned- be proactive
Health professionals already use online tools, such as Google Flu Trends  or  Health Map  to track the spread of infectious diseases and this is available to the public.

Don’t Let Your Illness Bankrupt You!

The boy scouts tell you to be always prepared.

The Added Costs

In life it does not always work that way. Growing up in school you are taught the basics math and reading. With the line that “the only thing you are sure of is death and taxes”.  But nothing prepares you when you are ill and unable to work.

There are products being sold by the financial institutions that are suppose to protect you in times of need. The Royal Bank has created a multimedia presentation that plays right behind the teller line promising security and taken care of so you do not have to worry. It is difficult to decide what is the best product for your needs. Do these products deliver?

My Critical illness insurance was something I picked up in my forties because it was a great product paying $100,000 upon diagnosis of a critical illness such as stroke, cancer, heart disease.
My family had a history of stokes and my grandfather’s was fatal in his sixties. I knew if I had a stroke I would need nursing care and intense rehabilitation. For my age group at $120 a month up to age 70 years of age was a good buy because if I did not end up using it, I could collect the premiums. This has it plus side because it pays one lump sum to do with as you wish.

On the other hand disability insurance involves many other factors including policy provisions and having to meet contractual obligations. This includes pre-existing conditions, which would make the policy nil. It takes early communication to find out early in your claim whether you qualify to be paid regardless of whether you have paid into the plan. Unfortunately, a great number of individuals encounter these problems and do not know it until they file a claim. This results in delays sometimes 6 months or longer. Or even a denial due to lack of medical possibly as a result of timely treatment due to delays in the medical system.

If you are eligible for CPP insurance make note this amount is deducted from your disability payment. Perhaps, the issue of why taxpayer’s monies are subsidizing private corporations and financially backing the insurance companies revenues will be more evident when the Federal government makes further changes to CPP eligibility. So, you will need to factor that with CPP disability approval it does not mean more monies.

For consideration, every insurance company has an ombudsman who is available to help with such problems, but this information is not readily provided. For help in navigating this, this maybe the person to assist for timely resolution.

The bottom line is that as a consumer you need to be aware of policy provisions rather than those glitzy ads that “we will take care of you”. Disability insurance is not the best value for your money due to the insurers being backed by the banks and with the international monetary situations and payouts there is less profit in these products. Therefore, the way to cut costs is to cut down on claim payouts. So having a separate emergency fund is another option to help with decreasing the stress.

Questions To Ask yourself:
-Do I have enough saved for being off sick for six months?
-Do I have a copy of my policy?
-Is the policy I have enough to cover my basic expenses?
-I need to make an appointment to discuss best policy given personal changes such as getting married, expanding the family, and getting older.
-Do I have copies of my medical records readily available?
-Can I communicate with my family physician to discuss my health matters?
-For tests or specialists, is it worthwhile to seek a paid for fee service to clarify diagnosis and treatment?

Resources:

http://www.wellspring.ca/National/Locate-a-Centre/Money-Matters-Resource-Centre.aspx

Advocacy:

http://www.putpatientsfirst.ca/index.html

Mastectomy or Not?

One of the most difficult decisions a woman faces is when she has breast cancer is to whether to have a mastectomy. One weighs the pros and cons and that includes redefining your own perception of body image and what it is to be a woman.

For some woman this can be devastating. I spoke to an older breast cancer survivor who had a mastectomy and admitted that she has never seen her own body, only dressing and undressing in the dark and never in front of a mirror.

84% of women do not have reconstruction ad the choices are as varied given advances in reconstruction. Younger women who have had to make choices that encompass decisions affecting their body image often choose to have mastectomies and reconstruction. This has been brought to the forefront due to younger female celebrities who have been open publicly about choosing mastectomies over lumpectomies and then have reconstructive surgery.

Dr Chery Perkins, clinical advisor for Susan G Komen for the Cure state that also for high risk women prophylactic mastectomies reduce likelihood of breast cancer up to 98 per cent.

Christina Applegate, actress chose to have a mastectomy due to being BRCA1+

Giuliana Rancic, E host and reality star chose to have a double mastectomy after  lumpectomies failed to remove all of the cancer.

Lumpectomies were introduced to help preserve a women’s breast but in many cases I have heard from survivors that it may not be successful in removing all of the cancer and there is a recurrence.

So in the 21st century  women with breast cancer can have a choice.