For Positive Living

Another cancer drug rejected by NICE.  But how much do we really know about the process to get these treatments on the NHS?

As ever this is a very contentious issue, especially for the patients and their families hoping Avastin (bevacizumab) will do what it says on the tin.  The role of NICE is to work out how much money they can spend for every extra year, or month a drug keeps someone alive, or improves their quality of life.  As this is taxpayers money, there is never going to be enough to pay for all the treatments they consider, unless other health services or treatments are reduced at the same time.

Is it fair that pharmaceutical companies can hold governments to ransom?  Sure, they have R&D costs to recover, and according to the CEO’s of these corporations they need to make the rewards worth all the investment, but when their marketing budgets can easily be bigger than their research costs, how valid is that argument? (more…)

The latest information sheet from Ostomy Lifestyle – A guide to the types of stoma bag available – is now on the website for you to download and print at home.  See the Information Sheets page for more details.

Like all of our publications it is clear, concise, and sticks to the facts, and solves a typical problem we are regularly asked about on the Helpline.  Usually someone’s choice of bag is easy to make, but often they need to consider different components depending on their lifestyle, body shape, or type of stoma, especially between a colostomy, ileostomy or urostomy.

By giving people the opportunity to quickly see the most basic differences between appliances we can be sure they can make informed choices for themselves, and resolve any problems if they arise. (more…)

So there’s a book out by William Shawcross about Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and this one describes her surgery for colon cancer, but “discredits the long-held belief she was fitted with a colostomy bag”.  This again raises the question of whether the Queen Mother did or didn’t have a colostomy and, once again, we have to have the debate about finding a celebrity with a stoma.

I have to question the motivations of those people attempting to ‘out’ people that have had stoma surgery; are they looking for a cheap laugh (e.g. Trevor Philips), or a celebrity vehicle for their own interests?
Or are they seeking some sort of comfort from a positive role model who shows that having stoma surgery does not have to hold you back from being successful or glamorous. (more…)