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Dave Ismay gets a life

November 22nd 2010 09:36

: Vyoos news

Dave Ismay: big spender

What do you do when you are told you have three months to live? For Dave Ismay, a 64-year-old Briton who has spent a lifetime on stage as a comedian, the answer was: make a bucket list.

This Ismay said, was a list of things to do before he kicked the bucket.

His list included buying a Mercedes, visiting Australia, playing golf in Ireland, finishing a book about his life and auditioning for a part in a big pantomime, even though he had no idea if he would live to see the end of the season. Or even opening night.

Ismay won the pantomime role, and crossed all the other items off his list too. Well, all except one. The last one: Immortality. He might have had only months to live, but his sense of humour was surviving just fine.

He crammed all the list's activity into two months, and then returned to the real world by agreeing to independent, second-opinion liver biopsy test.

Ismay's original diagnosis was advanced cirrhosis of the liver, caused by a lifetime of heavy drinking. Ismay claims he was perplexed by this because, in his honest opinion, he had never been a heavy drinker. But how do you argue with a liver which shows all the signs of taking your life within weeks?

That's why the independent opinion seemed worthwhile. Nothing to lose.

The result of that second opinion deeply shocked Dave Ismay. Essentially, it was this: you aren't dying. You are suffering from hereditary haemochromatosis, a condition which leaves too much iron in the blood. And which is treatable.

Now Ismay has to re-budget the rest of his life. He spent all his savings having fun before he died.

He's cheated death. We suggest he cross immortality off his list as well.

dailymail.co.uk

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Posted By: Chris Champion - Category: Europe, UK, Health, Human nature

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Melissa's miracle

September 30th 2010 11:09

: Melissa's miracle

We love stories that feature heroism, determination, invention and, most of all, a happy ending.

Melissa Peacock is a 17-year-old from Bradford, England. She suffers from a rare condition called intracranial hypertension, or IH, which causes a build-up of spinal fluid in her skull which results in headaches.

The headaches have been described as "severe migraines", but another IH sufferer said calling them migraines is like calling the Nile a brook.

Melissa Peacock has been treated for eight years for the condition, but with little effect, and little relief from the headaches.

As a result, she has watched her friends enjoy a teenager's life while she has spent up to two weeks at a time in bed unable to move because of pain. Most of the time, she can't see properly. Sometimes she can barely see at all.

In her own words, it's like constantly trying to "see through a steamed-up window".

Melissa's inability to find relief from this miserable existence was not due to lack of trying from her doctors. The usual treatment for IH is a spinal puncture to drain the pooling fluid. It isn't a pleasant procedure. Melissa knows, she's had eight of them.

Her case proved unusual, if not unique, because the fluid built up again so quickly. The doctors needed to find another treatment.

They tried attaching a tube from Melissa's lower spine to her stomach, but it ended in disaster when the tube shifted and lodged in Melissa's neck. They tried the same thing again, but it ended in disaster when the tube shifted and lodged in Melissa's stomach, creating huge water blisters on her back and stomach as fluid leaked.

The doctors didn't give up.

Finally they came up with another idea; something radical, never tried before. They suggested a tube all the way from Melissa's skull to her stomach. The tube would be a permanent drain, removing the fluid as it collected from her brain, which couldn't cope with it, to her stomach, which could cope.

Her stomach would do with the fluid what it did with Melissa's dinner - check it for anything useful, and dispatch the rest to the waste disposal unit.

The idea worked.

"It has been a long journey but I can start to get on with the rest of my life now," Melissa Peacock said.

After eight years of agony, she deserves it. She's a hero just to have survived. Her determination over this period is a beacon to anyone suffering.

"I am studying photography at college now and hope I can go on to live a life that isn't controlled by my condition." We hope so too, Melissa.

As for the medical people who fashioned a miracle from iron will, skill and invention, you are as inspirational as Melissa Peacock.
dailymail.co.uk

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Posted By: Chris Champion - Category: UK, Health, Science

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Are women vain? The eyes have it

April 2nd 2010 01:32

For women confident enough to see it, glasses can be an elegant statement of self-assurance.

Scientists have produced evidence that just under 50 per cent of women are vain.

A British survey of 3,000 women found that nearly half of them believe wearing glasses makes them look unattractive and would not wear them under any circumstances. The study found that short-sighted women who do need glasses often prefer to squint or just exist in a blurry world.

Opticians connected to the study say the result is a serious concern. It indicates that in the UK alone there are 7.5 million women living with imperfect eyesight and refusing to do anything about it.

Researcher Paul Surridge said, "What seems ridiculous is that girls would much rather damage their eyesight permanently than visit their ... optician for a quick check. Deteriorating eyesight can have a terrible effect on quality of life, causing symptoms such as headaches, a squint or pain behind the eyes. Without regular check-ups, these can lead to much more serious conditions such as glaucoma.

"Unfortunately, vanity seems to be one of the main reasons why girls don't want to go for an eye test, or wear glasses."

The research also revealed women who do have prescription glasses don't wear them as often as they should. Two-thirds said they leave them at home when going for a night on the town, 50 per cent wouldn't wear them on the date, 15 per cent won't wear them on public transport and 16 per cent take them off before meeting their boyfriend.

Of those who do wear their spectacles, half claim to feel ugly when wearing them, and 48 per cent say they over-compensate with the rest of their outfit and appearance to make themselves feel more attractive.

When Paul Surridge talks about "girls", he means women, but there is no denying the seriousness of his point. Arguably, it is indeed girls teenagers who are potentially the greatest victims of the social and peer-group pressure which is behind this.

The incidence of myopia, or short-sightedness, varies between races, but affects roughly half the world's population. A recent study of first-year university students in Britain found that 50.0 per cent of caucasian background and 53.4 of Asian background were myopic.

It is something which commonly develops in the early teenage years, when the need to see the class whiteboard is greatest, and when confidence to resist peer pressure is at its lowest.
dailymail.co.uk; image: theage.com.au

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Posted By: Chris Champion - Category: UK, Fashion, Health, Human nature

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