Doctors and patient care
Last Friday I gave a talk to a group of GP Registrars here in Broome. It was my friend Katherine’s idea. She is a doctor and thought it would be useful for the doctors to hear about my experiences with PTSD.
I have had good doctors and less good doctors throughout my life. I think doctors have a very tough job and it must be difficult to see so many patients and know exactly what care they need.
During my treatment I felt like I was in the best possible hands. I actually had private medical insurance at the time but I didn’t use it. The care I received from the NHS was beyond amazing so I chose to just stay with them.
It was afterwards when I began to really struggle with my thoughts. I have numerous doctors for my ‘conditions’. I have my GP, my haematology doctor, my vascular surgeon, my oncologist and my specialist nurses.
As I explained in my Mental Health Day post, it was my post cancer experience which was the most difficult. I felt very alone and felt like I was on a roller coaster without the safety belts.
I need more than just my blood test results, more than just cream for my eczema and more than a ‘your results look fine Greig, see you in 6 months’.
I explained in my talk on Friday that my favourite and best Doctors are the ones who have checked and know what my results are before I walk into the room, the ones who ask me how I am doing, that ones that face me when talking to me and ones who aren’t afraid to be themselves.
I’ll never forget when I told my oncology professor about my proposed trip. He took his glasses off, turned towards me and said “I think that’s a marvellous idea Greig”. He then went on to tell me about his travelling experiences as a young man. It immediately made me feel more confident about my trip because he said it was a good idea. That’s the kind of effect doctors can have on a persons mental well being.
It doesn’t matter how old you are, everyone needs reassurance. Doctors should realise that they are a bit like an adopted parent when people are ill. We listen to what they have to say and in a way, hang on their every word. They should also know that there is still one hell of a battle going on even after cancer or any other type of illness and having the ability to empathise, reassure and offer suggestions of treatment which is not medical can go a very long way to keeping that patient fit and healthy in both body and mind.
Here’s a little something that a friend shared with me and I think it sums up what I am talking about perfectly in a fun way.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-25112785
A huge thank you to the GP Registrars of Broome for their warm welcome and a massive thank you to Katherine for suggesting that I give this talk.
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The beautiful camels of Broome
They say no visit to Broome would be complete without a sunset camel ride on Cable Beach. My lovely friend Katherine took me for my very first camel ride as the sunset over the Indian Ocean.
My friend Laura used to work with the camels in Broome years ago and she told me all about them before I left for a Oz.
I had no idea that Australia had the largest herd of camels in the world. The camels were brought over from India, Arabia and Afghanistan in the 19th century and with no natural predators have flourished into their thousands. There are now around 750,000 camels roaming wild in the outback. Who’d have thunk it!?
A very magical and surreal sight to see.
I can’t get over how beautiful the sunsets are here. I’m going to find it very hard to leave this place next week.
A night with the stars and the Staircase to the Moon
Without knowing it I seemed to have planned my visit to Broome perfectly. I saw the last ‘Staircase to the Moon of the Year’ (apologies for the rubbish photo) and also got to see a lunar eclipse (photo stolen from internet:).
I absolutely love learning about the stars and the universe. When I went to the observatory in Chile I said that I hope when we die we are taken to a big lecture theatre where we are told everything about the universe. Where we came from, why did the Big Bang happen and that little question of ‘why are we here?’ The thought of the universe absolutely blows me away.
(Have a wee look at this link to be completely blown away! The part about the Hubble telescope is just amazing.
http://m.ba-bamail.com/View.aspx?MemberId=835852&emailid=12288&source=mobile_share)
I watched the lunar eclipse last wednesday where the earths shadow covers the moon. The moon turned a blood red colour which looked incredible. (My photo didn’t come out very well so I stole this one from the internet so you can see what it looked like)
The Monday before I went on an astro tour in Broome with an amazing guy called Greg (cool name:).
Greg has been giving talks about the stars for the best the best part of 20 years. He is completely self taught and explains the universe in a such a simple way that you can’t help but understand it.
Greg said that he first really took note of the stars when he was working as a Pearl Diver in his younger years. Pearl diving is determined by the tides so he always knew tidal and therefore moon patterns.
He then became a mechanic and would service trucks which would take him out on the road. He would sleep beneath the stars. As he lay there he would noticed that the stars were in a different position each night. He then went away and bought himself a star map and there started his learning of the earth and the universe which surrounds it.
Greg’s tour was in a beautiful spot in a field where he has a range of telescopes and you sit under the stars listening to Greg explain everything you’ve never realised you wanted to know. Unfortunately the moon was shining bright that night so many of the stars couldn’t be seen but seeing the moon throug the telescope was pretty amazing! You could see every detail of the craters.
There were so many things he explained but the one which really got me thinking is that we all still talk like as if we live on a flat earth. We still say things like ‘let’s watch the sun go down’ when I fact it’s us that’s rotating so it should actually be ‘let’s go and watch the sun move away as we turn away from it’! Not quite as romantic but that’s actually how it is.
I also didn’t realise that the moon is 400,000km away from the earth and is pretty much the same size as Australia. If you put the moon on top of Uluru in the centre of Australia the moon would just about cover Oz! It goes to show juts how big Australia is!
The earth travels at 66,600mph through space and spins at 1,036mph. Wow! And here’s me worrying about going to another country whilst all the time we’re hurtling through space at almost 67’000mph! It’s quite a thought isn’t it?!
Just when I thought Greg couldn’t be anymore awesome he then pulls out cups of HOT CHOCOLATE for everyone! The dream end to an amazing night.
Greg has a Facebook page which he updates with facts and videos which you can find here. He also has some great photos of the eclipse:-
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Greg-Quickes-Astro-Tours/167670281850
The staircase to the moon was good but I’m told that this one wasn’t the best. It was a bit cloudy so you didn’t see the moon until it was quite high in the sky therefore the staircase effect was a bit lost. It was still incredible to see it rise over the mud flats so I’m so glad I stayed to see it for myself.
An amazing week with the stars and my friend Katherine having to put up with me singing the lyrics to ‘I swear’ by All 4 One! Remember that classic?…..”I swear by the moon and stars in the sky…” I hang my head in shame!;)
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World Mental Health Day
Mental Health – ‘a person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being’.
Today is World Mental Health Day. I started off this day the same way I start off every other day. I woke up and I spent the first few minutes of the day reassuring myself that I don’t have cancer anymore.
Every morning I wake up and my first thought is about cancer. I wonder why I feel tired when I wake up. Tiredness was the main symptom before being diagnosed with bowel cancer so now I associate tiredness with cancer. This morning I felt tired and achey. I tell myself that I exercised yesterday that’s why I feel tired. I also woke up in the middle of the night which always disrupts my sleep pattern.
This is how I not only spend my mornings but also a good few times throughout the day.
I’ve gotten used to doing this now ever since suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder when my treatment finished in 2011. When I was having treatment I always felt like I was actively fighting cancer. When that treatment was finished I felt lost and suddenly the thought of getting cancer again was all down to me. The safety ropes had been lifted.
I thought about cancer every moment of every day. I had insomnia, I developed eczema on my face and upper body and the moments I did get some sleep were usually disrupted by night sweats where I would wake up soaking wet. I couldn’t concentrate and I was highly emotional. I was like a glass which was full to the brim, one little drop seemed to send me over the edge where I felt like couldn’t cope with the situation. I worried about everything from where I parked my car to the fact the dishes needed doing. I lost my self confidence and didn’t want to leave the house.
For what seemed like an eternity I felt scared and the fear of cancer consumed me. I thought I was losing my mind but it turns out that this was a common emotional reaction amongst those who had experienced cancer or any type of traumatic experience. A fact I now know but didn’t know when I was going through it.
The fear of cancer returning and the belief that my future would be riddled with pain and suffering was worse than both my cancers put together. This fear took away my smile, my optimism, my love of life and my relationship.
With hard work and determination I can now control that fear. The fear now only lasts for a few minutes at a time while I control my thoughts and convince myself to the fact that in this moment I am fine. The future hasn’t happened yet and the past has been and gone.
It is believed that 1 in 4 people will experience mental health problems in their lifetime. That means that it is more than likely that someone you know is struggling with a mental health disorder. It may be anxiety, depression or this year’s World Mental Health day awareness disorder of schizophrenia.
In today’s modern world we are bombarded with images of ‘perfect’ people via magazines, ‘perfect lives’ via social media, crazy working hours, relationship and abuse issues, drink and drugs, financial and illness stresses and scary and sad stories in the news. For some people this is too much to handle and it is so easy for it get on top of us and slowly consume our thoughts. Others like schizophrenia can be caused by changes in brain chemicals.
The only advice I can offer from a personal viewpoint is don’t be frightened to talk about it. I promise you that you are not alone. There are lots of people you can speak to and there are lots of therapies out there that can be very helpful from cognitive behavioural therapy to neural linguistic programming and counselling.
My best therapy was having things to look forward to doing in the future. My experience with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is the reason I decided to share my story. When I was eventually diagnosed with PTSD I wondered how many more people are out there going through this but not knowing that it is a perfectly normal reaction to have after a traumatic experience.
The main thing to remember is that there is hope and lots of lots of help to get you through this. X
For further advice on Mental Health problems, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and anxiety please see links below:-
MENTAL HEALTH A-Z – http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/a-z-mental-health/
POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER – http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/
WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY – http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work/world-mental-health-day/world-mental-health-day-2014/
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Sam’s journey
Some of you may remember me asking if you would light a candle for this little boy a few weeks ago. Sam had been suffering with Stage 3 Fibrosarcoma (a cancerous lump on his face).
Sam lost his battle to this awful disease yesterday. He was the same age as I was when I was diagnosed as a child.
It is so sad that Sam has been taken from this world and his loving family. It is also another reminder of how precious this life is and that no second should be wasted.
Perhaps after reading this take a moment to think of Sam and his family and look around and be grateful for all that we have. Give your loved ones a big hug, a phone call or a visit and let them know that you love them. It is heartbreaking to know that Sam’s family won’t be able to do this with Sam anymore.
Hearing news like this reinforces my drive to enjoy every moment that I have in this world and to be grateful for all that I have. Even after two bouts of cancer I still get distracted away from what is important in life and the loss of wonderful human beings like Sam bring a me right back to where I should be….grateful.
Rest in peace Sam.
Our love and thoughts are with you and your family
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Seaplanes, sharks and Horizontal Falls
On Tuesday I got to experience one of my all time dreams…..I got to ride in a seaplane! Wow!! I’ve wanted to go in one of these ever since I first watched Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Luckily there were no snakes in this one:)
I took a half tour with the incredible Horizontal Falls Adventures up the coast to the amazing Horizontal Falls. I had no idea what the Horizontal Falls were before I arrived in Broome but I saw leaflet with a photo of them on and thought I have to see these things for myself.
The Horizontal Falls are a fast-moving tidal flow through two narrow, closely aligned gorges. As the tide rises it struggles to get thought the gorges which makes the current unstable as it forces it’s way through the gaps giving the appearance of a horizontal Waterfall.
The tour itself was amazing. We flew up the Kimberley Coast to the Falls and the scenery was breathtaking. The water was a turquoise colour that made you pinch yourself to see make sure you weren’t dreaming and the beautiful islands popping out of the water like beautiful prehistoric dinosaurs.
We then circled around the falls so all sides could see them before a ‘Top Gun’ like sharp turn down to the water where we landed. (See photo of me to see the pure excitement on my face).
We then went for a ride in a RIB boat and motored through each of the falls which was so much fun. The tide is so strong that you are jumping all over the place. We then went back to the floating barge and had a bit of breakfast before swimming with sharks and then off on another boat ride through the mangroves. I made the bold announcement that I thought it was a myth that Australia had lots of crocodiles because I hadn’t seen any yet. I’m now very much hoping that my statement isn’t proven completely wrong next time I go for a paddle!:)
We then headed back to Broome but sadly landed on concrete at the airport which was nowhere near as much fun as landing on water.
I absolutely loved the falls but I think it was the whole experience which I loved. Riding in a seaplane, zooming through the falls on a speed boat and being face to face with a shark. My NLP therapist always told me to ‘find the inner child’ and I’m not sure I fully understood all that back then but I totally understood it on this trip. I was a kid again, doing things for the first time and I loved it. I even got to ride up front with the pilot. Such fun! Fortunately the pilot didn’t hear me endlessly quoting Top Gun under my breath during the flight!:)
A huge thank you to Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures for this amazing experience. Visiting the Kimberley in Australia is definitely going on my list!
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Beautiful broome and the stunning kimberley coast
Sunshine, sand, sunsets and what could possibly be the best camping spot ever! What a start to my Australian adventure.
I got off the plane in Broome and was immediately whisked away up the coast by my good friend Katherine for a camping trip hence the lack of updates this week. I first met Katherine when we both volunteered for Raleigh International last year so it was great to see her again. She now lives in Broome, works here as a doctor and is one of the loveliest people you could hope to meet so I’m in good hands. Although, when I wrote ‘101’ in the sand for the first photo, Kat came over, looked at it with a confusing look on her face and asked “why have you written LOL?”. I haven’t stopped teasing her about it since.
The trip
We first drove up to a place called Middle Lagoon which was beautiful. To get there you need to have a 4WD truck as the roads are just dirt and sand. The campsite was about 50 yards away from the beach and we spent a couple of days just relaxing, swimming in the ocean and catching up. The photo of the solitary umbrella on the beach is about as busy as it got there. It was just amazing as the beach was perfect in every way. The water and the sand reminded me of the beautiful San Blas Islands in Panama. I couldn’t believe how quiet it was.
At night we set up a fire and chatted over a couple of cold ginger beers. It was absolute bliss.
We then drove further north to a place called Cape Leveque where we stayed in what I can only describe as the most amazing camp site ever. I’ve stayed in some amazing places on my trip so far with the cottage I stayed at in upstate New York coming very close to my dream home. I’ve always said that my idea of a dream home would be the caravan on the beach that Mel Gibson’s character has in the film Lethal Weapon. I always thought this was the most idyllic place for a home, right next to the ocean.
The place we stayed at in Cape Leveque is called Kooljaman and they have little wood shelters literally right on the rocks next to the beach where you can camp in (see photos after the solitary umbrella photo). It was incredible waking up and falling asleep to the sound of the ocean and being able to walk just a few steps onto the beach. I’ve never stayed in such a place.
These beaches were also very quiet so you feel like you are on some kind of beautiful tropical island.
Needless to say I’ve totally fallen in love with Western Australia and I’ve only seen a tiny part of it so far.
I’m now back in the town of Broome which has the most beautiful sunsets ever. Seeing the sunset over the ocean has to be one of the most incredible things ever. Its so beautiful it’s hard to believe its real. I’ve tried to keep my sunset pics to a minimum in this album but I have a ridiculous amount more on my camera. Sunsets are still my most favourite thing.
On the rocks by the ocean there are Dinosaur footprints which are another reminder of just how amazing our world actually is.
I’ve now decided to stay in Broome for one more week as some of you told me about something called the ‘Staircase to the Moon’. This is where the full moon rises from the ocean’s horizon and the reflection from the mud flats resemble stairs leading up to it. I’ve got to see this for myself. The next full moon is on Thursday so I’m going to stick around for that and also go see the amazing Horizontal Falls on Tuesday.
As I sit here writing this update and choosing which photos to share with you I once again feel like I am in a dream world. I questioned whether or not I should come here before I left and now I am so glad I did. What an amazingly beautiful place.
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Made it… almost!
I’m just about to jump on flight number three of my 33 hour journey from London to Broome, Australia. I’ve landed in Perth and now have a 6 hour wait until my next flight so have turned on my Facebook to find the most wonderful messages from you. I’ve been reading through them all and they are just amazing. Thank you so much. I’m all fired up now and ready for action! Well, I might be ready after about 10 hours of sleep!:)
I love natural and ‘in the moment’ photos. My dream would be to have someone travel with me and capture the moments of what it’s truly like to be a backpacker. I feel like sometimes I only ever post the smiley and ‘standing in front of something epic’ pictures but occasionally it’s nice to see the in between bits as well because they are also sometimes my favourite parts as well.
Obviously this isn’t a completely natural photo but I was sitting like this trying to have a wee nap and I thought I would set up the camera and take a photo to capture what life on the road is often like. (The thai stewardesses opposite me thought I was very strange).
Travelling can often involve a lot of waiting around but I actually love it. I never seem to be in a rush for anything nowadays (which may well annoy future employers) although being late for things is still a big no no for me. I love these times because there are so many things I can do like read, listen to music or write and it’s a great opportunity to just to stop and take it all in. For example I was sitting there and I looked out of the window and I saw an Australian flag and I thought…Yowzers! I’m in Australia! Crazy! It’s strange that you actually have to stop for a moment or two to actually fully comprehend these things.
So the next stop is Broome! I’m still planning my route round Australia but I would absolutely love to meet up with everyone from OZ who has messaged me. You guys are so generous. Thank you. I’ll let you know when I’m going to be in town and hopefully we can meet and you can show me the real Australia! Australia is enormous by the way! Wow!
Thanks you so much once again everyone for your kind words. I feel very honoured to have you with me.
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The adventure begins!
After an emotional goodbye to my beautiful parents I now sit here on the floor next to a plug point at Heathrow airport waiting for my flight to the beautiful Australia.
I’m wearing exactly the same clothes as I did when I first set off in June last year. The colour has faded a bit but they are still going strong!
Loads of thoughts going through my head right now. The main one being ‘have I made the right decision?’, closely followed by, ‘do I really need three pairs of shorts?’
Isn’t the human mind an amazing thing?! One minute I’m debating life choices, the next I’m thinking about my wardrobe!:)
My mum will be happy to hear that I’ve taken 10 pairs of underwear this time round instead the five I had when I first set off! she will be so proud!:)
New things, new people and wonderful experiences await. When I have my down days, which I had a few of on the first leg of my trip I just have to remember that those are soon forgotten when you look back on your life experiences.
The good things in life always prevail! I just have to keep remembering that when a certain something beginning with the letter ‘c’ pops into my head.
So without further a do….let the adventure begin!
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A time to say goodbye
The time has come to say goodbye to the people I love most in the world. On Thursday I jump on a plane headed for the other side of the earth. Yesterday the butterfly’s started and today the head itching (another annoying side effect of my anxiety) started but at least this time I know it’s from more apprehension and excitement rather than fear.
When I get nervous about going away I always think back to 4 years ago and the feeling I had just before my operation. The elevator doors shutting as I went up to theatre and me saying “I’ll see you later” to my loved one. As the doors closed all I could think of was that there were vascular surgeons on standby in case my enlarged veins from my blood clot proved ‘problematic’ and the realisation that as a 30 year old I would probably be waking up to a life long colostomy bag. Fortunately none of those things were needed. The surgeon was a genius that day and I woke up to a few more wires coming out of me and a weird glued up cut down my abdomen.
I remember my brother staring at the size of my catheter tube in disbelief and asking “is that going where I think it’s going?” Ha! It still makes me laugh.
So when I get scared about doing something like this I think back to that day and I realise that there is nothing on this planet that can be as bad as the feeling I had as those elevator doors shut.
I’ve put some photos in this post just to show you some of the wonderful things I’ve been up to in the past couple of weeks. Being at home hasn’t been the relaxing time I hoped it would be but I’m so glad I came home. It’s made me realise that maybe this little island of ours is the place for me. Near family and friends.
So this is what I’ve been up to over the past couple of weeks:-
Becoming a Godfather again, this time to the gorgeous little Hattie. Another amazing honour in what is without doubt my favourite year ever. Despite her expression I am in no doubt that she is as happy as her Uncle Greig!:)
Meeting the worlds greatest living explorer, Sir Ranulph Fiennes.
My brother treated me to hear the great man give a talk at the Royal Geographic Society in aid of the urology foundation.
This guy has walked across the Antarctic, reached both poles by surface and at 65 years old climbed Everest! He is amazing and it was incredible seeing his photos and hearing the stories of what horrific environments the human body can survive in. As I know only too well the human body is one tough cookie!
I emailed Ranulph the day before and he was kind enough to write back and congratulate me on my challenges in life. It was an honour to meet him. (I didn’t buy his book though so I think that’s why he looks so grumpy:)
My mum showing me the inside collar of my shirt and asking if I had EVER cleaned the back of my neck since I’d been away. The answer was no. Mum then proceeded to conduct a surprise attack with a wet cloth when I wasn’t looking. My neck is now red raw…but ridiculously clean! thanks mum!:)
Seeing my favourite book brought to life on stage at the Regents Park Open Theatre in London. If you ever get a chance to see this show then please do. It’s the most magical experience ever and definitely one for your lists. To Kill a Mocking Bird has been my favourite book since I first read at school. It is beautiful and covers every human emotion going. I’m still one day hoping that I’ll be as brave and wise as the amazing Atticus Finch.
A huge thank you to my friend Jenny for this wonderful treat. X
Hanging out with my wonderful dad. Dad asked me if I wanted to go and pick brambles with him one day last week. I hesitated at first but then I thought it would be nice to hang out. I’d actually forgotten how much fun it was picking fruit. We used to go raspberry and strawberry picking as a family when my brother and I were kids. I think we would eat more than we picked but it was a childhood memory I am very fond of. Mum would then make jam and drop scones which was just the best thing ever.
When I was picking the fruit I thought just how amazing our world is that you can just stop by the side of a road and pick these amazing fruits off a tree….for FREE! I wondered how many people had wasted their money buying them from Waitrose that day.
My last day with my big brother and little Sister in law before I go away. I love hanging out with these two. They are such fun and so in love it’s just wonderful. They make me believe that true love really does exist in the world.
We had the best day with smoothies in the morning, before hiring a rowing boat on the Thames and having a picnic. We then messed around and played catch before heading home for a big fat Sunday roast and a movie! The prefect British summers day.
Saying goodbye to my brother was a little bit harder this time because this time I knew just how much I was going to miss him.
My parents will wave me off at Heathrow Airport on Thursday and I have a feeling that one will be the most difficult goodbye of all.
Fear not though because in the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger….. “I’LL BE BACK!;)
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