Chris Luck's Blog

“Are you OK with needles?”

I laughed. Three years ago I would have described myself as a needle phobic. Now, after six months of chemo, endless blood tests and even a go at self-injecting I consider myself a needle veteran.

The nurse smiled. She was brusque but friendly. I suppose she was in her [...]

I’ve fallen over, Tripped up over life, And found myself flat on the floor, Face down.

It’s not the first time, That I’ve fallen over, And it wont be the last, That’s for sure.

Because my cancer, Is a mega trip hazard, But you’d think [...]

I have received a response to my direct email to NICE regarding their decision not to support Zytiga (abiratone). The reply was from Jessica Fielding, Communications Executive and in her reply she states:

In terms of explaining more about how the decision was reached for the draft guidance, Abiraterone is an expensive drug and [...]

Despite the best efforts of the registrar to convince me at yesterday’s clinical meeting that my latest PSA result taken a fortnight ago was a ‘rogue’ result I knew that it wasn’t so.

This afternoon she phoned me to let me know the results of the PSA test that I took yesterday – 40. [...]

Sometimes people ask me how I think a forthcoming clinical meeting will go. I’m always hesitant at responding to these inquiries. Cancer is a perverse disease. I have learnt, often the hard way, that how I feel (or look) has very little bearing on how the cancer is progressing. Today’s clinical meeting is no [...]

I have just returned from a week’s holiday in the Red Sea to find that the NICE debacle goes on with a new twist.

Now the AWMSG (All Wales Medicines Strategy Group) has approved Zytiga(abiraterone) for use in Wales (Wales OKs Janssen cancer drug, at least for a while)

So it looks like men [...]

Tomorrow I’m off to the Red Sea for a week of sun and sand and hopefully some diving.

I won’t be blogging while away but will return to my keyboard with renewed vigour on my return.

You have been warned!

In the meantime do keep up emailing your local MP regarding NICE’s decision not [...]

I went to the Royal Free today for my blood test prior to my clinical meeting, which is about ten days away. Walked up the stairs to the first floor to find that they have moved it to the ground floor. I don’t remember them asking my permission!

So I walked all the way [...]

The Prostate Cancer Charity has started to lobby against NICE’s decision not to support abiratone for men with advanced prostate cancer. Check out this video of Dr Sarah Cant, the Head of Policy and Campaigns at the charity:

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I emailed my local MP yesterday regarding Nice’s decision not to support the use of the new drug abiratone (Zytiga) for men with advanced prostate cancer.

I invite all my readers to join me by emailing their MP. If you don’t know the email address for you local MP you can find it at the [...]