Categories
On-Line

Keeping in touch

Join our ZOOM call!

We are going to hold a Zoom catch up on Wednesday 10th February at 2pm. It would be lovely if you can join us.

Please contact us on: info@headandneckcancer.life for an invitation.

Even if you have never used Zoom – why not give it a go, it is easier than you might think: We send you a “link”, you click on it, your browser starts, you answer whether or not you want to use your microphone and you are in the meeting!

We will be sending out the Zoom invitations a week before the catch up – that means plenty of time to practice using Zoom – see our tips about that: Are you tech-savvy?

Categories
Living

New Treatment

New radiation technique that reduces the side-effect of swallowing difficulties

A new treatment to improve the lives of patients undergoing radiotherapy for throat cancer has been successfully trialled by the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and The Institute of Cancer Research. 

According to reports, the treatment should be ready to roll out across NHS cancer centres next year (2021). 

Prof Chris Nutting, an oncologist at the Royal Marsden (quoted in the Daily Mail  by Adrian Monti: Oct 13, 2020) -explained: “Most cancer patients with head and neck cancers have intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), which has been the gold standard treatment since 2011. 

“The radiation needs to pass through the skin and other tissue to reach the tumour and can cause collateral damage around the treatment site, to important structures in the throat area.” 

But with the new treatment – called optimised IMRT – Prof Nutting said each radiotherapy course is designed for the patient like a ‘bespoke suit’. 

Prof Nutting said: “This is a game changer. In our clinical study of 112 patients from 23 cancer centres, 25% fewer patients suffered with swallowing issues when they got optimised IMRT, compared with those who received radiotherapy via the standard technique.” 

He added: “It means many patients will be able to return to eating normally again after treatment.” 

Results of the study, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology virtual conference in May 2020, found that 40% of patients who had received optimised IMRT reported significant improvements in swallowing one year after treatment, compared with only 15% of those who had the standard treatment. 

Dr David Thomson, a consultant clinical oncologist at The Christie Cancer Centre in Manchester, said he believes the study’s findings will change how patients are treated in the future. 

“Radiotherapy is used to treat head and neck cancers, which usually respond well and there is a good chance of cure,” Dr Thomson said. 

“This practice-changing style should result in the rapid adoption of this technique throughout the UK and an international standard of care for this cancer treatment.”  

Watch a video with Professor Nutting and a speech and language therapist discussing this topic: https://wwww.royalmarsden.nhs.uk/new-optimised-intensity-modulated-radiation-therapy-can-reduce-swallowing-difficulties-head-and-neck

Categories
People

Scary Mask or What?

How are you managing with the Covid regulations? How have you found managing with face coverings?

My brother Colin has been constructing model boats in his man-cave as long as I remember and has become well-known in the model boating world. He always wears a large mask to protect him from toxic fumes from the glue and resins he uses to stick the pieces of boat together. 

However, one day during the first lockdown of Covid-19, he suddenly produced his ‘gas mask’ and announced he was going to wear it whilst shopping at the local supermarket. 

His shocked family took one look at him and said: “NO!” “You can’t do that! You’ll give people a heart attack – you look like something from outer space!!” 

Thankfully, he was only joking – but for a moment ….. 

Mary Bishop-Pinn 

Meanwhile elsewhere in Surrey…..

Other brothers in scary masks are available! My brother says he will wear it when he goes to his local vaccination centre for the jab, but then again, maybe not.

Lucy

Categories
Living On-Line

Are you tech-savvy?

Are you – ”well informed about or proficient in the use of modern technology, especially computers” – if you are, you are “tech-savvy”! Many of us have become a bit tech-savvy by using Face Time, What’s App, Skype or Zoom to keep in touch with friends and family. But some have been left behind because it all seems a bit bewildering. 

The NHS has replaced some of their face to face medical appointments with telephone or on line consultations, so now is a good time to start putting that right.  If you feel hesitant, here are a few tips: 

  • Get used to using your equipment. It really helps to orientate yourself to whatever device you are going to use. 
  •  Find someone in your support bubble to help you access the appointment link.
  • Consider setting up “remote access”. This is where someone you trust can access your computer and as if by magic you will see them clicking on the links and setting you up for your session.    
  • Practice using your mouse and keyboard if you haven’t used them for a while. Have your glasses ready too as the clinician can type questions or share a screen so that you can look at documents.
  • Don’t feel embarrassed to tell them that you have difficulty hearing at the beginning of your appointment so that the clinician can use the chat button to type out things you haven’t heard clearly. 
  • Think about where you are going to be for your online appointment. I have found that when people are sitting in their cars or even in Tesco’s it has been almost impossible to have a successful consultation.
Think about how well your clinician can see you
  • It is really helpful to get the best picture possible so that the clinician can see your face clearly. This may sound silly but visibility on the screen can be improved if you make sure the lighting is good. Avoid sitting with your back to a light source such as a window. It is a shame to shut the sun out but in some cases closing the curtains will make a big difference. If possible try and have the light coming from behind your computer screen.
  • Make sure that the room is quiet and other people in the house know you’re having an online appointment – we’ve all heard of those embarrassing stories where people unknowingly wander across the back of the screen…for me my favourite was Charles Saatchi.  
  • Experiment with the position of the camera. If you are using a laptop that will mean experimenting with the angle of the lid if that is where you camera is. If you are using a phone or tablet it is often best not to hold it so experiment where you will prop it up and what gives you the best angle so that the clinician can see you clearly. You don’t need to buy a stand as books, tissue boxes, shelves, recipe and music stands can all work well. If you are using a phone practice switching the camera so that the clinician can see you and not your living room!  
What your helper may need to help you with.
  • Set up your other equipment beforehand. Check your wireless or 4G signal, if it is poor, plug your device directly into your router if you can.
  • Know which NHS system will be used for your consultation – it could be “Zoom”, “Microsoft Teams” or “Attend Anywhere”. 
  • When you are sent the link for your appointment save it somewhere safe. It generally will be sent as a” hyperlink”. Clicking on a hyperlink mostly works every time but practicing copying and pasting links in the correct place is a good idea, just in case.
  • Your link to an Attend Anywhere appointment will be the same for every session but will vary from department to department so try to avoid mixing them up. 
  • If when you get an appointment for a virtual clinic you feel overwhelmed with the technology please email or ring the contact number provided.
  • Some services offer you a chance to practice so that you can feel more confident when you have your appointment.  I have been using Attend Anywhere at work for many months and was involved in the NHS pilot project that had started before the COVID 19 pandemic and most patients manage very well.
Confidentiality Security and Safety

As with all appointments please remember to ask the clinician’s permission if you want to record any part of the session. 

Make sure that you really do trust the person and set up the system so it is password protected so they are unable to access your computer without your permission. I’ve had quite a few examples where people have had support from family members (grandchildren are a favourite), friends and church members.

And finally if you feel unable to talk freely in your online session because you feel you are being overheard, subject to coercive control or are frightened of domestic violence please telephone the police if you feel you are in immediate danger.

If you are not in a life threatening situation try to let your clinician know or contact: National Domestic Abuse Hotline Freephone: 0808 2000 247 (24 hours) 

Good Luck 

Lucy 

Categories
Recipes

Soup No. 4

Hearty Vegetable and Brown Rice Soup

Internet Inspiration Soup

Now it’s getting colder I trawled through the Internet for thick soups suitable for liquidising. As always do always check that the ingredients and consistencies are suitable for any diet or texture that have been recommended by your dietitian and speech and language therapist.

Ingredients: 

  • 60g cooked brown rice 
  • 60g chopped broccoli florets 
  • 60g chopped cauliflower florets 
  • 1 carrot, thinly sliced 
  • 300ml stock  
  • 2 tsp dried basil 
  • 1 tsp dried oregano 
  • 1 tsp ground dried cumin 
  • Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste 
  • ½ cup grated cheese  

Cooking Directions: 

  1. In a large saucepan, heat stock to boiling. Stir in brown rice. Cover and cook, over low heat, for 5 minutes.  
  1. Add vegetables and oregano. Simmer for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender.  
  1. Add basil, cumin, salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle each with grated cheese. 

Tell us what you think

Let us know your most easy to swallow soups and other favourite recipes by sending them to us at:

info@headandneckcancer.life 

Categories
Recipes

Soup No. 3

Mulligatawny Soup  

Internet Inspiration Soup

Now it’s getting colder I trawled through the Internet for thick soups suitable for liquidising. As always do always check that the ingredients and consistencies are suitable for any diet or texture that have been recommended by your dietitian and speech and language therapist.

Ingredients: 

  • 1 skinless chicken breast, 
  • 1 small onion, chopped,  
  • ½ tbsp. of oil 
  • 1 medium potato, peeled and diced 
  • 1 small green bell pepper, seeded and diced 
  • ½ Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced 
  • 1 can (15 oz.) cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained  
  • 1-1 ½ tbsp. curry powder 
  • 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger 
  • Cayenne pepper, to taste (optional) 
  • 3 tbsp. tomato paste 
  • ½ cup plain fat-free or low-fat yogurt 
  • 600ml vegetable stock 

Cooking Directions: 

  1. Place the chicken in a deep, large saucepan. Add the stock, beans, and the apple. Over medium-high heat, bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer gently until the chicken is white in the centre, about 25 minutes.  Remove the chicken and cut into pieces. Puree the remaining mixture. 
  1. In a frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion and green pepper until soft, about 6 minutes. Mix in the curry powder, ginger and cayenne (optional) and heat until they are fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the pureed soup base, tomato paste and potato. Simmer until the potato is tender, about 15 minutes. 
  1. Add the yoghurt to taste. 

Tell us what you think

Let us know your most easy to swallow soups and other favourite recipes by sending them to us at:

info@headandneckcancer.life 

Categories
Recipes

Soup No.2

Red Lentil Soup 

Now it’s getting colder I trawled through the Internet for thick soups suitable for liquidising. As always do always check that the ingredients and consistencies are suitable for any diet or texture that have been recommended by your dietitian and speech and language therapist.

Ingredients: 

  • 1 tablespoon butter 
  • ½ medium onion, chopped 
  • 1 carrot, finely chopped 
  • 2 celery sticks, finely chopped with any long fibres removed 
  • 1 clove of garlic, thinly sliced 
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin 
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander 
  • ½ teaspoon chilli powder 
  • 1 can of tomatoes,( if you find seeds tricky strain first) 
  • 200g red lentils 
  • Pinch of sugar, pinch of salt 
  • Squeeze of fresh lemon 

Cooking Directions: 

In a large pot, melt the butter. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, 5 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander and chilli powder and cook until fragrant, 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook just until softened, 2 minutes. Add the lentils and 8 cups of water and season with salt. Simmer over moderately low heat until the lentils are very soft, 30 minutes. 

Purée the soup. 

Season with sugar, salt, squeeze of lemon and serve with plain yogurt or cream.  

Tell us what you think

Let us know your most easy to swallow soups and other favourite recipes by sending them to us at: 

info@headandneckcancer.life 

Categories
Recipes

Soup No. 1

Pea Soup with Tarragon 

Internet Inspiration Soup

Now it’s getting colder I trawled through the Internet for thick soups suitable for liquidising. As always do always check that the ingredients and consistencies are suitable for any diet or texture that have been recommended by your dietitian and speech and language therapist.

Ingredients: 

  • 500g pack of frozen petite pois 
  • 1 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil 
  • 2 medium sliced shallots  
  • 400 ml of vegetable stock (or more) 
  • 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh tarragon 
  • Plain non-fat yogurt or cream (optional) 

Cooking Directions: 

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and sauté until golden and almost tender, about 7 minutes. Add peas, stock, tarragon; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and boil until flavours blend and peas are tender, about 7 minutes. Cool slightly. 

Puree soup in blender until completely smooth. Add extra liquid if you feel it is too thick. Season with pepper and serve with yoghurt or cream. 

Tell us what you think

Let us know your most easy to swallow soups and other favourite recipes by sending them to us at:

info@headandneckcancer.life 

Categories
Fundraising Living

Thank you Donors

A big thank you to our donors

If you would like to donate please use our Just Giving link: https://www.justgiving.com/headandneckcancer

We are a small Charity and wouldn’t be able to do the things that we do without the support of our members and donors. 

Donations allow us to run a monthly drop in group at St. Catherine’s village Hall.

They also fund social events such as our Annual Summer and Christmas Parties.

One donor paid for the food for the Christmas party because having a dry mouth herself “I know how hard it is sometimes to chew and swallow foods that are provided at most events. I wanted people to have lots of choice so they could find something that they fancy eating”.

Another paid for some LCD writing tablets as she could not imagine how hard it was for people recovering from head and neck surgery to communicate in the early days of their recovery. ”it seemed like such a small thing but I wanted to do something after my friend had throat surgery and I realised she needed to write everything down and never had paper and pen.”

Thanks to some very generous gifts we were planning a wider range of activities for 2020. Unfortunately these have been put on hold due to the pandemic. We will start again when it is safe to do so. We’re looking forward to it.

Categories
On-Line

Website Update

Progress report on day 2

The switch-over to a new platform (WordPress) has happened and the very basics are in place.

You will see the amount of content increase over the coming days: writers and editors have been busy in the last few weeks and piece by piece they will be added to the website. Keep being patient!

Categories
On-Line

Website Upgrade in Progress

Our website is down for maintenance and reconstruction – we are sorry for the inconvenience and hope to be back very soon.  With best wishes: Second Chance Head and Neck Cancer Group

Please feel free to contact us by email: info@headandneckcancer.life