Continuing our weekly round-up of general health news with one outlier, a story about a computer winning a debate with humans. I mean this could be about health, because health is increasingly using AI and it was too good to omit.
Eggs. If you are old like me, you will remember the brilliant "Go to work on an egg" campaign created by UK novelist…
Three stories, two from NZ and one from overseas.
What are we going to do about affordable access to dental care? …
You know the feeling. You forgot your water bottle so you dash into the dairy to get a new one. You’re annoyed because bottled water is expensive and you have five empty bottles stashed at home.
When you approach the shopkeeper, you can barely talk because your tongue is stuck to the top of your mouth.
You kick yourself for coming out…
There's a lot going on in the health world, in New Zealand not all of it good with nurses about to strike unless the latest offer is accepted, Middlemore problems continuing and dental care too expensive for many citizens to afford. We promise we will share good news when it hits the headlines but for today ...
Proposed nurses strike (we…
Dear member,
On 12th June, speech languages therapists from across the northern region are meeting with consumer representatives to discuss & draft a care pathway that ensures people with head & neck cancer across Auckland & northland can access the best speech therapy support we can offer, particularly after cancer treatment is finished. We would love to hear from you…
Two nervous, tui clad committee members delivered a 15 minute presentation at the inaugural Health Literacy Symposium at North Shore Hospital on 24 May.
Tammy and I spoke about our inspiration, the power of visual images to inform people, the benefits of online support groups like our closed Facebook group, our website and our desire…
Thyroid cancer comes loosely under the heading of head and neck cancer or is at least treated by the same ENT/ORL surgeons who treat us. I believe that most thyroid cancers are very curable. I think this is an interesting story of how one person coped with it.
Many thanks to Mary for sharing her story with us.
About…
Now is time to have another look at the newsletter Olwen and I made last year to mark World Head and Neck Cancer Day on 27 July.
It was our first WHNCD and we held a stall at North Shore Hospital as well as linking with private providers throughout the city and with people all over the world.
This year there will be more events throughout New Zealand and for Aucklanders a stall on Level 5 of Auckland City Hospital on 25 July. We will make that whole week a dedicated…
Two New Zealand stories about last week's budget and a story from the UK.
How healthy is the government's Budget boost?
A $3.2 billion dollar investment in health…
Patient Voice Aotearoa is a new organisation formed to lobby the government for equal access to world class medical care across New Zealand. They are beginning to write their vision and mission statements and have set up a steering committee to move the organisation forward.
Because they want a…
A familar face in the first story. Dr David Grayson is one of our members and a keen innovator in the health field. …
Tena koutou,
As you know there is an article in the New Zealand Herald investigating the Head and Neck Cancer service in Auckland. The Network has responded to questions from the NZH. I am enclosing our full statement below.
It is important at this time that no one feels alone or distressed. If anyone is distressed by the media attention or feels…
There is just too much health news going on to NOT restart our Tuesday Health News. This is about health in general.
Does the Minister of Health, David Clark, have the worst job in New Zealand at the moment? This story is about the much needed end to the GP fee problem we wrote about last year. Depending on where you live, you might pay $60 to go to the GP or $15.00. It's a funding formula that is built into the system and is going to be a headache to change.…
Pinc and Steel is giving a lecture about this via Hospice and a teleconference.
In the two years during which we have run this Network, we have come across fellow patient advocates from all over the world. Shrenik Shah from Ahmedabad, India, is a long term cancer survivor who speaks with an Electrolarynx and has devoted his survivorship to helping others .
About Shenrik
* Businessman…
The following story is by DeboraLee Edwards and was first published on our Facebook page. Deb has recently qualified as a real estate agent, attending classes with a PEG tube and port. She is from Roanoke, Virginia. She had to practise hard to get her smile…
Bob Watt is one year out from this head and neck cancer, so clearly shown in his PET scan. Bob is in Southland and had 30 treatments via radiation and 6 (once a week) of carboplatin to treat both tumours which were diagnosed as Stage IV T1 N2a HPV positive. He is well now and the medical team don't want to give him another scan until the 3 year…
Our first Tui Talk will take place on 1 May, 2018 at 8pm. You can attend a Tui Talk by clicking this link https://zoom.us/j/725517148 and following the instructions.
To talk to and hear us online you will need. A camera attached to your computer, speakers, and a…
We have updated our forum. Because 99% of our discussion is in our closed Facebook group, the forum has never really taken off apart from with a very small number of people, mainly committee members. Some of us are experienced users of online cancer forums like the Oral Cancer Foundation and Mayo Clinic Connect but we have reluctantly* conceded…
Please share your thoughts on your recent treatment experience. This can be at any stage of your cancer journey, pre treatment, treatment, post treatment, and survivorship.
You can take our survey as many times as you like, and we encourage you to have your family/whanau and carers share their thoughts as well. Click the link to share your thoughts.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PatientNZ
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