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Mum who thought she was suffering from early menopause actually had terminal cancer

A mum-of-three who thought she was suffering from early menopause was shocked to discover she had terminal cancer.

Jennifer McBurnie, 42, initially thought she was tired because she was a busy mum working as a physiotherapist.

But when the symptoms continued she booked an appointment to see her doctor - and was shocked by her diagnosis of secondary liver cancer.

"I had a lot of fatigue and had some night sweats and feelings of nausea, particularly in the mornings," said Ms McBurnie.

"I went to the GP and had blood tests done. We were thinking that it was a thyroid problem or perhaps early menopause.

"So it was a complete shock when I got the results back and it showed there were significant problems with my liver."

Ms McBurnie, of Aberdeen, started to feel tired after Christmas but put it down to the busy festive period.

She said: "You've had Christmas, you've got the three kids and you're running about like mad so a lot of the symptoms in themselves could be explained away but I thought I'd better just get this checked.

"I'm someone who has never particularly been a drinker; I've lived a very healthy lifestyle.

"I practise what I preach to my patients so the cancer diagnosis really was a complete shock."

After tests, including MRI and CT scans and a biopsy, she was diagnosed with secondary liver cancer at the end of February.

Ms McBurnie is now on her seventh round of chemotherapy. 

"I have had one CT scan since I started the chemo and it did show some shrinkage in the cancer but it's palliative rather than curative," she said.

"Buying time is what it's about, rather than a cure, unfortunately."

She is trying to keep life as normal as possible for her husband and three children, aged nine, seven and four.

Her positive outlook has inspired her colleagues to launch a fundraising challenge.

NHS Grampian staff from the outpatient physio department are walking a total of 5,000 miles to raise money for Clan Cancer Support.

Each trip is logged through an online tracking app, and Ms McBurnie has also helped by walking with one of her colleagues along Aberdeen Beach.

Organiser Anna Harris, 26, said: "We have been so moved by Jennifer's positive attitude and strength in fighting this disease.

"She has shown remarkable courage and has inspired us all in so many ways.

"She's the mother of the department and we're eager to show her and her family our support by taking on a challenge to fundraise for Clan.

"Clan was chosen because of the amazing support they have been providing to her and her family."

Ms McBurnie said: "Keeping positive has not only helped me but the people around me.

"My kids have been brighter and my husband has been happier.

"I think positivity has a ripple effect, like when you drop a stone in water; if you can gain it in yourself it ripples through the family and out to the community.

"I can't change the diagnosis of cancer, I cannot magic it away.

"But I think what one has to focus on is what they can do for themselves."

Anyone wishing to donate can visit the physio team's page at justgiving.com/fundraising/aberdeenmskphysios. 

Covid vaccine rollout to be accelerated as under 40s can have second jab after 8 weeks

The time between the first and second dose of a Covid-19 jab will be reduced from 12 to eight weeks for under-40s, the government has announced.

Speaking during a Downing Street press conference, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the move aims to accelerate the immunisation programme as he announced Freedom Day will go ahead on July 19.

He said it is hoped it will mean that all over 18s will be double-jabbed by mid-September.

The latest move to shorten the interval for under-40s mirrors the briefer eight-week interval that already exists for over-40s between their first and second dose.

Mr Johnson on Monday confirmed the government aimed to end restrictive measures on July 19, with a final decision to be taken next week - despite widespread opposition by scientists.

He said the step would eliminate formal limits on social contact, the instruction to work from home, and mandates to wear face masks.

After imposing the most onerous constraints on behaviour in Britain's peacetime history to battle the novel coronavirus, Mr Johnson is betting the vaccination programme can prevent the health service being overwhelmed by a new coronavirus wave.

Under plans, nightclubs will be allowed to reopen and there will be no limits on capacity of hospitality venues.

Social distancing guidelines will also be scrapped.

"We must be honest with ourselves that if we can't reopen our society in the next few weeks when we will be helped by the arrival of summer and by the school holidays, then we must ask ourselves when will we be able to return to normal?" Mr Johnson said at the news conference.

Britain has suffered the seventh highest global death toll from COVID-19, and Johnson has been accused of being too slow to implement each of England's three lockdowns.

But the take-up of vaccines in Britain has been strong, with 86% of adults receiving a first dose and 64% receiving two doses as of Monday, according to government data.

The Prime Minister hailed the "massive success" of the vaccine programme and defended his plans as a "cautious approach".

But the plan to lift all restrictions in just two weeks' time has sparked opposition by scientists who worry about a recent resurgence of cases caused by the Delta variant.

The British Medical Association warned over the weekend that the rise in cases was "alarming" and it made "no sense" to remove all restrictions at the same time.

The highest number of cases since January's peak was recorded last Wednesday as cases soared to more than 26,000 in the UK.

There were 27,334 new cases recorded on Monday, while a further nine deaths were reported, bringing the overall death toll to 128,231. 

Reference: Mirror: Claire Gilbody-Dickerson 

Alison Hammond shows CCTV footage of her nasty fall which resulted in hospital dash

Alison Hammond showed the CCTV footage of a nasty fall she suffered, which led to her being rushed to hospital over a suspected blood clot.

The presenter, 46, opened up to co-host Dermot O'Leary as she spoke about the bad fall and the bulging vein she noticed on the back of her knee.

She had been walking on the paving slabs at her home when she ended up slipping, with the moment captured on her home CCTV.

She revealed: "It was actually quite a bad fall you know. I can’t get up there because I think I've broken my leg.

"It was absolutely awful. Can you see, Mark has patched me up today.

"So yeah it was a trauma. Not only that then this vein came on the back of my knee. I was like oh my God I've got a DVT (deep vein thrombosis).

"I went to the doctor and the doctor was like ‘you really need to go to hospital.

"So then I'm in hospital for seven hours... They patched me up. Did some tests, it wasn't DVT.

Alison later went on to point out that it was the second time that she had fallen on the tiles.

She said: "It's an over reaction but I have actually changed them, I've dug them up, something with a bit more texture."

Dermot went on to say that he had been worried about her when she came in to prepare for today's show.

He said: "I was looking down and you had this open wound, this gash on your leg."

It comes as the duo bid goodbye to viewers as it is their last show until September.

Dermot said: "Phil and Holly back on Monday for the final week before summer and that's it for us."

Alison exclaimed: "I can't believe it! I've had such a lovely time and thank you to everyone, all the crew, all the staff for making it so easy for us. We'll be back in September. You've been amazing!"

Dermot laughed as he continued telling viewers: "We hope you have a great summer, thanks for joining us everyone. Take care."

Reference: Mirror: Rose Hill

Anti-malarial drug shows promise in treating Covid-19

As governments around the world race to vaccinate their populations, scientists in Japan are exploring innovative ways of using existing medicines to treat Covid-19 patients.

In a breakthrough study, a team of Japanese scientists from leading universities and research institutions have discovered an anti-malarial drug, mefloquine — a derivative of hydrochloroquine — as an effective cure against SARS-CoV-2 - a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus.

The scientists also mathematically modelled the effectiveness of mefloquine to predict its potential use if applied to treat Covid-19. They calculated that mefloquine could reduce the overall viral load in affected patients to under seven per cent and shorten the time taken to eliminate the virus to 6.1 days.   

This study is expected to undergo clinical trials.

Some approved drugs, such as hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir, and interferon, have already been put to clinical use against SARS-CoV-2 without establishing their clinical efficacy.

Only remdesivir, which was developed to treat Hepatitis C, has been approved for clinical use against severe Covid-19, although its effectiveness is still being challenged.

Reference: Independent: Charlene Rodrigues