MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'guinea'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:12:01 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050719&cid=t_158287_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2F19%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-july-19-2011%2F Any pet owner can attest to the power of their animal friend. As an owner of fish, guinea pigs, parakeets and a dog, I highly agree with that statement. The unconditional love of a pet has helped me heal heartbreak and sadness on more than one occasion. My mom has, in a sentence I will never forget, thanked me with tears in her eyes for bringing our dog into her life. A dog she once told me to get rid of had broken her down and melted her heart, and brought back what pain, sadness and disappointment over one’s lifetime took away. She said our dog, now passed, opened her heart again. Of all the pets I had, however, the pet that has surprised me the most has been my 5 year old black rabbit. A lot of people get boggled by rabbit love. Those who don’t own a rabbit laugh and joke ab... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050719 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 10:41:09 +0100 5050719 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4600795&cid=t_158287_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FfXx2YtVF-qo%2F More clinical trials may be run overseas, but work has not dried up in the US. In fact, a robust Phase I industry continues, but there are concerns since many volunteers supplement their incomes by enrolling in trials as often as possible. Consequently, sponsors and investigators worry data will be skewed by people who enroll too soon after participating in other trials. Patient advocates, meanwhile, worry about the risks participants may face from exposure to some meds and follow-up care. And so once again, the notion of a national Phase I clinical trial registry is being raised. The latest call for action comes from a pair of physicians who published a commentary piece this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association. In their view, a registry is long overdue in the US in ord... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4600795 Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:01:29 +0100 4600795 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4031439&cid=t_158287_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2010%2F10%2Fdoin-the-happy-dance.html After a lot of traveling and record gathering and anxiety and just general hassle: I GOT IT! I got the first dose of T-DM1 today, in Highland, and I will get it every three weeks hereafter.  Here's the funny part: My blood draw on Friday was the only thing I was worried about, and Dr. Ibrahim, the oncologist who heads up the trial,  doesn't work Fridays, it turns out, so he didn't get the results until this morning. When I arrived, Tricia, the trials coordinator, said we had to draw my blood again because the platelets were 90-something-thousand on Friday. And they needed to be 100,000, because the drug causes platelets to drop.  So we went down to the blood draw lab, escorted and expedited all the way by The Amazing Tricia, and they sent the blood out STAT an... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4031439 Tue, 05 Oct 2010 01:42:15 +0100 4031439 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4025743&cid=t_158287_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2010%2F10%2Fcontinuing-saga-.html It's Friday, six o'clock, and I'm waiting to see if Dr. Ibrahim will e-mail today to tell me if I am in the trial, or if I am going to have to wait till Monday to find out. I would, of course, so much rather get the results of all the tests today, because then I will know if I'm getting the first dose of T-DM1 on Monday, or not. "Not" will be reason for a major meltdown, as you can imagine. Today, Megan drove me to get an ECHO (which shows how well my heart is doing). All my past ECHOs in Seattle have shown a heart that is in surprisingly good shape for a woman who has had as much chemo, and as much Herceptin, as I have. So I'm not too worried about that one.  I also had blood drawn today to check a number of things, and I am a bit worried about that bec... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4025743 Sat, 02 Oct 2010 01:11:12 +0100 4025743 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4023090&cid=t_158287_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fwhere-can-you-get-t-dm1.html The government's clinical trials Web site (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01120561) now lists 12 locations around the country where researchers are recruiting patients for a phase II trial of T-DM1, which they are now calling:  trastuzumab-MCC-DM1. These include: Highland, California; Stockton, California; Denver, Colorado; Davie, Florida; Chicago, Illinois; Lafayette, Indiana; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Detroit, Michigan; St. Louis, Missouri; Charleston, South Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; San Antonio, Texas; and Fairfax, Virginia.  Regardless of which location you choose, you have to pre-qualify first by calling this number: 888-662-6728. That's the trial information support line at Genentech.   Genentech has said it was going to open trials... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4023090 Fri, 01 Oct 2010 02:35:49 +0100 4023090 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4018394&cid=t_158287_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fthe-saga-continues-.html So, as you all probably know from my post the other day (See: Jeanne vs. Shingles: Jeanne Wins!), I did make the trip to the LA area to see Dr. Ibrahim at the Beaver Medical Group in Highland... I've spend the last two days getting a bone survey, a CT, a bone scan, and another test or two that I can't recall right now. However, due to a staff mess-up, one of the tests I needed had not been scheduled at all, and two more were booked for the same time on the same day at different facilities ... Fortunately, I felt like something was wrong on Tuesday when I was in seeing the trial coordinator, Tricia Ramos, about making sure the SCCA records dept. did fax the missing parts of my 12-year-cancer-history medical chart.  There was info in those early records that Dr. Ibrahim needed.... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4018394 Thu, 30 Sep 2010 10:03:55 +0100 4018394 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4003391&cid=t_158287_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fjeanne-vs-shingles-jeanne-wins.html So, I went to Dr. Lee's office this morning to have my shingles checked, and Dr. Lee was not working today, so there was something of a shuffle to get me in to see one of the other doctors in the practice EARLY enough so that I could still make my flight, if the doctor OKed it ... I realized when I got up that I was going to have to prepare for both possibilities, so I packed my laptop bag with all the things I would need if I was hospitalized today for more aggressive shingles treatment, and I packed a separate bag with the clothes and toiletries I would need if I DID make the trip to S. California. My friend Laurie, who was driving me, was smart enough to point out that we needed (well, she needed) to load the wheelchair in the trunk because I would need it if I did fly. And I rememb... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4003391 Tue, 28 Sep 2010 05:14:20 +0100 4003391 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3999216&cid=t_158287_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fcitigroup-comes-through-.html Or, we could say in the headline, "Citi Does the Right Thing." And don't think that it wasn't because of all the letters you, my friends and readers, wrote, and of course the bigger, bolder posts at the top of my blog, that did the trick. Because they had ignored earlier posts on this blog--going back months--about how they weren't getting back to me, so it was the big deal we made out of my problem that got the attention of the right people, including the CEO, who is really tired of hearing from all of us. And "Citimortgage forecloses on dying woman" would make a very compelling headline. But I'll play nice here, and report that Citi gave me exactly what I asked for: a 12-month, no-pay (meaning no payments for 12 months) forbearance plan. I haven't ... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3999216 Fri, 24 Sep 2010 23:22:08 +0100 3999216 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3999219&cid=t_158287_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fdo-you-have-alaska-airlines-ff-miles-youd-be-willing-to-give-me.html I just returned from a trip to Beaver Medical Group for a consult with Dr. Ibrahim, who heads up the T-DM1 clinical trial there. The other purpose was to sign the consent documents, which I've ranted about before. (See: A Double Catch-22) As a result of that consult, my next step is to fly back to Ontario, California, on Monday next week. I'll spend two days getting tests and scans--from a blood draw, to an ECHO to check my heart, to about four more things. Well, maybe three more ... In any case, another friend had offered me her frequent flier miles on Alaska, but she doesn't actually have enough miles to cover the two tickets, one for me and one for my very-essential traveling companion. So if you have any miles you are willing to give away, please send me an e-mail. Th... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3999219 Fri, 24 Sep 2010 02:12:59 +0100 3999219 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3994237&cid=t_158287_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2010%2F09%2Ffor-those-of-you-who-are-wondering-the-clinical-trial-is-looking-good.html Just a short note. I will try to write more tomorrow if I can find a WiFi spot at the airport. Monica and I are flying home tomorrow. So--I have a bunch of tests and scans that I have to pass, and if I do, then I'm in the trial and can get my first dose next week. The treatment appt. is already scheduled, actually. I will be flying down next week for the whole week. Longer, more detailed post tomorrow, I promise.      Jeanne   @ Jeanne Sather 2010. (Source: The Assertive Cancer Patient) The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3994237 Thu, 23 Sep 2010 07:54:11 +0100 3994237 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3987199&cid=t_158287_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fim-home.html How many exclamation points are too many?  When I was in J School, we were taught to use exclamation points sparingly, and NEVER more than one per sentence. However, this homecoming, after six days at Northwest Hospital really deserves as many !!!!s as I can squeeze in. The best thing about being "sprung" was being outside in the fresh air, and it didn't hurt that the sun was shining. I had not breathed fresh air in six days. None of the windows I saw at the hospital--and certainly not the ones in my room--could be opened. The two best things about being on the oncology floor at NW Hospital, were (No. 1) the fantastic nurses and nursing assistants. Everyone who took care of me during my time there was warm and caring and competent, with the exception of one nursin... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3987199 Tue, 21 Sep 2010 03:10:32 +0100 3987199 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3929426&cid=t_158287_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2010%2F09%2Fi-need-some-time-off.html Yesterday I had the final-final cyberknife treatment, to kill the tumor in my sixth rib on the right side.    Over the past several months I have had huge doses of radiation--four separate series of treatments--and I'm beginning to understand the term "radiation sickness," usually applied to the hibakusha who survived the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  Not to get too dramatic about the whole thing, but my body has taken a major beating, and now I need to heal. Part of that will be simply doing less, every day, until my energy rebounds. As a result, I won't be online much for the next week or so, and I will be skimming through my e-mail, but not answering most of it. Sorry.  I spent several hours working in my garden this morning, with the fai... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3929426 Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:15:10 +0100 3929426 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3913263&cid=t_158287_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2010%2F08%2Ft-dm1-news-.html I'm not sure what this news item about T-DM1 means for me, if anything. T-DM1 is the new drug that I plan to get in a clinical trial once I've finished my current cyberknife treatments. I think it's the right drug for me--pretty much the only drug, really--and there is a trial opening at the UW/SCCA soon (although THAT is held up in a committee, I'm told). In any case, the drug maker failed to win "accelerated approval" for T-DM1, "because all available treatment choices for metastatic breast cancer ... had not been exhausted."Well, here is one woman for whom all options HAVE been exhausted. But I'm not going to panic, because I don't think this news affects the clinical trial, but it might affect how soon the drug is available outsid... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3913263 Sat, 28 Aug 2010 21:29:57 +0100 3913263 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3862189&cid=t_158287_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FXaZa343693Q%2F Why do some people volunteer for clinical trials? Are they aware of the risks? Are they treated properly? What kind of follow up should take place? These are among the issues that Roberto Abadie, a visiting scholar in the health-sciences program at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and a PhD in anthropology, explored in a new book, ‘The Professional Guinea Pig: Big Pharma and the Risky World of Human Subjects.’ He would like to see Phase 1 volunteers be recognized legally as workers, which would offer them protection under labor laws. And he favors the creation of a national registry of Phase 1-trial participants, which prevent people from participating in too many trials and help researchers identify long-term adverse effects associated with certain trials... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3862189 Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:59:23 +0100 3862189 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3776567&cid=t_158287_136_f&fid=35303&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.assertivepatient.com%2F2010%2F07%2Fa-double-catch22.html What do you call it when you've been caught in TWO Catch-22s in one day?A Catch-44? A Catch-22/22? Or just a damned mess?I thought I was on a roll yesterday morning, making arrangements to fly to California for an appointment with the doctor, Dr. Ibrahim, who is heading up the T-DM1 clinical trial in Highland, California. I e-mailed the woman who will be making travel arrangements for my friend Monica and me. I e-mailed a hotel near the clinic to make reservations. And I e-mailed the study coordinator, Tricia Ramos, to ask her if she could make the appointments for the tests and scans I need to have done at the clinic where the trial is taking place. Tricia had already told me that the results of my tests and scans done at other facilities would not be acceptable, and I wou... The Assertive Cancer Patient blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3776567 Wed, 21 Jul 2010 23:50:49 +0100 3776567 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3750274&cid=t_158287_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FeazSdtgmU7M%2F What is it like to volunteer for one Phase I clinical trial after another? Why do people particpiate? What is at stake? How risky is this practice? And should there be more university oversight? These are among the questions that are raised by Roberto Abadie, a visiting scholar in the health-sciences program at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, who spent a year living in youth hostels and group houses in Philadelphia and has just published a book about the subject. “Philosophers and bioethicists are very logical, and they can construct strong arguments,” Abadie tells The Chronicle of Higher Education. “But what they can’t do is to go in there and do what I did—to do an in-depth ethnographic analysis, spending weeks and months with volunteers.... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3750274 Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:04:16 +0100 3750274 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3687100&cid=t_158287_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fherbal-remedy-for-uti-if-youre-a-lab-rat-maybe%2F2010.06.22 A patient came into the office the other day carrying a small clipping from a reputable women’s health newsletter touting new research on an herbal remedy for urinary tract infection. Having recurrent bladder infections, my patient naturally was wondering if this was something she should try. The article was entitled “Herbal Remedy Effective for Urinary Tract Infections” and began with this startling revelation: The common herbal extract forskolin can greatly reduce urinary tract infections and could potentially help antibiotics kill the bacteria that cause most bladder infections.  But the article advised that the “popular” remedy was not FDA approved for this indication, so you should “ask your doctor.” (more…) *This blog post was... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3687100 Tue, 22 Jun 2010 20:00:00 +0100 3687100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3585277&cid=t_158287_146_f&fid=38266&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsleepeducation.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F05%2Fauthor-and-human-guinea-pig-aj-jacobs.html (Source: Sleep Education) Sleep Education blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3585277 Thu, 20 May 2010 19:01:00 +0100 3585277 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3331349&cid=t_158287_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F03%2F04%2Fon-being-a-student-therapist-week-four%2F One of the “fun” parts of being a Master’s student (fun in quotes because it depends on how you take it) is that you get to be a guinea pig. Not just in your own experience as a learner, but at the mercy of professors doing research, doctoral students conducting experiments, and random investigators from other universities sending out electronic surveys via email for you to fill out regarding all aspects of your counseling life. All of them say participation is completely optional and there’s no compensation, but would be very much appreciated. Last semester, I pretty much agreed to participate in everything. My helping nature made me think, “You might be asking others to do this someday yourself, and good karma comes around.” This semester, I am way more protectiv... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3331349 Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:30:51 +0100 3331349 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3825937&cid=t_158287_46_f&fid=38788&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmsf.ca%2Fblogs%2FChrisH%2F2009%2F12%2F29%2Fthe-end%2F I left Papua New Guinea in the middle of October. I am writing this at the end of December. Since then I went to South East Asia with the intention of relaxing, but actually ended up partying all night most of the time. Later, I met with MSF to debrief and then with a psychologist to see if the mission had any adverse affect on my mental health. I also was invited to talk to MSF and others about the PNG mission, opportunities that I really enjoyed. During these talks I received some very thought-provoking questions. People wanted to know if it was difficult to fit into a society that was so different to my own, referring to the sorcery and violence. The truth is that it wasn’t that difficult to adapt to Papua New Guinea. The people were so friendly and warm towards me that it was leaving... MSF Blogs blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3825937 Tue, 29 Dec 2009 22:14:10 +0100 3825937 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2678808&cid=t_158287_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Floads-of-books-and-punch-to-head.html Duncan and I took his brother and sister to summer scheme. He asked to look in the charity shop and being in no hurry, I parked the car and off we went. Well talk about hitting pay dirt. Someone must have cleared their book shelves and dropped the boxes off very recently. There were a good few children's book spilling out so I asked if I could dig through the lot and the man working there, a good guy as I've learned from previous visits, said to work away. So we plonked ourselves on the floor and shifted through the boxes. Duncan made a little pile of those he was interested in and I made a huge pile of my own. Then ecstasy, we found 3 Thomas the Tank Buzz books, Duncan's absolute favourites. I hauled the booty to the pay desk and told the man I'd probably need to nip over to the ATM as I ... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2678808 Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:54:00 +0100 2678808 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2077345&cid=t_158287_88_f&fid=38203&url=http%3A%2F%2Fprecordialthump.medbrains.net%2F2008%2F12%2F31%2Fthe-cretin-and-the-pharoah%2F One of the true joys of being a student at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine was to be taught by Professor Peter Pharoah. Well, not so much to be taught by him, as to have him share intriguing insights and amazing adventures from his work in Papua New Guinea. Professor Pharoah’s mission, one that he enthusiastically embraced, was to confirm the cause of endemic cretinism: Because endemic goitre is attributable to iodine deficiency and endemic cretinism is found only in areas where there is endemic goitre, it was hypothesised that endemic cretinism was also attributable to iodine deficiency. However, there was conflicting evidence concerning the hypothesis whether or not iodine deficiency was the cause of both endemic cretinism and endemic goitre. - Pharoah, POD. Dr Duncan&#82... AEQUANIMITAS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2077345 Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:30:40 +0100 2077345 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1114003&cid=t_158287_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2F205333136%2F We have fairly exciting news to report surrounding the very lethal cardiac rhythm disturbance V-Fib (ventricular fibrillation). This very sudden and deadly “electric explosion” that occurs inside the hearts of both old and young alike has long eluded scientists and researchers. The new research suggest that the tornado like activity of V-Fib and its electrical waves is organized into spiral vortices, no matter what species of mammal is experiencing the VF. These vortices or rotors as they are sometimes called, keep the heart’s pumping chambers from pumping in sync, thus disorganized impulses and ultimately death. The paper also shows that across animal species — from mice and guinea pigs to sheep and humans — the frequency of the VF activity can be scaled usin... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1114003 Sun, 23 Dec 2007 23:08:11 +0100 1114003 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=737554&cid=t_158287_107_f&fid=35762&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fgrrlscientist%2F%7E3%2F134315828%2Frare_mammal_from_the_age_of_di.php tags: Attenborough's long-beaked echidna, Zaglossus attenboroughi, monotreme, endangered animals, New Guinea, Irian Jaya, Cyclops mountain range Attenborough's long-beaked echidna, Zaglossus attenboroughi, the only specimen known to exist in museum collections. Prepared as a shmoo (a flat skin lacking most bones). Image: Natural Museum of Natural History in the Netherlands (NMNH) [larger] In May of this year, a team of experts from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) went on a one-month preliminary research expedition to the Cyclops mountain range in Papua on the island of New Guinea. They were searching for Attenborough's long-beaked echidna, Zaglossus attenboroughi, which was thought have to be extinct for the past 50 years. Read the rest of this post... | Read the comment... Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted) blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=737554 Mon, 16 Jul 2007 20:39:44 +0100 737554 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=504543&cid=t_158287_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F03%2Four-thrilling-weekend.html We examined a few engines, then I asked him to put them back and...he did! No problems so far. Next we picked up the doughnuts then Duncan and Lady helped me put a few other items in the trolley. Duncan was singing as we went, 'I want you back' by Take That. Lady told me proudly that some teenage girls were smiling at him; she reckons they thought he was cute! We didn't buy much, I didn't want to temp fate by going beyond Duncan's comfort limit. But I was so pleased with how well he managed to deal with all that temptation, to choose to stay beside me and to even help.Afterwards, we went to a lovely little playground, overlooking Belfast Lough and the children had fun and I played chase to keep warm.On Saturday I took the boys to another playground for a run around, while Gordon and Lady w... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=504543 Tue, 27 Mar 2007 13:00:00 +0100 504543 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=488269&cid=t_158287_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F02%2Fsisterly-pride.html LadyDuncanThomasLady was just admiring the photo of her brother on the last post, and I was telling her what I'd written about. She said that I should write, 'I don't mind autism because Duncan wouldn't be Duncan without autism and he's a nice boy, he's very funny and he was a cute baby.' She wanted me to include her opinion, so there you are. She also asked me to include a photo of Duncan as a baby and just to show off my gorgeous children, I've put up pictures of each of them.Another brother and SIL and their children came for a visit on Saturday. Lady and her cousin A (who's just over a year older than her) had a great girlie time together, playing with the guinea pigs, dressing up, making up dances and acting out Harry Potter games. Thomas and my only nephew were together all day, Dunc... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=488269 Mon, 26 Feb 2007 11:53:00 +0100 488269 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=488284&cid=t_158287_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2006%2F08%2Fnew-lines.html At 6am, Duncan came bounding into our room and jumped into bed beside me, wrapping his skinny wee naked body around me, and squashing a Percy train, a Thomas train and Bulstrode the barge, in between us. He'd obviously wet his bed, so he was clever enough to shed the wet pyjamas and choose a nice, dry bed to lie in. He entertained us with some choice moments from the Thomas stories for half an hour before asking for the fan heater (which he loves to crouch in front of like a cat) and some cheese and carrots and apple juice.Thomas intercepted me as I tried to go downstairs and I was obliged to return to my bed with him for our morning hugs. That done, we were able to go down to eat. Thomas and I played a marathon game of snakes and ladders over breakfast. I never played the game for so long... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=488284 Thu, 24 Aug 2006 08:22:00 +0100 488284 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=488283&cid=t_158287_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2006%2F06%2Flost-and-found.html We're surprisingly organised here today. Lady is writing a letter to her very best friend in the world. Thomas is in his room playing with the wooden trains. Well no, as always, he's telling a story. Earlier he said, 'Get me the wooden trains because I want to tell a story called The giant boy and the other way of the tracks!' That title sounds a bit Harry Potter-like to me. He always refers to himself as the giant boy when he's playing with the trains.Duncan is sitting on my lap, wriggling and singing and closely examining a Lego 'Magic Roundabout' sword he made. Some people don't even realise that there was a sword in the Magic Roundabout!I'm a bit scratched. We had an incident with the guinea pigs last night. I took them out and laid them on the grass in our fully enclosed and Duncan-pr... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=488283 Fri, 23 Jun 2006 10:21:00 +0100 488283 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=488282&cid=t_158287_133_f&fid=35127&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthefamilyvoyage.blogspot.com%2F2006%2F06%2Fwoes-and-cavies.html Earlier in the week, I read on Action for Autism about an appalling article describing antenatal screening for autism. A UCL geneticist is applying to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, to use pre-implantation genetic diagnosis to screen out male embryos, as there are thought to be 4 times more autistic males than autistic females. She wants to offer this highly invasive and very novel screening to families where autism had 'inflicted severe suffering'.This is horrible is so many ways; autism isn't an illness, there is no way of knowing how any child will develop and anyway, you do get autistic women you know.I looked at the comments on the Daily (hate) Mail site on this topic and was distressed at the horrible things people had written. I should know better than to read tha... The Voyage blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=488282 Thu, 22 Jun 2006 13:17:00 +0100 488282