HEALTH MATTERS
LET’S raise awareness, fund research and save lives this March.
Ovaries are two small organs, each the size and shape of an almond, located in the pelvis.
They store the woman’s supply of eggs; they are also responsible for making the female hormone, oestrogen.
Some of the symptoms of ovarian cancer include: 1. Persistent bloating 2. Feeling full quickly and/or loss of appetite
3. Pelvic or abdominal pain
4. Urinary symptom i.e. needing to pee more often than usual.
While uncommon, the following symptoms may also present themselves:
1. Changes in bowel habit 2. Extreme fatigue 3. Unexplained weight loss.
If you’re worried about your symptoms, call your GP for advice.
If you need a test, a small sample of blood will be taken from your arm and sent to a lab where they will measure the level of a protein called CA125 in your sample.
Depending on the results of this blood test, they may recommend an ultrasound of your tummy and ovaries.
An ultrasound scan creates a picture of the tissues and organs inside your body.
If the results of the tests suggest ovarian cancer might be a possibility, you will be referred to see a specialist called a gynaecological oncologist for further tests.
When diagnosed at its earliest stage, more than nine in ten (93 per cent) people with ovarian cancer will survive their disease for five years or more, compared with almost three in 20 (13pc) people when the disease is diagnosed at the latest stage.
There are changes that you can make to reduce your risk such as:
Maintaining a healthy weight and active lifestyle Quitting smoking Cutting down your alcohol
This month we can all make sure more women are diagnosed earlier!
Why not join in this month? Let’s all raise awareness together.
Below are some ideas:
Bake for change – get together with family, friends and colleagues for a coffee and cake morning.
Take 11,000 – get sponsored to do 11,000 steps each day throughout March.
Run for Mum – this takes place in Hyde Park on Sunday, March 22m but if you can’t make it there are loads of other options at www.targetovariancancer. org.uk/events/fundraising.
Raise awareness – order your materials at www.targetovariancancer. org.uk/fundraising/ fundraising-yourcommunity/tell-us-yourplans-and-requestfundraising-materials
For more information go to www. targetovariancancer.org. uk/.
IN recent weeks households will have had their council tax bill for 2020/21 through the post, with a leaflet explaining how their money is spent.
Residents will see their bills have gone up two per cent for Cheshire East with an additional two per cent for adult social care services.
With an aging population the cost of adult health social care is set to rise further, an increase of two per cent will not be enough to fund future costs.
Currently 68p in every pound paid in council tax goes towards these services, this means less money can be spent on others such as highways and public transport where only 5p in every pound is allocated.
Cheshire East Council currently spends around £12m on highways each year looking after 1,670 miles of highways, 40,000 street lights, and 92,000 gullies.
The truth is that £12m is not enough, we need to be spending twice that to see real improvement.
All we are doing at present is managing the decline of our highways, as is evident as you drive across the borough.
More money is needed from our council tax to invest in highways, the only way that can happen is for the government to step up and realise there is a national funding shortage for adult social care which needs to be addressed, before councils such as Cheshire East run out of money.
This funding can only be achieved through the bringing forward of a green paper at Westminster around adult social care, Cheshire East Council is working with all our MPs to lobby for this to happen.
Green papers are consultation documents produced by the government. The aim of the document is to allow people both inside and outside Parliament to give the department feedback on its policy or legislative proposals.