Infection

Well 4 different courses of Antibiotics since December 2010.

I was put on a course of Doxycycline Antibiotics back in December for an infection on my chest, along with these I got course of steroids too, finished the course and thought that was it but as the weeks went on I got worse again so back to the doctors and another course of Amoxicillin Antibiotics just in time for Christmas.

Christmas passed and I felt fine then last week bang back down and back on yet another course of  Doxycycline Antibiotics and a new inhaler, but these weren’t helping.

So on Friday just gone I was put on my last course and stronger ones called ,Klaricid MR 500mg told to rest up and take it easy and if these Antibiotics don’t work then it’s into Hospital for IV drugs for maybe a week “which I do not want”.

They think I was unlucky and got 1 infection after the other and my chest infection went into a mouth and throat infection.

Well today was back at the doctors and my Peak flow and Blood Pressure was at a good level so need to continue my resting and take the rest of the Antibiotics and go back in a few weeks.

I was always under the impression that too many Antibiotics can do more harm than good, well time will tell so they say.

While I was ill my Hubby bought me a new phone Blackberry Curve 9300 so that cheered me up.

I recieved lots of well wishes while I was ill well still ill, we don’t have many friends but the few I have are top class and got a good in-law based family and my own family are dear to me too.

Wayne

XxX

TAKE A BREATH AND SAY 99

I have just read the most remarkable story on a guys blog page about his journey with having lung disease, I have given a paragraph below to give you an incite but to get the full story you need to read his blog.

Where did it all go wrong!!

The year started off well and I was doing well.But things were destined to take a unusual turn after my visit to clinic after Christmas. I was still getting headaches in the morning, had mentioned this with the doctor who felt it would sort it self out or may be as a result of a side effect of one of the medications.I felt that it could have been due to CO2 and asked about Bi-Pap.The doctor said that it was rare for people to need it and he would adjust the medication if needed should the headaches continue.
The suggestion was made that regular 20 minutes of exercise would help increase my lung function as this had dropped if this did not improve it would mean a bronchoscopy  to clear the lungs and check for rejection.
I had been out and done some walking and exercise but evidently not enough.

Read full story here

Welfare Reform Bill 2011

On 16 February 2011 the Welfare Reform Bill was introduced to Parliament, and 17th February the British Prime Mister announced the plans of The Bill and The Bill legislates for the biggest change for over 60 years.

The main points of the Bill: (see DWP website for full list and story on this big change click here)

• the introduction of Universal Credit to provide a single streamlined benefit that will ensure work always pays
• a stronger approach to reducing fraud and error with tougher penalties for the most serious offences
• a new claimant commitment showing clearly what is expected of claimants while giving protection to those with the greatest needs
• reforms to Disability Living Allowance, through the introduction of the Personal Independence Payment to meet the needs of disabled people today
• reforming Employment and Support Allowance to make the benefit fairer and to ensure that help goes to those with the greatest need.

Click on the links below to see information on my top 5 that I think are the biggest change.

(1) Universal Credit

(2) Benefit Cap

(3) ESA Youth

(4) Employment Support Allowance

(5) Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to Personal Independence Payments (PIP)

Protest at Lancashire County Council cuts meeting

Lancashire county council have announced the cuts and there was protests. BBC Lancashire News and Lancashire County Council

Lancashire County Council says.

THE final agreement on Lancashire County Council’s budget was given at today’s Full Council meeting (Thursday 17 February).

Lancashire County Council has taken the unprecedented step of setting the budget for the next three years.

The council intends to save £179.1m from its revenue budget over the next three years, with new investment totalling £218.5m in the next four years.

The county council’s part of the council tax will be frozen next year, with any increases in the following two years limited to a maximum of 2.5%.

County Councillor Geoff Driver, leader of the county council, said: “There is no getting away from the fact that we have had to make some tough decisions in making these savings but it has given us an opportunity to look at how we can reshape some of our services without compromising the quality. We will be protecting frontline services as far as possible and will spend £133m less on management and administration over the next three years.

“The agreed budget today sets out a saving of £179.1m but some of the proposals are currently out to consultation and therefore exactly how we will go about shaping those services has still to be determined.

“By setting out a clear plan for the next three years we have identified how we need to do things differently in some instances but it also means that we will not be standing here next year announcing a whole new lot of savings.”

The county council will also benefit from an additional £1.14m of Home Office funding that will go into community safety. The funding will come in to the county council who will distribute it to district councils towards the work of Police Community Support Officers.

While making savings over the next three years, the county council has also agreed new investment to improve the road network and road safety.

The new investment totalling £218.5m over the next four years will improve the county’s infrastructure and drive economic growth, including:

* £81m to maintain assets such as roads, lighting and bridges; to tackle potholes and other problems caused by recent severe weather
* £10.7m to improve road safety, including the establishment of 20mph areas in residential areas
* Major transport schemes, such as £11.4m for the revised Heysham-M6 Link plan and £6.8m for the Blackpool to Fleetwood tramway. Planning will also begin for the proposed Broughton Bypass.

The county council also estimates that over £123m will be invested in improving the condition of school buildings across Lancashire over the next four years.

County Councillor Driver said: “This substantial investment, at a time when we face a very challenging financial situation, shows our determination to ensure that Lancashire has the right infrastructure to encourage the economic growth that the county needs.

“From ensuring our existing roads are in good repair, to pushing forward with major new road schemes and economic development initiatives, we aim to create the conditions for businesses to bring jobs and prosperity across the county.”

During 2011, it is likely that the council will formally agree a strategic partnership with BT which could lead to savings of £400m over ten years. This would involve council services such as HR and payroll, ICT support for council services and schools; how people contact the council and procurement.

A new super-fast broadband network planned by Lancashire County Council will be running by 2014. It will play a key role in securing economic recovery and growth across the county. During the next year the council will look to sign up a commercial partner to deliver this ambitious project.

By taking the step to set the budget for the next three years the county council is seeking to give clarity about its future by setting out plans for a £71.7m saving in 2011-12, followed by a further £50m in 2012-13 and another £57.4m in 2013-14 – a total of £179.1m over the next three years.

The county council needs to make the savings as a result of the recent local government finance settlement and existing budget pressures, such as the costs of serving an ageing population.

Not including the budget for schools, managed by the schools themselves, it means the county council has to save around a quarter of its direct annual expenditure.

Phil Halsall, chief executive of the county council, said: “The scale of the challenge is considerable but we intend to establish a clear and steady path towards a financially sustainable future.

“The county council will remain a large organisation responsible for hundreds of vital services and we need to ensure those services will be effective even when there is far less money available.

“As we have said before, there is no doubt the workforce will be smaller in the future but we remain confident we can achieve this through voluntary redundancy and redeployment.”

BBC Lancashire says

Demonstrators have gathered outside Lancashire County Council’s headquarters to protest against £179m cuts, which are being discussed inside

The annual £803m budget is to be cut by £33m next year and £146m over 2012/14.

Conservative council leader Geoff Driver said: “The county council has to save around a quarter of its direct annual expenditure. Read full story here on BBC website

COPD and Understanding it.

Understanding  COPD?

COPD stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary (lung) disease. COPD is a term applied to a family of diseases that includes emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema due to alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.

COPD usually progresses gradually, causing limited airflow in and out of the lungs and add’s to the work of the heart.

Diseased lungs might reduce the amount of oxygen that goes to the blood. High blood pressure in blood vessels from the heart to the lungs makes it difficult for the heart to pump; this could alsocause the body to produce too many red blood cells, whichmightmake the blood thicker and harder to pump.

People who suffer from COPD and have low oxygen levels might develop an enlarged heart, this condition may weaken the heart and causes increased shortness of breath, and swelling in the legs and feet.

Chronic bronchitis and Emphysema

Chronic bronchitis is irritation and inflammation of the lining in the bronchial tubes or air passages, the irritation causes coughing and an excess amount of mucus in the airways.

The swelling makes it difficult to get air in and out of the lungs; the small, very fine structures on the inside of the airways might be damaged by the irritation,

Bronchitis is generally considered chronic when you have:  and cough and coughing up mucus and shortness of breath that lasts about three months or more each year for two or more years in a row.

Emphysema is the destruction, or breakdown, of the walls of the alveoli (air sacs) located at the end of the bronchial tubes. The damaged alveoli are not able to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide between the lungs and the blood. The bronchioles lose their elasticity and collapse when you exhale, trapping air in the lungs. The trapped air keeps fresh air and oxygen from entering the lungs.

Symptoms of COPD

• Shortness of breath
• Shortness of breath with mild exercise (walking, using the stairs, etc.)
• Chronic, productive cough (with mucus)
• A feeling of “tightness” in the chest
• Wheezing

What causes COPD?

The two primary causes of COPD are cigarette smoking, Air pollution and occupational dusts might also contribute to COPD, especially when the person exposed to these substances is a cigarette smoker.

Cigarette smoke causes COPD by irritating the airways and creating inflammation that narrows the airways, making it more difficult to breathe. Cigarette smoke also causes the cilia to stop working properly so mucus and trapped particles are not cleaned from the airways. As a result, chronic cough and excess mucus production develop, leading to chronic bronchitis.

In some people, chronic bronchitis and infections can lead to destruction of the small airways, or emphysema.

AAT deficiency, an inherited disorder, can also lead to emphysema. Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) is a protective material produced in the liver and transported to the lungs to help combat inflammation. When there is not enough of the chemical AAT, the body is no longer protected from an enzyme in the white blood cells. This can cause a breakdown in the walls of the air sacs (alveoli). When the alveoli are destroyed, oxygen cannot be transferred into the blood and carbon dioxide cannot be taken from the blood to be exhaled.

How is COPD diagnosed?

To diagnose COPD, the physician needs the answers to the following questions:

• Do you smoke?
• Have you had chronic exposure to dust or air pollutants?
• Do other members of your family have lung disease?
• Are you short of breath?
• Do you get short of breath with exercise?
• Do you have chronic cough and/or wheezing?
• Do you cough up excess mucus?

To help with the diagnosis, the physician will conduct a thorough physical exam, which includes:

• Listening to your lungs and heart
• Checking your blood pressure and pulse
• Examining your nose and throat
• Checking your feet and ankles for swelling
• Take Bloods for gases
• Chest X-ray
• Spirometry test
• Exercise test

Treatment?

In the beginning stages of COPD, there is minimal shortness of breath that might be noticed only during exercise, but as the disease progresses, shortness of breath might worsen, and you might need to wear an oxygen device.

To help control other symptoms of COPD, the following treatments and lifestyle changes might be prescribed:

• Quitting smoking
• Avoiding cigarette smoke areas
• Other irritants
• Taking medications prescribed for you
• Maintaining a healthy diet
• Following a structured exercise program
• To and avoid respiratory infections

In some cases if your COPD progresses, you might be eligible to be evaluated for lung surgery or lung transplant

Although COPD cannot be cured, its symptoms can be treated and your quality of life can be improved. Your prognosis, for the future will depend on how well your lungs are functioning, your symptoms, and how well you respond to treatment.

Big Society My Mission In Politics Says PM

Sky News

David Cameron has launched a major defence of his controversial Big Society plan, declaring the initiative his “mission”

The Prime Minister has defended his flagship policy in a speech to social entrepreneurs in London, after weeks of criticism from volunteering groups, charities and politicians.

Mr Cameron rejected criticism that the concept was “too vague” and a “cover for cuts”, insisting it was central to the “social recovery” the country needed.

He said: “This is my absolute passion.

“I think it’s a different way of governing, a different way of going about trying to change our country for the better, and it’s going to get every bit of my passion and attention over the five years of this Government.”

Mr Cameron described the Government’s deficit-reduction programme as only his “duty”.

He went on: “What is my mission, what is it I am really passionate about? It is actually social recovery as well as economic recovery, and I think we need social recovery because as I’ve said lots of times in the past, there are too many parts of our society that are broken

“Whether it’s broken families or whether it’s some communities breaking down or whether it’s the level of crime, the level of gang membership, whether it’s problems of people stuck on welfare unable to work, whether it’s the sense that some of our public services don’t work for us, we do need a social recovery to mend the broken society and to me that is what the Big Society is all about.”

He said people needed to “take more responsibility” and “act more responsibly”.

The Government’s response to any problem was only ever “half the answer”, he said.

The passionate language means Mr Cameron has personally invested in the success of the Big Society. Read full story here on Sky news website.

Labour Leader

But commenting after the Big Society relaunch, Labour leader Ed Miliband said: “It’s the scale and pace of Mr Cameron’s cuts that is driving local libraries to shut, children’s centres are under threat, citizens advice bureau are closing down.

“And it’s not just me saying it.

“It’s Liberal Democrat leaders around the country who are saying ‘you are going so far and so fast, we’ve got no time to adapt, we’re going to undermine the big society that you claim to support’.”

Gay couples may soon be able to tie the knot in church

Being a gay man myself and in a civil partnership, I welcome this move, I think the coalition government are connecting with people and moving forward to allow everyone to be treated the same.

However I am from a Catholic background and while some people within the Catholic religion accept me and my partner living together, they don’t see our civil partnership as a marriage and wouldn’t accept us marrying in church.

The change in law is only at primary stages and while I would like to see it make law I am worried that this will cause more problems for the gay community has a whole, but only time will tell.

Wayne

Below is a artcle from Observer Newspaper

Equalities MinsterEqualities minister considers change in law reversing ban on civil partnerships in places of worship.

The Coalition government is considering a change in the law to allow gay people to have marriage-style ceremonies in places of worship.

Liberal Democrat Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone is expected to announce later this week that a ban on civil partnerships being conducted in religious venues is to be lifted.

The move, which could also allow hymns and readings from the Bible, is likely to be welcomed by gay rights groups but met with strong opposition from traditionalists within the Church of England, other mainstream religions and the Conservative party.

However minority religious groups such as Unitarians, Liberal Jews and Quakers, who already carry out ceremonies for gay people, will be sympathetic to the move.

“The government is currently considering what the next stage should be for civil partnerships, including how some religious organisations can allow same-sex couples the opportunity to register their relationship in a religious setting if they wish to do so,” a spokesman for the Equalities Office said last night.

“Ministers have met a range of people and organisations to hear their views on this issue. An announcement will be made in due course.”

It was not clear to what extent the change in law would allow civil partnership ceremonies to be brought into line with traditional weddings between heterosexual partners, or whether the term “marriage” would be officially used.

Civil partnerships, introduced in 2004, provide most of the same legal rights as marriage, but are often seen by gay people as lacking the spiritual depth conferred by a religious ceremony.

While many Anglican clergy already carry out blessings for gay couples, there is no authorised church ceremony and the issue has led to divisions in the Church of England.

Pope Benedict XVI has regularly condemned same-sex marriage and gay relationships, calling them “a destruction of God’s work”.

Quakers, who have been in favour of same-sex unions for almost two decades, agreed to perform marriage ceremonies for gay couples in 2009 and have previously urged the government to change the law to allow Quaker registering officers to handle same-sex partnerships in the same way as marriages.

Gay marriages are already legal in a handful of countries, including Canada, Iceland, the Netherlands, South Africa, Sweden, Spain, and some American states,

David Cameron, in 2009 interview, suggested that same-sex partnerships were no different from marriage but admitted that not all in his party held a similar view.

Red Nose Day 2011

Well it’s nearly that time of the year again for the 1st Major Charity event for BBC yes it’s

Red Nose Day  and it is back on Friday 18th March so it’s time to get ready to join in the fun! Wherever you are, whatever you do, make sure you do something funny for money and change countless lives for the better.

T-Shirts & Noses

It’s time to pick your Nose and pull on your T-shirts because Red Nose Day is back and it’s never looked so good.

The monster cool trio of Noses are available at Sainsbury’s and Oxfam shops and the Vivienne Westwood designed T-shirts are ready and waiting at a TK Maxx near you. Or bag them in our online store right now.

Desert Trek

A team of intrepid celebrities – including Dermot O’Leary, Lorraine Kelly and Scott Mills – is about to embark on a gruelling physical challenge that will test them to the limit. They’ll tackle some of the planet’s toughest terrain in the scorching sun as they cross a remote Kenyan desert – but can they take the heat?

iPhone

If you’ve got an iPhone, you’re in for a treat. Our brand new, totally free and completely brilliant Red Nose Day In Your Pocket iPhone app is now available to download.

From access to exclusive iTunes content, games and celeb features to all the latest Red Nose Day news and videos. It’s all there, all in your pocket. Hence the name.

Cameron defends Big Society policy

Article by The Independent online

David Cameron has fought back against accusations that his vision of the Big Society is simply a “cover” for Government spending cuts.

Writing in The Observer, the Prime Minister said that his initiative to hand power to local communities and voluntary organisations was intended to change the way Britain was run.

He acknowledged however that at a time of spending restraint, it would benefit society if people were prepared to volunteer more.

Building a stronger, bigger society is something we should try and do whether spending is going up or down,” he said.

“But there is a broader point to be made. As the state spends less and does less – which would be happening whichever party was in government – there would be a positive benefit if some parts of society were to step forward and do more.

Read More Here

Francis Maude denies that spending cuts are undermining the big society

Taken from Disability Lib and Third Sector

Last week Liverpool Council pulled out of the current Government’s Big Society experiment. The head of the council claimed they can not continue with the experiemnt when Central Government is cutting funds that voluntary organisations need to promote volunteerism and to get more people involved in their communities.

Yesterday, the 7th of February, Thirdsector online reported that the retiring executive director of Community Service Volunteers ( Dame Elisabeth Hoodless) says government lacks a strategic plan for the big society and that the spending cuts are undermining volunteering.

Today Thirdsector online has reported Government’s response and Francis Maude, the cabinet minister denied that the spending cuts are undermining the big society – writing in The Times newspaper Maude says: “Building the big society is not about pouring taxpayers’ money into the voluntary sector.

“What we are doing is supporting a new culture where everyone gets involved and society stops relying on the state to provide all the answers.

“I believe too much time is spent asking the taxpayer to prop up traditional organisations, rather than innovating and finding new ways to inspire people.”

So there it is folks, big society is about people doing stuff for people without money, jobs, benefits cut etc…..big society is about those working paying tax but Government not putting anything back….Government will provide the “environment” but you just get on it with. Is this realistic? Must Government always respond to criticism defensively?

May be I am looking at the current situation too simplistically but one thing I know, training volunteers is not free, encouraging people to creatively contribute to their communities needs money too and with the cuts already causing many organisations to close dowm no wonder someone commented on the Thirdsector online’s Government’s respond article that….”The Tories would deny that the sun rises in the morning”.

Cabinet Office minister responds to criticism by retiring CSV head Dame Elisabeth Hoodless
Francis Maude, the Cabinet Office minister, has responded to claims made by Dame Elisabeth Hoodless, executive director of volunteering charity CSV, that the government’s big society agenda lacks a “strategic plan” and is being undermined by spending cuts.
In media interviews to mark her retirement this week, Hoodless said volunteering projects were being hit hard by government spending cuts and this was at odds with the big society agenda.

But writing in The Times newspaper today, Maude says: “Building the big society is not about pouring taxpayers’ money into the voluntary sector.
“What we are doing is supporting a new culture where everyone gets involved and society stops relying on the state to provide all the answers.

“I believe too much time is spent asking the taxpayer to prop up traditional organisations, rather than innovating and finding new ways to inspire people.”
An article in The Guardian today reports that communities secretary Eric Pickles opposed plans to force councils to show they were cutting their own costs as much as their contracts with charities.

The plans had been developed by David Cameron’s head of strategy, Steve Hilton, Cabinet Office ministers Oliver Letwin and Francis Maude and Lord Wei, the government’s adviser on the big society, the article says.
It says that Labour leader Ed Miliband has written to the leaders of several large charities, asking them to take part in the party’s policy review on civil society.

Len McCluskey, general secretary of trade union Unite, has also called for the Public Administration Select Committee to launch an investigation into the government’s funding of voluntary organisations in the light of the big society agenda.
“The select committee needs to investigate the crisis that is engulfing UK charities,” he said.
“If the Chancellor George Osborne does not address the crisis facing the sector in his Budget on 23 March, many charities will go to the wall and that will be the death knell of the big society.”

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