Comments on: Duke of York scheduled to attend 40th anniversay celebration of Qaddafi coup

By: Israelinurse

Israelinurse — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 22:03:57 +0000

Brownie – the trouble with prostate cancer is that it’s often almost symptom free in the earlier (treatable) stages. I make sure all my male patients over 45 do a PSA test annually, but that’s not infallible either and I don’t know if the NHS provide it at such frequency. If you have any family history of breast or ovarian cancers on the female side, you should be extra aware because they are genetically related. In the UK they don’t recognise this genetic link yet, but because of the high incidence of the BRCA1 gene in Israel lots of research into these links has been done there. My family on my mother’s side is riddled with all three of those types of cancer -the males get prostate and the females breast or ovarian. Fortunately the other side only have heart disease!

By: devorgilla

devorgilla — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:45:18 +0000

You can’t believe everything in print but it was reported he was a urologist.

By: Mike S

Mike S — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:19:00 +0000

Well it’s undoubted that the SNP have made a dog’s breakfast of this one, but al-Meghrai’s (alleged?) symptoms are compatible with aggressive prostate cancer. I guess we’ll never know for sure. Even if he’s reported dead by Xmas, people will doubt the veracity of the claim.

Slightly OT, but I thought Richard Simpson was a GP.

By: devorgilla

devorgilla — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:16:14 +0000

Dr Richard Simpson, MSP, an urologist, asked about this. And was stonewalled.

He doubted enough medical advice had been sought.

By: devorgilla

devorgilla — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:10:10 +0000

Mike S, my broader point was really the lengths MacAskill had gone to in order to establish medical grounds. Since the status if the disease is the vital consideration for granting this kind of release.

My suspicion is that he seems to have been a bit hasty, and blamed it on the rapid progress of the disease. A bit too convenient, IMHO.

He never took the time to consul the US relatives about the compassionate release option. Or brief the US administration.

The relatives of 189 US citizens who died at Lockerbie also agreed to submit themselves to the probity and standards of Scottish justice in 2001. Since this was a volte face, they deserved better treatment.

By: Mike S

Mike S — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:04:52 +0000

Sorry Brownie. It’s just a hypothesis though.

http://www.prostate-cancer.org.uk/info/prostate_cancer/cancer_symptoms.asp

Devorgilla and Mark2. I suppose it is possible that it’s all an elaborate hoax, but the (alleged?) progress of his disease isn’t incompatible with what we know about it.

By: Mark2

Mark2 — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:43:48 +0000

…….. or even Megrahi’s Libyan “Doctor”.

By: devorgilla

devorgilla — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:24:19 +0000

It was certainly reported in the Scottish press that the cancer was now in Megrahi’s bones, but can we believe this? It emerged that the medical opinion recommending release was granted by one doctor, who may not have been NHS. It could have been Megrahi’s Libyan doctor.

By: Brownie

Brownie — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:53:24 +0000

In many ways, it’s a disease all us are men programmed to get.

What are symptoms for prostate cancer? Thanks for ruining my day, Mike S.

Yeah, good luck Mark2.

By: modernity

modernity — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 12:46:16 +0000

Brownie,

agreed with you about the Scots Nats, and you put a fair case for absolving Gordon Brown, I can see your reasoning.

Equally, someone might have miscalculated and hoped that the SNP would get all of the blame? We’ll see.