Latest news with #Dulcie
BBC News
6 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Young people to give advice on Sussex mental health services
Young people who have faced mental health challenges are helping with a new scheme in Sussex aimed at providing specialist care at Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) team run by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is "drawing on the experiences of those who have been through the system to try to improve outcomes".The former service users are helping to design the scheme aimed at treating some people at home rather than admitting them to Anna Moriarty, associate clinical director of CAMHS, said: "What we're hearing from young people is they are keen to have an alternative to being admitted to hospital." She told BBC Radio Sussex: "They want to be closer to their family and friends and continue with their education."We are continuing to adapt to increased demand on services. "This is enhancing our offer for young people with significant mental health difficulties."Evie, who was admitted into inpatients for six months, is helping with the Sussex said: "Having a perspective from someone my age who has been through similar things to me would have really benefited me. "It is about how we can make the system better." Dulcie, another former service user, said: "People who are now in a better place can communicate with the professionals to improve outcomes for everybody."I think it's good to use people who have used the services themselves as they know how it is from a first-hand perspective."
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Lawmakers renew push to close unique Florida medical malpractice loophole
SPRING HILL, Fla. (WFLA) – Tina Fitzgerald of Spring Hill is brought to tears thinking about her daughter who died after seeking medical attention. 'It's hard. Six years,' Fitzgerald said. Her daughter died at 41 years old after a massive brain bleed in December 2018. Fitzgerald said doctors treated her daughter as a heart attack patient when she initially sought medical attention. Her daughter was then moved to a different facility but doctors there couldn't reverse the health decline that progressed, Fitgerald said, under the previous facility. The 41-year-old initially went to the hospital over complaints of head pain and shortness of breath. Born on a boat: Clearwater boy reunites with first responders who delivered him 'I said I wanted a meeting with the doctors, and they wouldn't let that happen,' Fitzgerald said. Fitzgerald was unable to seek damages in a wrongful death lawsuit. A 1990 Florida law states parents cannot sue for non-economic damages, like pain and suffering, in malpractice cases if their children are 25 and older, unmarried, and have no children. 'The magic combination: single, no children. So, it's like she didn't count,' Fitzgerald said. Another part of the law states anyone 25 and older cannot sue in similar cases involving unmarried parents. Fitzgerald said she wasn't looking for cash but looking for accountability. 'There's no amount of money in the world that we could get back that would bring her back,' Fitzgerald said. Florida Senate Bill 734 and its house companion aim to repeal those restrictions. In a senate committee hearing on Tuesday, Insurance Broker Alfred Gronovius said Florida had eight medical malpractice cases in excess of $20 million dollars in 2023. One was more than $200 million. He fears, as an opponent, that number could increase. 'If we expand the ability of a number of people that could sue for wrongful deaths, we will make an already medical malpractice insurance market that much worse,' Gronovius said. Fed keeps rates unchanged as Trump tariffs, economic concerns loom The Villages resident Bob Johnson spoke against the bill as well. He fears he may have to pay more for insurance. 'This bill will increase and accelerate and exacerbate the problems that Floridians are experiencing today in the health care system on the availability and the cost of health care,' Johnson said. Medical Malpractice Attorney Jordan Dulcie doesn't buy the concerns opponents have involving the rising cost of insurance. As a supporter of the bill, he wants to see lawmakers continue to move the measure forward so there's a full vote on the floor in both chambers. 'This law has done nothing to bring down insurance premiums for medical providers. They've continued to increase premiums since this law was on the books in 1990,' Dulcie said. Dulcie noted that premiums have been rising across the board, which includes non-medical. He said that shows there are a multitude of factors in play, which lawmakers are currently investigating. Now, Dulcie wants opponents in Tallahassee to think about the group of Floridians who want to do whatever they can to heal from their loss. He believes the current restrictions have prevented many from closure. 'All it has done is deprive victims of wrongful death from having the ability to seek or address in the courts, which is their right under the Florida constitution,' Dulcie said. He concludes that many families fighting today for change still won't be able to take action, if the measure becomes law, because of the statute of limitations. The bills continue to make their way through the committee stage. Some opponents have stated they would agree to bill with a cap on damages. That measure has been filed before but didn't have any success in Tallahassee. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Euronews
17-03-2025
- Health
- Euronews
'No-burp syndrome': Why some people are getting botox to belch
Eating out with friends was a constant source of anxiety for Dulcie, a 23-year-old research student from the UK. Her throat would gurgle loudly, and her chest would tighten as gas painfully expanded in her stomach. Then one night, while scrolling on her phone, she saw a video about a rare condition - and suddenly her physical discomfort made sense: she'd never been able to burp. Retrograde cricopharyngeal dysfunction (R-CPD), also known as "no-burp syndrome," was formally identified as a medical condition in 2019, following a case series published in the National Library of Medicine by Dr Robert Bastian of the Bastian Voice Institute in the US state of Illinois. Awareness has grown since, giving sufferers a name for their affliction and online spaces to connect - most notably the noburp subreddit, which has nearly 35,000 members. "Now I know what R-CPD is, I blame it for many of the barriers to generally good physical and mental health that I face," Dulcie told Euronews Health, explaining that she also believes the condition could be the cause of her severe phobia of vomiting due to the build-up of pressure in the chest that sometimes leads to nausea. "It is actually maddening how something many consider so unimportant, burping, can actually have such a profound effect on the quality of somebody's life," she added. Despite growing evidence of its mental and physical toll, R-CPD remains widely unrecognised amongst healthcare professionals due to research being in its infancy - and societal perceptions around burping. "There is a treatment for the condition, but it is not NHS [the UK's National Health Service] approved yet because lots of doctors don't know about the condition, or don't consider it to be a problem," Mr Yakubu Karagama, laryngologist at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, told King's Health Partners. "It's currently being seen as a social issue, but it's not a social issue it's a health issue". This lack of medical acknowledgment has led many people to self-diagnose online and seek out costly treatment options. For most of us, burping is as natural as breathing, aside from the occasional post-fizzy drink exorcism. When excess air accumulates in our stomachs, the lower oesophageal sphincter - a valve that acts as a barrier between our throat and stomach - relaxes. This allows air to move up through our oesophagus and out of our mouths, resulting in a (hopefully) satisfying belch. In those with R-CPD, it's thought that the cricopharyngeus muscle, an entry valve located in our upper oesophagus, is unable to relax as it should, leaving the air trapped. "That retrograde dysfunction, that absence of relaxation of that upper sphincter, so that the air can't get out, leads [people] not to be able to burp. As a consequence, the air is trapped in their oesophagus, so that often they'll feel a substernal pressure," said Dr Lee Akst, a leading laryngologist at Johns Hopkins Medicine. "The associated symptoms are, I feel bloated, I have a gurgling sensation, I have chest or abdominal discomfort, and I feel as if I'm more flatulent than my friends who can burp because of the physical consequences of the air being trapped". For 41-year-old *Amelia, who has been formally diagnosed with R-CPD, these side effects led to a complete avoidance of public eating and drinking. "I couldn't drink with my food, couldn't enjoy nights out or meals out. It was embarrassing, painful and socially debilitating". A recent study conducted by Texan academics found that those unable to burp were more likely to struggle with anxiety, depression, and embarrassment, along with facing negative impacts on their work and relationships. "Sitting up at my desk for full days is actively painful," Dulcie said. "It means I can't do anything in my evenings because I have to lie down for the gurgles and pain to subside". Usually diagnosed with an endoscopy, the main treatment available for R-CPD is botulinum toxin (botox) injections into the cricopharyngeus muscle, relaxing it and allowing air to pass through. Only a limited number of doctors currently offer the procedure, which costs upwards of £3,000 (€3,621) through select private healthcare providers, according to a UK petition calling for funding on the NHS. This can sometimes be covered by insurance, according to anecdotal posts on the noburp subreddit, although there's no guarantee due to the condition still being so new and unknown. The botox lasts about three months, but during that time, patients can achieve longer-term results by relearning control of their upper oesophageal sphincter, according to Akst at Johns Hopkins. "About 90 per cent of people who are treated begin to burp, and about 90 per cent of those people who begin to burp can continue to burp even after six months or so, even after the drug is gone, because they've hopefully learned some degree of volitional control over that valve". As with all medical treatments, there are some risks. The primary function of the cricopharyngeus muscle is to prevent acid reflux, which could temporarily worsen after being relaxed, Akst explained. He also noted that some patients' swallowing becomes more hesitant. "The oesophagus is trying to squeeze the food down, but that valve above it is open. It's like trying to squeeze a tube of toothpaste if you've cut the back end of the tube off. You can't build the same pressure wave in only one direction. And so, often after this surgery, people feel as if their swallowing is slower," he said. However, those Euronews Health spoke to who have had the procedure found the benefits far outweigh the costs. "Best money I've ever spent," Amelia said, adding that she paid £5,000 (€6,038) six years ago. "There's so much I can do now that I couldn't do before. I can enjoy meals out, sit in quiet rooms, and rarely fart. Burping is subconscious to me now, just a normal part of life," she said. Meanwhile, Dulcie is booked in for treatment in the UK soon. "If this works, it will change my life. I'll be able to eat a full meal out with my friends without having to retreat home to gurgle in peace afterwards. I'll be able to drink a lemonade or a beer without feeling like I might explode. I'll be able to get into normal eating habits," she said. For those that can't afford the treatment, certain head and neck exercises can sometimes help encourage burping. "Practice with chin postures, either tucking it down or bringing it forward or turning it left or turning it right. And see if you can turn that little kind of croaky, slow motion gas escape into an honest to goodness burp and try to practice it in that fashion," Akst said. "But again, success rates are fairly anecdotal. There's not one regimen that everybody uses". Sam, a 31-year-old parcel sorter from France, found relief by consistently practicing physical shaker exercises, intended to improve swallowing. "My first burp was a micro burp and was not very spectacular. But when I did a second one a long time later, then I started to have hope,' he said. "I've learned to control [burping] more calmly and today it's much better. I burp after my meals, after my drinks, all day long. I feel much lighter," he added. * Name has been changed at the request of the interviewee. Those we spoke to with R-CPD agreed to talk to Euronews Health about their experiences but did not want their surnames to appear in print for privacy reasons.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Eight year-old rings cancer 'all-clear' bell
An eight-year old girl has rung an "all-clear" bell, marking the end of three years of cancer treatment. Dulcie, from Telford, Shropshire, was diagnosed with a stage four neuroblastoma in 2021 and underwent chemotherapy, surgery and two sets of clinical trials. She rang the bell on Monday, surrounded by staff lining the corridor at Birmingham Children's Hospital. Dulcie was then surprised by her mum with a holiday to Disneyland Paris in May, which has been paid for with more than £3,300 in fundraising money. Surgeons removed a 1.2kg (2.6lb) mass from Dulcie in 2022. However, it was found to have spread, and the family had to turn to clinical trials as chemotherapy was not able to reduce it. Debra said they finally got the happy news that there was "no evidence of disease" in mid-February. Mum Debra previously said after spending three years in the company of adults she wanted to give her daughter a chance to be a girl again. "We want to make new happy memories for her because she will tell you she does not remember anything before cancer," she said. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Eight-year-old to sound cancer 'all-clear' bell Britain's Got Talent day for girl with cancer Girl with rare cancer sees good results in trial Girl starts pioneering cancer treatment trial Birmingham Children's Hospital
