Waiting...............

Surreal is a word that sums up today.

Walking through Malaga, a place we love and know so well, is a strange feeling. I see so many new mums with babies in their prams, families with small toddlers all enjoying the beautiful sunshine. I feel strange walking amongst the crowds, and wish we could be carefree and simply be......

Kyla and Dan keep going to the hospital to see baby Aiy�la, who loves a cuddle with her mum, but won�t feed. Sucking seems to be to much hard work for her at the moment.The rest of us are not allowed in to see the baby.

Today I had my blood test for tomorrow, because unbelievably out of all the days, I am having Herceptin the same time my granddaughter is being operated on. I managed to change my appointment, to 09.00am, and hope to be out of there by 11.00, so I can get across town to the children�s hospital.  I just cant believe my luck, that out all the days, I have to have Herceptin. The oncologist refused to move my appointment by a week and I actually did not have the energy to argue with him.

Lindsay, who arrived last Thursday, the day Kyla went into labour ( she actually came out for my Birthday, which I happily cancelled), flew back this evening. It was wonderful having her here, she managed to make us laugh, when really we just wanted to cry. All of us are staying in our apartment in Malaga ( which was designed for 2 people, max 4, but definitely not 6), has actually been a �bonding and at times funny� experience. �Camping� springs to mind, but in times like this, all of us sticking together is proving to be therapeutic and comforting.

Gods knows if we will get some sleep tonight, Aiy�la�s operation starts at 08.00 and is likely to finish at 12.00, hopefully with a successful outcome.

Interestingly, I emailed Galves hospital, asking them for a meeting. So far I have not had a reply����..

More tomorrow. No Cannabis oil tonight, otherwise there is no chance of me getting up early. Instead we are drinking wine tonight and toasting our little granddaughter, who lying by herself in this huge baby unit.

From bad to worse............and beyond..........

My conditions is nothing compared to what we experienced the last 3 days.
Our daughter Kyla was due to give birth last week. Her contractions started the night of the 2 February and we arrived in Galvez hospital at 02.00. By 05.00 a beautiful baby girl was brought into the world, weighing 3 KG.  I consider myself so lucky to have witnessed the birth of my granddaughter. Something I will cherish forever and never forget. We were over the moon. Life could not get much better, seeing our daughter and son in law with their little baby daughter.

Sadly, our joy did not last long.  All day nobody came to see them, no midwife, no nurse,  no paediatrician. All day, Kyla tried to feed her daughter, who would not wake up.  She simply slept.  At 19.00 a nurse entered and asked Kyla how often she had fed the baby, to which she explained that she had tried to feed the baby, but that the baby would not feed, as she would not wake up. The nurse replied � if you don�t feed your baby you will starve her�, making Kyla feel as if she failed her new born baby. The nurse disappeared and came back with a baby bottle of formula  milk, she  picked the sleeping infant up and forced the bottle into her mouth, with the result of the baby, Aiy�la, bringing the small amount of milk up again. This was repeated twice, after which even the nurse realised that the baby , which had turned blue, was not feeding. The nurse took the baby , informing us that she was going to �check the baby out� and left the room.

2 hours later, when we still had not heard from anyone, we called the nurse back via the emergency bell, as we could not find anyone in the corridors. A paediatrician  turned up to inform Kyla, that the baby needed to see a cardiologist, as there was �something wrong with the baby�s heart�. She told Kyla that she could not see the baby and that they were going to call an ambulance in order to transfer the baby to a children�s specialist hospital. This was at 22.30. By 23.00 when the ambulance had not arrived, we started to worry. We asked the nurse and paediatrician to call the ambulance again, as we were starting to get concerned. In fact we asked them to hand us the baby, so we could drive it to the hospital, but they refused.  100 (that is what it felt like),  phone calls later, the ambulance arrived at 03.00. 4 hours later!
We followed the ambulance to the children�s hospital, which was only 2 km down the road and watched with horror as the baby was wheeled into the intensive care unit. We were not allowed to see her and by 05.00 in the morning were asked for a meeting with the cardiologist, a lovely caring lady. She told us that little baby Aiyala had �severe pulmonary valve stenosis�. I googled it immediately, which I shouldn�t have. I read that it is not difficult to spot a baby with this condition, as they have difficulty feeding, often look blue, sleep all the time etc. Any half qualified nurse should have been able to spot this, if she had bothered to look at the baby.

So our beautiful granddaughter has been in the intensive care unit since Friday night/ Saturday morning.
Kyla has been trying to express milk to try and feed the baby, but she is sleeping most of the time and it feels impossible to try and wake her.
This morning, Monday, 2 cardiologists and 2 surgeons met, in order to discuss the plan of action. We met with them after the meeting and were told that the operation was set for Wednesday morning, 08.00. They will try to enter a wire into her vein in the groin, feed it through to her heart and will try to balloon it open. We pray this will work. There are risks of course, but both the cardiologist and surgeon we spoke to, filled us with confidence in their ability. Apparently the hospital carries out well over 100 operations of this type every year. If this does not work, then after a few days, they will have to carry out open heart surgery. We can�t begin to even get our head around this, as it means stopping her tiny heart, which is not something the doctors want to do. We just hope that the operation on Wednesday is a success, but who knows, we will have to wait.

Waiting is one of the worst things, seconds feel like hours. Hours feel like months. We have lost track of what day or time it is, we are numb.

I have asked myself so many times over the last couple of days, Why??? Just simply why??? What have Kyla and Dan done to deserve this? What has this tiny little baby girl done to deserve this? Words fail me. 

Interesting to note, that the hospital release papers of the Galvez hospital, stating that 'the baby left with no known issues'. They will be hearing from me, when this nightmare is over!

One step forward............ and one step back.......

So how do you know you are cancer free? ������. A question I have been asked many times over the last couple of weeks. A very good question.

The answer is , I don't / won�t, and I am okay with that.  For me the price to find out, is too high. Whether a PET scan or biopsy or mammogram, all can cause or spread cancer if it is in my body.  So for now, I will continue to do what I am doing and I will continue with Herceptin as long as my veins play ball.  I will not accept a plate under my skin in order to administer the IV.

A couple of weeks ago I underwent a test called �Thermal imaging�. For anyone who has not heard of this in the medical field, nor had I, until I started researching it. 

http://www.faim.org/medical-thermal-imaging-for-preventative-screening

Medical Thermal Imaging for Preventative Screening Kimberly Schipke

thermalimagebreasts.jpgImage courtesy of Carol Chandler, D.O.M. and Kimberly Schipke, M.S.

Image #1: Using medical thermal imaging, the neovascularization of breast cancer can be seen in the earliest stages when the tumor outgrows the host blood supply with no pain and with no exposure to ionizing radiation.

With over 8,000 journals published worldwide, medical thermal imaging has plenty of research to support its use for non-invasive and preventative screening. Most recently it has been promoted for use in early detection of breast cancer.

Using medical thermal imaging, the neovascularization of breast cancer can be seen in the earliest stages when the tumor outgrows the host blood supply with no pain and with no exposure to ionizing radiation. Clinical thermographers can also monitor areas under the arms where mammograms are unable to image which increases the potential for early detection in those areas. Cancer treatments can be monitored for new blood vessel formation and recession. The physiology and energy consumption of the tumor can be used to help examine growth.

No painful compression of the breasts is required for thermal imaging. Women with breast implants should consider using thermal imaging to monitor for infections due to implant leakage. The fatigue rate of the encasing material (approximately ten years) and the length of time the implants have been within the body affects its resistance to impact. The annual exposure to the high compressive force of the mammogram could cause cracks which lead to a further degradation.

My results came back ok, What I mean is that they did not see any cancerous growth. It was an interesting experience. I had to remove all clothes from my upper body and 'cool down' in what I call a 'freezing room'. Weird sitting topless by yourself in a freezing room. After a view minutes, ( I guess when I was considered to be 'cool' enough), I basically had my picture taken from all angles. Arms up , front on, arms up , sideways, arms up from the back.
A few minutes later, I could see the images for myself. ( I decided not to post mine on here, as looking at my imagines, clearly my topless glamour days are well and truly over!) The above photo from the website is a good example though. I am delighted to say that this is not my image, as the one above is not good news.

As I understand it, cancers are 'cold', but likely to surround themselves with 'hot food'. Blue therefore is bad news. I had not blue colour anywhere and have received my report, that basically states, that they can't find any tumor activity, but that I need to keep an eye on both breasts. Well that one is obvious. But, good news.

So, if that is correct then here comes the next question.... Now what!?
Yesterday I had the scan underneath my armpit, where I located a lump as big as a golf ball. 2.7x1.7cm to be precise. The doctors who carried out the scan, was very keen to carry out a biopsy, which of course I declined. He could not confirm by the scan only, if this was a new tumor or what it might be. His recommendation was to take a biopsy and to cut the entire thing out.
Well, I have been around for long enough now, to understand why he would say that. It is his job! That is how he earns his money, 'detect and cut'.

I have decided to do neither, but to leave it. Instead I will repeat the thermal imaging in three months, to see if anything has changed and in the meantime carry out lymph drainage by myself. ( I watched a video on YouTube, seemed straight forward.) I have warned Geoff that if I find I can't do it, he is next in line to help me. Besides that I am still looking for a professional to carry out lymph drainage, but that too is a challenge here. I have spoken to a few people who offer it, but when questioned they are not qualified, they did the same as me, read up on it and watch a YouTube video.

I feel for my family, because I think they would have preferred me to have the biopsy, mainly to get clarity, which makes sense. But, as Geoff said last night, 'It is your body' and he is right. I thank them for their ongoing support.

At times this 'journey' feels like on hell of an emotional roller coaster. 

On the hard shoulder...........

This is how Geoff summarised by situation.  My head is so full, I need to get some order into my thoughts. So why the �hard shoulder�? I have left the main stream traffic all heading into the same direction and am taking stock. Traffic is passing and most don�t notice me on the side����� Before I explain, quite funny, most really don�t notice me. I have walked past people who know me and quite a few don�t recognise me. I guess when I was still wearing my wigs, I did not look that different as the hair lengths and colour were similar to what I once looked like. There are definite advantages. I tend to keep away from the town where we live, I know too many people and don�t want their pity ( expressed by a few) and don�t want to make the �more uncomfortable�  people cross the pavement when they see me ( also experienced that one). So all in all, quite handy to now look like someone different.  I digress.

Since talking to my friend Gerti from Germany last November, I thoughts that lymph drainage is what I needed. I have a lump , the size of a golf ball / small egg, under my operated arm pit. After much research, I contacted  the �body work clinic� in Estepona www.thebodyworksclinic.com. They offered this service and I made an appointment. I had explained my back ground prior to making the appointment. When I arrived there, Estelle, the lady who runs / owns the clinic , only wanted to use the electric machine for the lymph drainage. Having read that breast cancer patients should not have any �interference� on the side where the operation was, including taking blood pressure, blood test, the IV ( Herceptin), I told her that I did not want the machine on my left side. She proceeded to treat my back and right arm, but did not touch the left side, not even manually. It turns out that she only offers lymph drainage using the machine, which I was not informed about prior to making the appointment, even though I specifically asked. Maybe a misunderstanding, I thought.  After I paid, ( not a small amount) and asked for the invoice, she told me that she had to state �Physiotherapy treatment�. I advised her that I wanted an invoice for the work she had actually carried out, but she refused, telling me insurance company would not accept this. Whilst it is very kind of her to worry about whether or not my insurance company would refund me this cost, I wanted to have the correct invoice for the service she carried out. To date, one week , 5 phone calls and 4 emails later, I have not received it. I wonder why���.

Similarly, when I needed the heart scan a few weeks ago, I made an appointment with Dr. Benrd Reisbeck a qualified Cardiologist.  www.reisbeck-medical.com . When I arrived, I was met by his wife Dr. Manuela Reisbeck, who carried out the heart scan. She informed me that she wanted me to do a �stress test� due to my ridiculously low pulse (40), and then told me that she could not do it, as the test is always carried out by two doctors. But, her husband was not there at the time. This meant I had made a round trip of over 200 km, to see a non qualified person, non-qualified in cardiology. They failed to call me beforehand to let me know that the cardiologist was not there and his wife took over. The trouble is the wife, whilst very friendly, was / dare say �is� not qualified. Again I was charged a small fortune and sent on my way. Since then I asked for a second appointment, to carry out the stress test, but have had no reply. ( this is 5 weeks ago)

Sick people, are profitable people. I have no doubt that this is not a �Spanish issue� but a worldwide one.I could go on, about other doctors I have seen, and whilst this does not help me regarding my health, I am realising a few truth here, which quite frankly are worrying and simply sad.
When you think about it, a doctor who poses as a cardiologist, with no qualifications, but does not mention it to me. I found this out via their website after I failed to see the cardiologist. A physiotherapist, who claims to be qualified in carrying out lymph drainage, but when asked for an invoice to support this treatment, refuses. I won�t go on, there are others. Basically the conclusion I am coming to is that only money matters in the private sector. I am getting disillusioned in finding someone, who firstly �cares� ( this seems to be an impossible mission) and secondly who is qualified in the activity they state they offer.
So what is the answer. Maybe a system similar to that in Germany, where the system is half private half state and patients pay a proportion of the costs?
The NHS does not seem so bad from where I am sitting right now. If you can ignore the long waiting lists and the fact that English is not necessarily the main language in the hospitals. But does the NHS produce doctors and nurses who care? Because they have no real financial gain and carry out the job they enjoy doing? I don�t know.
I need to get off the hard shoulder, off the motorway and find my own route, which is proving to be difficult, due to what I have tried to describe. 

Moving on, so today I had the pleasure of my 8^th �poisoning session� also known as Herceptin. I took the opportunity of asking my oncologist a couple of questions. I asked him, why I was weighed before I started the first session back last July. His answer was what I expected, �to calculate the amount� which is pumped into me. My second question was, what would happen if a patient lost 10 kg? The answer: � We would reduce the amount�. I didn�t ask the obvious next question : �You see me every three weeks for a consultation and you have not noticed that I have lost 10 kg?� Clearly he had not. Whilst I don�t expect the majority of people I know to notice, I would have thought, that this is something the oncologist should keep an eye on? Clearly not. So today, he weighed me and confirmed that yes, what a surprise I had lost 10 kg and he would reduce the dosage. What can I say? I need to do the thinking, clearly.
I also enquired about the lump under my arm, to which he was surprised that it was still there and suggested a scan and biopsy. I have agreed to the scan but not the biopsy.  Why not? Simple, I am concerned that whatever is inside that lump, that a biopsy will make it leak or spread. http://www.healthguideinfo.com/breast-health/p74634/        ;       http://www.healingdaily.com/conditions/biopsy.htm         ;     http://www.healthguideinfo.com/surgical-cancer-procedures/p75018/

1.     Like other cells in the body, cancer cells also have small blood vessels called capillaries which drain into veins and thus are connected to the blood stream. They are also bathed in tissue fluid which is connected to the lymphatic system. Inserting a needle into the tumor for biopsy involves the risk of dislodging a tumor cell into a blood vessel or into the tissue fluid.

2.     Tumour cells which enter into the blood vessels can travel to distant sites whereas those which enter into the tissue fluid go to lymph nodes. Some tumor cells may also be dragged along the route of the needle and hence lead to local implantation. This is known as implantation metastasis. This carries the risk that a tumor which previously could have been cured by resection may spread and thus palliative treatment may only be possible. This also means that the patient has to take combinations of chemotherapy with its dangerous and unpleasant side effects.

It is still not known clearly whether fine needle or core needle biopsy involves a higher risk of metastasis. It has been concluded from studies that a needle biopsy may increase the spread of the cancer by 50% as compared to excisional biopsies

When a person is given a terrible diagnosis regarding their health, any diagnosis, it does not have to be cancer, although that one floats to the top in my mind,  it tends to stun people. It stunned me initially.  It stuns you so much, that you follow �doctors orders�, in my case �initially�. I understand that. I understand that the majority of sick people will do what the doctor recommends. They are on the �outside lane�. Then there are those, who follow doctors� orders but also look what they can do themselves in addition,  to improve their health. Let�s call them, the �middle and inside laners�.

All three lanes are cruising along for as long as the doctors tell them to. And then there are people like me. I know now that I am not an exception, it is quite remarkable how many people join me on the �hard shoulder�, each trying to find their way, but knowing that the other lanes won�t take them to where they want to go.  This is the group of people, the private clinics must simply love. Desperate to find solutions, willing to pay just about anything in order to find them. �Cash cow� springs to mind.  There is little to no compassion and  I feel that I am seen as a �walking wallet�.       

The state system here in Spain, tends to have mixed reviews. I have since learned that a �pression mammogram� is not the normal way of carrying out a mammogram, which I had the great displeasure of experiencing in the local hospital. (I mentioned this before, similar to men putting their nearest and dearest on a table and someone coming down on it with a sledge hammer). Jan was told by the state hospital that his son ( who is starting to walk again) might have had to have legs amputated.

                                   

So here we are, I will see what the scan reveals. Personally I doubt that this is cancer. My money is on �congealed blood , fluid� after my infection last summer. The interesting point though is that my GP, the surgeon and the oncologist all knew that I had the infection, not one of them asked to check it weeks or months later or kept an eye on it. Did they forget? The lump simply stayed. Should they have followed this up? At least with a question? I have no idea if this is normal or not. I thought it was, but the oncologist today, seemed to question if this was a new tumor. My gut tells me it is not.

I mentioned �compassion� or lack of earlier. Lola the nurse in the chemo ward, is one of the nicest people I have met. It is �freezing� here (for me at least, currently 6 degrees, not my idea of fun) and the last couple of times when I had the blood test and Herceptin, it really hurt. I burnt like hell actually. Lola explained to me why and it made sense.  During the summer months our veins are larger then they are during the winter, making it harder to �get in�. The nurses have cold hand, so as they feel for a vein in order to know where to insert, (as they keep looking for new entry points, they don't use the same position twice), that also makes the veins contract. So unless, I bring my own heater and supply the nurses with wholly gloves ( can�t see that one working), I have to accept that whilst it is cold, it will hurt like hell. Interesting, and annoying. I have also decided that when they run out of suitable 'entry points' on my arm ( they are slowly moving up), I will not agree to a 'plate under my skin', I will finish with Herceptin. I am due another 9 sessions, let's see if they manage to find a vein until the last session in August. 

Thank you ....................

I did not expect this. Thank you! I really really appreciate your comments ( you know who you are), to hear that you / others have experienced the same as I did last week, makes me feel 100% better. 

I am delighted to have had my appointment confirmed with a new clinic near Marbella to carry out lymph drainage. I don�t really know what to expect, although I have googled it of course. Hopefully with a bit of luck, the lump under my armpit will disappear or at least get smaller.

I am not sure how long a lymph drainage takes or how they do it, but no doubt will find that out this Wednesday. 

On and up!

Meltdown.............

 Last week I had a major ( major to me) breakdown.  I am fine now and looking back on it, I actually find it fascinating. The body and mind are simply fascinating. So what happened? I am actually not sure.

I simply broke down, I cried so much I could not stand, the noises coming from my mouth, even frightened the dogs , who are used to my booming voice. Poor Geoff, he was not prepared for that. Having said that, nor was I.

I noticed the last few days having this overwhelming feeling of not being able to cope. Kyla our daughter is due to go on maternity leave the next couple of weeks, we are short staffed, trying to recruit new people. We are currently training new people. We had the office move and privately sold a couple of apartments in order to buy one new apartment. Christmas was busy, I neglected my healthy diet for a while, or I should say, I ate food and drank alcohol, which I had not been doing for some months, resulting in me feeling more tired. I could not sleep, worrying about work and what will happen when Kyla is off.  Suddenly I was back to where I was prior to having cancer. I was back in the middle of organising life and everything around me.

When you are a control freak, it is so hard to let go.   I had managed to �let go� for the last 7 months and then it all came back. The net result of stressing about everything again, meant that I slipped into a dark hole without actually noticing it.  People always say I am �strong�, well what does that actually mean? I talk louder than others? I struggle to accept failure in everything I do? I have high expectations of myself and others? I feel that I am responsible for me? If I come across a problem I need to solve it? A lot of �I�s. I decided early in life that only you can help yourself and only you can sort your problems, which actually I have been proven wrong of so often. Hard for the people close to me.

Although I think it is more than that. I have always been rebellious. Tell me to go right, chances are I turn left, unless I can been convinced with a sound argument why I should turn right. ( by the way, it is always interesting when Geoff and I drive anywhere together in the car, irrespective of who is driving) An idea springs to mind. �googlebox�, a TV programme where you watch people watching TV. ( I am delighted to say, I saw this once for no more than a couple of minute, but I get the �entertainment factor�) Well if they had this programme based on watching couples inside cars, then Geoff and I would win the global award.

This rebellious streak of mind coppled together with my inbuilt fear of not being in control, fear of failure, resulted in my desire to be successful in business and with it the financial gain I felt I needed to prove I could achieve. Thankfully Geoff has done nothing then support me for over 35 years in this desire. I worked full time since I left school, I raised 3 children ( of course not on my own), I had a career I loved, which took me across Europe to Russia to the States. I loved every minute of it. The stress through was constant. I used to be out of the country from Monday to Friday, with Nannies looking after the children. When I returned Friday night ( providing I did not miss my flight because a meeting overran), work continued. Running the household, organising the children and all the activities that went with it, prepping for the next week to leave either Sunday night or Monday morning for the rest of the week, was stressful. But, I needed to do it, I needed to know that I could stand on my own two feet. God knows why. Why could I not be like so many women I knew, staying at home, having coffee mornings with other mothers, having lunches, children�s birthday parties and waiting for my husband pay check, so I can go shopping. An extreme view, I know, and no doubt any �stay at home� parent is likely to shoot me down and say that �raising children is much harder than working�. I am not disputing this. I am just saying, why could I not be like that. Instead, I was chasing money, promotion, status and the �platinum British Airways Executive card� .

So here is the price I pay, I brought this cancer on myself. I thought I was indestructible. I tackled my cancer diagnosis like I tackled live, I can do this by myself! Well last week, I realised I could not. A couple of days, of the darkest hour, worse than when I was first diagnosed, which is strange, but  I have come out on the other side. Geoff spent hours listening to me and we talked and talked. British Telecom was right �it�s good to talk�, but hard to do.  I realise now, that I was bottling up all my emotions and just dealt with the task ahead as if it was another project. How wrong I was.

But, isn�t life truly amazing. Last week I wanted to die. Imagine even admitting to that. I could see no light, thought I was wasting my time trying to cleverer then the doctors I have met. ( who as we know all want to push me down the chemo trail) I thought my family would eventually be better off without me, so they would not need to stress about me anymore.  How na�ve of me. How stupid and short sighted. Interesting how logic fails when one feels desperate. The mind is so powerful. I can see, how people fall into depression and struggle to get out.  Anyone reading this, no, �happy pills� is not the answer. Talking, self-analysis and then a plan of action works wonders.

Anyway, I have picked myself up, dried the ( what now seem silly) tears and have given myself a kick up the backside.  I feel fine now. Going to feed my chickens now!

A great start to the new year...........

Cannabis ingredient to be classed as medicine in UK

Sarah Hajibagheri, News Reporter

Products that contain a cannabis-based ingredient called cannabidiol, or CBD, are to be classed as medicines by the UK medicines regulator from this year.

The Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it had looked at CBD because a number of manufacturing companies had been making "overt medicinal claims" about products.

Gerald Heddel, director of inspection and enforcement at the agency, told Sky News: "The change really came about with us offering an opinion that CBD is in fact a medicine, and that opinion was based on the fact that we noted that people were making some quite stark claims about serious diseases that could be treated with CBD."

He said that a review of the evidence showed that "it was clear that people are using this product with the understandable belief that it will actually help".

Cannabis has two key ingredients - THC and CBD. The THC gets you stoned, and it can also make you anxious and psychotic.

But, isolated, CBD has the opposite effect, often calming people down - which is why some people are using it in small doses as medicine.

Most people in the UK get their supplies online in an unregulated and potentially unsafe market, but the decision by the MHRA means manufacturers will now need to demonstrate their CBD products meet safety, quality and effectiveness standards.

:: Britons want cannabis legalised for medical purposes - Sky Data poll

While some users are pleased that CBDs are finally being recognised as medicine, others worry about their supply.

Louise Bostock's daughter Jayla has brain damage. Aged five, she cannot walk or talk and is unlikely to live beyond her childhood.

Ms Bostock turned to CBD to ease her daughter's symptoms after reading about studies in the US, where fits in children were cut by 50%.

She told Sky News Jayla no longer needs to be taken to hospital every three or four weeks because of seizures.

As CBDs are currently normally only prescribed to adults with multiple sclerosis, authorities stepped in, which Ms Bostock feels was due to a lack of understanding about CBDs.

She said: "They try and criminalise it if you even mention cannabis, but when you are dealing with people who are going to die, how can anyone not give it to these people who have no hope?"

But there are concerns that the move could send mixed messages about the safety and legality of cannabis.

Dr Hamed Khan, medical lecturer at St George's University Hospital, stressed the ruling "is only about CBDs, which is something very specific, and not cannabis and marijuana as a whole".

Cannabis is not recognised in the UK as having any therapeutic value, and anyone using it could be charged with possession.

Campaigners for its legalisation say classifying CBDs as a medicine opens up the medicinal marijuana debate.

It is heartening to see the increased media coverage regarding Cannabis oil and its healing properties.