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Cannabis-based drug eases Terence’s pain
Angela Cavill-Burch and Terence Burch who are hopeful that the new drug Sativex will alleviate his pain. Picture: Paul Franks
SEVERELY paralysed Terence Burch from Peterborough has been given fresh hope in dealing with his painful condition after being given a vital new drug.
Terence (65) has been tetraplegic, paralysed in all four limbs, since June 2007 and his wife Angela Cavill-Burch (42) has been lobbying NHS Peterborough since they moved to the city in 2009 for treatment to help alleviate her husband’s pain.
Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge has now prescribed Sativex, which is the first cannabis-based treatment to be licensed in the UK, to help treat Terence’s spasms which leave him screaming in agony.
Angela, who is Terence’s sole carer at their home at St Edmund’s Court, Hampton, said: “It’s a relief.
“The Sativex will potentially ease Terence’s spasms. It will just generally relax his body all over, hopefully take some of hs pain away and loosen up his muscles.
“We are not expecting it to be a miracle cure but if it takes the edge off his pain then it will be more than helpful for him.
“We’re keeping everything crossed that finally we have found something that works and gives Terence some life back again.”
The drug was released by Dr Stephen Kirker, consultant in Rehabilitation Medicine at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.
He said: “Sativex is a new drug designed to treat muscle spasms in patients with Multiple Sclerosis but it may help a small number of people with spasticity due to other diseases.
“It was licensed for use at the end of June and we are just beginning to consider it as an option for patients at Addenbrooke’s.”
As revealed by The Evening Telegraph in January, Terence became paralysed after contracting the bacterial infection Staphylococcus Aureus while living in the United Arab Emirates in 2007.
It left Terence wheelchair-bound and suffering painful spasms, which prevent him from sleeping for more than 20 minutes at a time.
Since returning to the UK to live in Peterborough in 2009, Angela has been campaigning NHS Peterborough to provide treatment to help alleviate her husband’s pain.
Angela even undertook a six-day hunger strike this month in order to grab the attention of the city’s primary care trust.
Her actions were in protest to a decision taken by the Trust to cancel Terence’s twice-weekly physiotherapy sessions.
She has now stopped her strike but is calling on the Trust to re-commission a physiotherapist and provide a carer to help her look after her husband.
NHS Peterborough Community Services spokesman said he could not discuss individual cases but a “comprehensive review” of the care provided to Terence had been carried out.
He said: “The health and well-being of Mr Burch and Mrs Cavill-Burch remain a priority. Anyone who may need care and support is assessed by NHS Peterborough Community Services to determine if they are eligible for assistance.
“If they are eligible to receive services then a care plan is developed to identify the level of care they need to meet their specific needs. This plan is regularly reviewed.”
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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Comments
There are 3 comments to this article
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Onmybiketoo
Saturday, July 10, 2010 at 09:48 AMMay I personally thank all the Peterborough Telegraph readers and others in Peterborough for all the kind words and support they have shown us since our story hit the headlines. Please be assured that we fully realise we are not the only family affected by uncaring authorities that do not listen. We tried everything that we could to keep our situation private to ourselves, eg phoning such as DIAL, charity organisations, peers of the realm, MP's, letters to PCT, 100's of emails etc etc..nothing was happening, we could not cope, so I had to do something so desperate. So again Thank you.
Vociferous female
Thursday, July 8, 2010 at 01:44 PMI am glad to see that this dilemma appears to be resolved. YOU SHOULDN'T have to go to these lengths to get the treatment you need to have a decent life and I am sure the authorities would not let an animal suffer if they saw it. It is so wrong and I feel so sorry for Angela to have to go to these lengths to be noticed. I have been following this story since I first saw it on Look East...............well done Angela and I sincerely hope that Terence will start feeling better soon. Peterborough PCT should be ASHAMED of themselves....
hissing cyd
Thursday, July 8, 2010 at 11:58 AMET GET HER TO GET IN TOUCH WITH DIAL I AM SURE THEY WILL BE OF GREAT HELP.
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