# My health update: Asbestos



## ricasso (Jan 27, 2013)

I just wanted to give an update on my situation regarding the Mesothelioma I contracted due to exposure to Asbestos 30 years ago when I worked on the railway.

While I know its not strictly UE related the danger from Asbestos very much is Im afraid

I know some of the older "faces" on here will remember my posting my diagnosis about 10 months ago, well since then Ive had six months of Chemo (yes it is as bad as people say!) and this has put it into remission for a while, which is all good 

During this time Ive been engaged in a battle with the Railway through my Solicitor regarding admission of negligence and compensation, well' Im pleased to say shortly after Christmas I had a call from my Solicitor to say we had won!!

It just remains now to come up with a suitable sum that will cover my family's needs for when Im gone.

I would say at this point that probably it wouldnt have been possible without the expert witness statement kindly provided by one of our very own on this forum! Ill not name him but I will say he's one of our senior members who although doesnt explore any more is a wealth of quality knowledge to others.. 

I would also like to thank Krela and all those who have sent me messages of support over the past year,it really has helped me through, it amazing what a kind word can do when your feeling low..

Although I dont get out as much as I used to I still like to check in now and then and If I can help anyone with advice I will gladly

Ricasso


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## krela (Jan 27, 2013)

I can guess who it is and I'm very glad you had such good support and have won your case, it must be a huge relief knowing that your family will be provided for. 

I don't know what else to say really, other than you're always welcome here contributing or not, and long may the remission last!


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## scribble (Jan 27, 2013)

Well done for fighting and winning your case. I'm so sorry for what you've been through and what you're still going through. In the N.U.T. we do a lot of work trying to raise the profile of mesothelioma. People don't realise that it can hit you decade after the contact with asbestos. I wish you all the very best.


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## Silent Hill (Jan 27, 2013)

I wish you all the best mate.

I too have a degenerative disease (lung related) which has already affected my exploring capabilities as well as normal day to day activities.


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## ricasso (Jan 27, 2013)

scribble said:


> Well done for fighting and winning your case. I'm so sorry for what you've been through and what you're still going through. In the N.U.T. we do a lot of work trying to raise the profile of mesothelioma. People don't realise that it can hit you decade after the contact with asbestos. I wish you all the very best.



Thankyou! yes, its a very real time bomb, in my case it was literally 30 years! and it only takes a few fibres, probably not enough to see, breathed in and they just sit there, waiting.

Im not into preaching but I would urge all explorers to take adequate precautions, as laid down on this website,the problem is you wont even know you've breathed it in till many years down the line...


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## night crawler (Jan 27, 2013)

Good luck mate and look after yourself.


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## ricasso (Jan 27, 2013)

night crawler said:


> Good luck mate and look after yourself.



cheers mate! Im a tough ol' dog , it'll have to go some to beat me!!


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## Judderman62 (Jan 27, 2013)

Good luck, sorry what you've had to go through anf hope it's as good as can be from here on in


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## Scattergun (Jan 28, 2013)

ricasso said:


> cheers mate! Im a tough ol' dog , it'll have to go some to beat me!!



Only just found this thread. It sounds like you've been through so much mate, I'm glad to hear you won your case and are doing a bit better generally. The whole thing sounds horrifying. There's so many new and inexperienced explorer's out there too that just don't take the dangers of asbestos seriously enough. I wish you the best of luck negotiating that settlement!


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## Woofem (Jan 28, 2013)

good luck sir, glad you won your case


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## ricasso (Jan 29, 2013)

just wanted to say thank you to all the folks who've sent me good wishes, it really does mean a lot to me,also a special thanks to those who have probably never heard of me but have taken the time to wish me well, thank you all!! Im so proud to belong to such a community, all I can say is explore safely, dont chance it even for a minute, trying not to sound too sexual, use protection,  remember, one breath in an Asbestos present environment can "infect" you,.. and there is no cure, its terminal.. and you wont even know it until many years down the line..if my words can save one person, then my life wasn't wasted, might sound corny but this is very real..
look after yourselves.
Ricasso


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## MrDan (Jan 29, 2013)

Although I've only been on the forum for a little over a month, I saw your original thread about Mesothelioma about 3-4 weeks ago.
Truthfully wishing you the best from this situation, you're doing the right thing by your family by making sure they are provided for in the future.
Good news to hear that you've won your case and I'm sure I speak on behalf of the forum when I say we appreciate the update. 

Dan


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## Lady Muck (Jan 29, 2013)

My Uncle also suffered the effects from prolonged exposure to asbestos from his late teens 
Not nice, but long may your remission last


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## Ramsgatonian (Jan 29, 2013)

Your terrible situation has made me respect the dangers of UE much more, so thank you for sharing it.

Take care,

- Toby


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## Dirus_Strictus (Jan 29, 2013)

ricasso said:


> remember, one breath in an Asbestos present environment can "infect" you,.. and there is no cure, its terminal.. and you wont even know it until many years down the line..



I cannot stress the importance of those two little words 'one breath'. This is not like exposing ones self to say coal or silica dust, where on repeated exposure the pleura gradually become filled with dust particles and one becomes increasingly breathless and incapacitated. One breath of asbestos laden air is all it may take to set the time bomb ticking. Also after being in suspect buildings never allow other people to come into contact with your contaminated clothing, remove and double bag if you must put it in the boot of your car. Never let your family, especially young children, near any of your exploring clothing - you never really know what you may have picked up.

We have all done an explore by torch light and seen what is floating around in a really dusty building. I worked for thirty years in an industry that was A1 in asbestos management, and yet I have still witnessed far too much death, grief and destroyed lives. Those people had no real choice as their employers used or had inherited asbestos containing products. People on this forum have a choice, remember no amount of money can replace a loved one.


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## whitelaw (Jan 29, 2013)

A shame that you had to fight for your rights, but I'm glad you won. Now don't let them stuff you over the amount. Cases like yours make me wonder about how many have lost their fight for life before they won their fight for compensation. They know that all they have to do is drag it out for as long as possible.

Anyway, thank you for posting, and I hope your condition continues in remission for a very long time.


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## ricasso (Jan 29, 2013)

whitelaw said:


> A shame that you had to fight for your rights, but I'm glad you won. Now don't let them stuff you over the amount. Cases like yours make me wonder about how many have lost their fight for life before they won their fight for compensation. They know that all they have to do is drag it out for as long as possible.
> 
> Anyway, thank you for posting, and I hope your condition continues in remission for a very long time.



Fortunately they are obliged to pay the compensation to my wife if anything happens to me, my solicitor is looking at about two months for payment to come through which is fine for me, Im feeling really well at the moment with no symptoms and I can go for another course of Chemo when it becomes neccesary, so fingers crossed i'll be around for a fair while yet!!


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## UrbanX (Jan 29, 2013)

ricasso said:


> Im feeling really well at the moment with no symptoms and I can go for another course of Chemo when it becomes neccesary, so fingers crossed i'll be around for a fair while yet!!



So glad to hear that dude! Cheers for keeping up updated, if theres anything any of us can do to help. 
Cheers for the update, love and peace.


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## explorer101 (Jan 30, 2013)

I am happy you have won your case and I hoe you are well. My grandad is currently going through the same thing you have, it was part of the reason why I have decided to take part in Swimathon 2013 to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer. But it is a horrible thing, knowing that has been lurking in your body for 30 odd years! 

Never let it knock you down, my grandads still gone to Egypt for a holiday!!!


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## ricasso (Jan 30, 2013)

explorer101 said:


> I am happy you have won your case and I hoe you are well. My grandad is currently going through the same thing you have, it was part of the reason why I have decided to take part in Swimathon 2013 to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer. But it is a horrible thing, knowing that has been lurking in your body for 30 odd years!
> 
> Never let it knock you down, my grandads still gone to Egypt for a holiday!!!



Well done Grandad! dont let this damn thing stop you having fun! its made me become a teenager again, went out and bought a Chevy Corvette, my dream car, and we're planning our third holiday in six months, of to Cyprus this time..


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## flyboys90 (Jan 30, 2013)

Good to hear of your success with your case,my father died from Mesothelioma caused by lagging pipes in the shipyards when it came to compensation all the companies had gone! so my mother ended up with 25p a week big deal!


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## lower (Jan 30, 2013)

Dirus_Strictus said:


> I cannot stress the importance of those two little words 'one breath'. This is not like exposing ones self to say coal or silica dust, where on repeated exposure the pleura gradually become filled with dust particles and one becomes increasingly breathless and incapacitated. One breath of asbestos laden air is all it may take to set the time bomb ticking.



Please educate me a little more on this. I was of the understanding that the air we breathe on a daily basis contained naturally occurring asbestos fibres. We don't get ill from that. Is it the type of asbestos that naturally occurs or something different?


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## ricasso (Jan 30, 2013)

lower said:


> Please educate me a little more on this. I was of the understanding that the air we breathe on a daily basis contained naturally occurring asbestos fibres. We don't get ill from that. Is it the type of asbestos that naturally occurs or something different?



http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/index.php?do=asbestos


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## explorer101 (Jan 30, 2013)

ricasso said:


> Well done Grandad! dont let this damn thing stop you having fun! its made me become a teenager again, went out and bought a Chevy Corvette, my dream car, and we're planning our third holiday in six months, of to Cyprus this time..



have fun in Cyprus


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## Dirus_Strictus (Jan 30, 2013)

lower said:


> Please educate me a little more on this. I was of the understanding that the air we breathe on a daily basis contained naturally occurring asbestos fibres. We don't get ill from that. Is it the type of asbestos that naturally occurs or something different?



There is nothing natural about asbestos fibres in the air. The various types of asbestos occur in the natural state as minerals that have to be mined, they certainly do not occur naturally in the air we breath - Ricasso's link to the forum information on the subject should be followed. Historically the first indication that these minerals may cause serious health problems was when European mine operators noticed that their long term native miners began to suffer serious chest problems - but then as all Victorian miners and quarry men suffered from coughs and breathlessness, nobody gave the matter any real thought. If there were asbestos fibres in the air circulating down the local high street, then one would have a potentially very serious health risk to the public .Now I am not saying this could not happen - illegal demolition of an asbestos contaminated building, a severe fire destroying asbestos cement boarding or breaking down pipe lagging etc, all this has and will continue to happen as long as the bloody stuff is still there to be exposed. No matter if you take the 'one breath' statement as being a bit over the top, just remember that once a mineral fibre, so small that one needs a microscope to see it, penetrates the lining of your lung a sequence of events could be set in motion that will lead to your death 20/30 years in the future. The fact that each breath you take in a moderately contaminated area probably contains over 30 fibres, because of the dust disturbance you cause, increases the chance that fibres will penetrate even more. 

Ricasso's unfortunate story is a clear illustration of the very nasty nature of these now banned asbestos types. His only good fortune was to be working for BR when he came into contact with the fibres. The early compensation schemes for prescribed industrial diseases do not really compensate the sufferer for 'catching' the disease, the compensation is for loss of earnings or earning ability. For the widow of a worker who died near retirement age or in retirement, the amount could be contemptible. (Flyboys 90's experiences). Or as Whitelaw asks, some could die without knowing if their dear ones would get any compensation at all. My experiences have taught me that people like Ricasso want some money quickly up front, so that they can enjoy the company of their family and friends, without the financial worries of being on SSP, whilst they are still able to be active. Fortunately the old BR acted as their own insurers, the UK Treasury being the ultimate holder of the crock of gold; no insurance company share holders to think about here or the profits of some dubious compensation / claims firm and their lawyers to consider. Just prove your case to the organisation who looks after all the old remaining BRB business. In Ricasso's case the facts were obviously self evident and with the financial burden off his shoulders, I hope he can put all his energies into continuing the fight the illness and living every moment.


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