UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Still writing this blog – please come back later

I’ve been interested in science since my school days and seem to remember it being separated into Biology, Physics and Chemistry for study and examination purposes. Biology wasn’t on my radar and as I found Chemistry boring, I focused on Physics which seemed to be more ‘modern’ and exciting. Curiously, at the beginning of my Open University degree course some 25 years later, I found the Biology and Chemistry modules of my foundation year the most enjoyable part of the whole 6 year study.  Different teaching methods? different teachers?  Perhaps, but I suspect some maturity was involved plus a hunger for new knowledge.

I seem to have caught the learning bug again since being diagnosed with Neuroendocrine Cancer.  Like many other Neuroendocrine Cancer patients, I feel I need to know a lot more than the average cancer patient.  For me, this can be attributed to a number of reasons including (but not limited to):

• This cancer arrives and goes on to upset the body with vague symptoms and there can be signs, suspicions and perhaps just plain coincidences. I need to be able to at least assess if something is or isn’t potentially connected to my condition.  Not easy.
• This type of cancer is uncommon and even some medical staff struggle to understand it. I want to be able to articulately explain my condition when this happens.
• When speaking to those who do understand it, I want to understand what they are telling me.  Moreover, I want to challenge them when I don’t understand (or don’t agree with) what they are telling me.
• My condition and its treatment comes with side effects and I want to understand what these are and how they might impact on my quality of life so I can manage that and/or seek assistance.
• ……. I suspect I’m still a control freak!

I’ve gained my recent medical knowledge by carefully studying well-respected websites and publications but I’m always very selective about which sites to trust – see blog Google is not a synonym for research.  Through this process, you also learn who the specialists are and seek out their articles and publications.  That’s not to say I fully understand everything I read or interpret in the right context!  However, if you want to become your own ‘advocate’ or be a ‘proactive patient‘, then knowledge is one of the things that can empower you.

Thanks

Ronny