August, 2015 - Ronny Allan - Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer

27Aug 2015 by Ronny Allan 22 Comments

Neuroendocrine Cancer Nutrition Series Article 3 – Gut Health

Nutritional issues are one of the biggest challenges affecting most Neuroendocrine Cancer patients. It is also a key factor in maintaining a decent quality of life and for most countries without adequate NET Specialist Dietitian support, it remains an unmet need. In this article, I'm discussing the use of probiotics to combat the potential issue of small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) in Neuroendocrine Tumours. When I first indicated this nutrition series was under construction, a few people got quite excited anticipating me to produce advice on what to eat. However, that was never my intention. What people should or should not eat is such a varied problem (or solution?) that anything I said would only really be of help to those for whom it worked - ergo this area is not an…

18Aug 2015 by Ronny Allan 35 Comments

Neuroendocrine…..the little suckers get everywhere!

Awareness

One of the key milestones in my awareness campaigns occurred when I featured as a guest blogger for one of the biggest cancer 'support' organisations in the world - Macmillan. The aim of the blog 'Sorry I'm not in service' was actually to highlight the consequences of cancer and its treatment (a Macmillan Campaign message), and to a certain extent to highlight the conflict that can often exist between work and cancer. However, it was also a fantastic opportunity for me to grab the interest of the general population with the word 'Neuroendocrine'. The response was amazing and on twitter it was one of Macmillan's most retweeted posts over that period. The Macmillan Facebook post was also very popular and still rising with around 500 likes and around 40 shares so far. There are some great comments on…

11Aug 2015 by Ronny Allan 27 Comments

I look well but you should see my insides

Awareness, Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer, Survivorship, Treatment

I'm sat next to patients waiting on their chemotherapy treatment - the "Chemo Ward" sign above the door gives it away. I'm here for my 28-day cycle injection of Lanreotide which will hopefully keep my Neuroendocrine Tumours at bay. I look all around; the temporary beds and the waiting room are full and all I can see are people who don't look as well as I do. Some have hats or bandanas partly disguising the loss of hair. I feel for them. No matter how many visits I make, I can't help feeling out of place in a Cancer ward. I'm not sure why I feel like this; after all, I've had some very scary surgery and I've been having treatment since 2010. However, this thought doesn't seem to balance it…

10Aug 2015 by Ronny Allan 16 Comments

The Syndromes of Neuroendocrine Cancer – Early Signs of a Late Diagnosis

Awareness

One of the curious things about Neuroendocrine Cancer (NETs elsewhere in the text) is that it can very often exhibit one or more vague symptoms collectively known as a 'syndrome'. Syndrome is an apt word to describe these complications as the most general meaning in medical terms is a group of symptoms that together are characteristic of a specific disorder or disease". Having a syndrome can often be the difference between having a 'functional' condition or a non-functional' condition - see more below.This frequently makes Neuroendocrine Cancer very difficult to diagnose quickly. It's a very devious disease.It's NOT all about Carcinoid Syndrome!Most people think of Carcinoid Syndrome when they discuss NETs. Anyone suggesting that all NET patients get carcinoid syndrome or that all symptoms of NETs are caused by carcinoid…