Back in February 2015, I wrote an article called “Four more years” and the title came from an election campaign happening at the time when I had been on Lanreotide for approximately four years.  Inspired by this campaign slogan, I too wanted four more years and crafted the blog post.

However, I was underselling myself as I’ve now hit 10 years of Lanreotide on 9th December 2020.  On that day in 2010, I was still recovering from major surgery and hadn’t had any somatostatin analogues since leaving hospital on 26th Nov.  Prior to surgery, I had been taking daily shots of Octreotide which did have the effect of reducing the symptoms of (so called) carcinoid syndrome.  I was also administered peri-operative octreotide to de-risk the chances of a hormonal crisis during the surgery and in the hours after it.  Once the IV octreotide was removed, the nurses injected a daily shot of octreotide as part of my regimen while recovering in hospital.  Before surgery my oncologist and surgeon mentioned Sandostatin LAR after surgery and was surprised when told a nurse would come to my home to administer Lanreotide on 9th Dec 2010.  I had heard of it and knew it was a newer type of somatostatin analogue with a shorter needle.

By the 9th December, I was feeling a lot stronger after 13 days at home since discharge. The nurse, who was to become the primary injector over the next 3 years, arrived and we went through the instructions – it was a first for both of us.  I tried the stand-up method on that day, it felt not too bad but later I developed a granuloma (author’s note: that first granuloma took a few years to disappear).

Here we are 10 years later, 131 injections later, the injection is now a ‘walk in the park’ and just another day in the office of life.   And I’m still here.

For my Lanreotide experience, please see these posts:

Lanreotide: it’s calling the shots – click here.

Lanreotide vs Octreotide – click here.

At Home with Lanreotide (and Octreotide) – click here