Never mind the Bollocks – here’s the cancer

Never mind the Bollocks – here’s the cancer

Awareness, Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer, Patient Advocacy, Treatment
I don't tend to share some very personal stuff, but this is on the boundary of that rule and there are some important messages to be teased out. For those who follow my blog in detail, you may remember the post entitled "Neuroendocrine Cancer - Signs, Suspicions, Symptoms, Syndromes, Side-Effects, Secondary Illnesses, Comorbidities, and Coincidences" (now named "a difficult jigsaw) As you can see from the title above, I got hooked on a bunch of 'synonyms' that represent the difficulty in sorting out what can be attributed to Neuroendocrine Tumours (NETs) and what might be something else.  You'll note they all begin with the letter 'S' except 'Comorbidities' and 'Coincidences'.  However, these 2 were actually retrospective add-ons to the blog title and there is a potential overlap between both. Life…
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Biopsies – tissue is the issue!

Biopsies – tissue is the issue!

Patient Advocacy
Biopsies for suspected cancer  13 years ago on 19th July 2010, I had a liver biopsy.  Following some low hemoglobin and some weight loss reported to my GP surgery in May, I met with a specialist on 8th July and after sending me straight for a CT scan on the same day, I eventually had to have a liver biopsy done to confirm the cancer. I won't lie and say it was an enjoyable experience.  I vividly remember a lot of discomfort including pain.  At the time no-one knew I had metastatic Neuroendocrine Tumours; no-one knew I had associated carcinoid syndrome.  I suspect that may have played a part in the discomfort of that important procedure.  The doctor carrying out the biopsy had several assistants in the room and sent for…
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Neuroendocrine Cancer: Troublesome Thyroids

Neuroendocrine Cancer: Troublesome Thyroids

Awareness, Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer, Survivorship, Treatment
In 2013, just when I thought everything seemed to be under control, I was told I had a 'lesion' on the left upper lobe of my thyroid.  At the time, it was a bit of a shock as I had already been subjected to some radical surgery and wondered if this was just part of the relentless march of metastatic NET disease.  The thyroid gland does in fact get mentioned frequently in NET patient discussions but many of the conversations I monitored didn't seem to fit my scenario - cue relentless study! I've been meaning to write this blog for some time but here is a synopsis of my research translated into 'patient speak'.  This is intentionally brief, it's a big subject.  I'll finish off with an update on where I…
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