23Apr 2023 by Ronny Allan No Comments
Low FODMAPs – The NET Effect

Low FODMAPs – The NET Effect

Diet and Nutrition, Patient Advocacy, The NET Effect Series
Background Many people with NET have had issues prior to diagnosis and then continue to have similar issues after. For some it will be either one, i.e. no issues before but issues after or vice versa.  However, it's even possible that some people have will have different issues after diagnosis than they had before, e.g. the side effects of the treatment will produce new problems for those people.  In the early days, I once said to my Oncologist "I was never misdiagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) but I sometimes feel like I have it now". IBS is said to affect up to 1 in 7 of the 'western' population in varying degrees of severity with the symptoms of abdominal pain and abnormal bowel habits (constipation, diarrhea or a mixture…
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10Mar 2023 by Ronny Allan No Comments
Fructose intolerance – the NET Effect

Fructose intolerance – the NET Effect

Diet and Nutrition, Patient Advocacy, The NET Effect Series
Background  When I cast my mind back to my very first surgery, I remember all sorts of 'plumbing' issues but was told it would take a while for my adjusted plumbing to repair and do its work once more. It's not gone fully back to normal, but I accept minor side effects of getting rid of cancer (metastatic with small intestine NET primary). My diet is slightly different nowadays as I endeavour to return to that normality, and I have a good handle on what makes me move faster AND slower. Constipation is not good either, so I try to find a middle ground.  I started taking pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy in 2018 and often use that to offset a meal containing more fat than other meals, similar reducing dosages for lower fat…
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05Dec 2021 by Ronny Allan 5 Comments
Neuroendocrine Cancer Diarrhea- building the jigsaw: Bile Acid Malabsorption

Neuroendocrine Cancer Diarrhea- building the jigsaw: Bile Acid Malabsorption

Diet and Nutrition, Patient Advocacy, Treatment
Before progressing, I wanted to emphasise this is not necessarily the same type of malabsorption caused by exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) which can potentially lead to something known as steatorrhea (amongst other things) but it can produce the same effect.  Steatorrhea is different from bile acid issues and is more related to fatty acids. But it's another piece of the diarrhea jigsaw. Bile Acid Malabsorption (BAM) and Bile Acid Diarrhea (BAD)Post-surgical diarrhea is probably something to expect in the early days and after time, adjustments can be made to cater for these side effects.  With NETs, particularly where there has been small intestine surgery, there can be a number of reasons which are totally unrelated to carcinoid syndrome. It's not just about having a shorter bowel, it's also about some of…
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23Apr 2019 by Ronny Allan 2 Comments
Clinical Trial: Treatment of IBS with diarrhoea – titrated ondansetron (TRITON)

Clinical Trial: Treatment of IBS with diarrhoea – titrated ondansetron (TRITON)

Clinical Trials and Research
I was never diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) but sometimes I feel like I now have it.  I know many others feel the same way.  But when I look at the alternatives, I can't help thinking it's a small price to pay given that one of them might be a slow degrading quality of life until shuffling off  this mortal coil. If I had the choice again, I would still take the surgery. Before the article continues, let me be clear - I'm not suggesting this is a potential treatment for NET patients with post abdominal surgery side effects or side effects of any other treatment, nor am I suggesting it's a potential treatment for those with carcinoid syndrome diarrhea.  I publish it because there is a connection to…
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18Oct 2016 by Ronny Allan 22 Comments
Did you hear the one about the constipated NET patient?

Did you hear the one about the constipated NET patient?

Awareness, Diet and Nutrition, Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer, Survivorship, Treatment
In my neck of the woods, "did you hear the one about the ........." is normally a precursor to a witty comment, or a joke.   However, constipation for NET patients is not actually funny - read on.Certain types of Neuroendocrine Cancer are very heavily associated with diarrhea, either as a symptom of one of the NET Syndromes (yes there is more than one .....); or as a result of surgery or certain other treatments.  Occasionally, these symptoms and side effects can all combine to make it quite a nasty and worrying side effect.I must admit to being surprised to find myself with feelings of constipation from around 4-5 years after my treatment and I set about trying to find out why that might be. To understand why I got to this…
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11Oct 2016 by Ronny Allan 9 Comments
Neuroendocrine Cancer – were you irritated by your misdiagnosis?

Neuroendocrine Cancer – were you irritated by your misdiagnosis?

Awareness, Diet and Nutrition, Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer, Patient Advocacy, Survivorship
Look on any site about Neuroendocrine Tumours (NETs) and you'll find the term IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) frequently mentioned. That's because it's a common misdiagnosis for many before being formally diagnosed with NETs.But what exactly is IBS, why is it such a common misdiagnosis for many NET patients and how can these misdiagnoses be prevented or reduced in future?  I just spent a few hours doing an online training course on IBS and I want to pass on some stuff I found to be very useful. I have never been diagnosed with IBS but having researched the issue through some training, I can understand why it might be in the thoughts of a general practitioner for many scenarios.  Much of my research was focussed on the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) who sponsored the online course I completed which also used…
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