Tag: Vaccine

A substance used to stimulate the production of antibodies and provide immunity against one or several diseases, prepared from the causative agent of a disease, its products, or a synthetic substitute, treated to act as an antigen without inducing the disease.

17Dec 2020 by Ronny Allan 4 Comments

The other Big C can be dangerous too

Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer

I managed to avoid a C-19 infection all the way through several lockdowns, and I deployed a rigorous protection regime throughout. Ditto for Chris. I have a chest infection history, so for me, it was a no-brainer to take advantage of the vaccines on offer.July 2022 - boom! It slipped through the net (no pun). I have to say it was not an enjoyable experience and I would not like to repeat it. Today I received my 4th vaccine and am very happy to do so. If it offers any protection from serious illness, I'll gladly take it. Read my post on that here or click the photo below.[caption id="attachment_33846" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Click on the photo to read more[/caption]My covid experience is ongoing as a CT scan picked up ground…

12Oct 2019 by Ronny Allan 3 Comments

The Flu shot – it’s not just about you

Patient Advocacy, Survivorship

An Opinion Post Edit: September 2020. I believe the flu shot is even more important in the era of COVID. This is an illness that typically spreads in autumn and winter. A major flu outbreak would not only overwhelm hospitals in the coming months (the so-called "twindemic") but also likely overwhelm a person who might contract both at once.Edit: October 2021. Ditto. Edit: September 2022. Ditto. Another year, another flu shot. Since my cancer diagnosis, I've had one each year. To me it's really important protection even though I know it's not 100% effective, it's better than nothing. As someone who lives with metastatic and incurable Neuroendocrine Cancer, I know that my susceptibility to chest infections and flu may be dangerous for me, and having got this far beyond diagnosis, with an…

Summary May produced the best statistics in 2023, mainly due to your support for my blog post on Maria Menounos whose announcement headlined as “Pancreatic Cancer” caused a storm within the Neuroendocrine Cancer community. Below, I’ll list the top performing blog posts in May and no secret which one is listed first. Repeat after me: […]

Getting back in the saddle

Those who follow my Facebook page Ronny Allan may remember my cycling faux pas in April causing me to bruise or fracture a rib (here if you missed it). I was told it may take up to 6 weeks to heal, it took 5. During that painful period, I looked ahead and wondered how I […]

Clinical Trial: Phase 1/2a Study of 23ME-00610 in Patients With Advanced Solid Malignancies (incl Neuroendocrine Neoplasms)

Who are 23andMe? I personally had not heard of 23andMe but many people in North America might have. When you first look at what they do, you can be excused for thinking they are just another ‘Ancestry’ company, but they are more than that. They also get involved in genetics and health. To quote their […]

A spotlight on Chromogranin A

What is Chromogranin A? Chromogranin A (CgA) is an acidic protein released along with catecholamines from chromaffin cells and nerve terminals. This statement alone might explain why it’s a good marker to use with Neuroendocrine Neoplasms. It is said to be a measure of tumour bulk. Depending on the test kit being used, you may […]

Neuroendocrine Cancer: Catch them early, not late!

Diagnosing Neuroendocrine Neoplasms (NENs). It’s no secret that Neuroendocrine Neoplasms (NENs) can be difficult to diagnose, particularly well differentiated slow growing types (NETs) which can sometimes be difficult to see. Plus, many patients present with relatively routine day to day symptoms suggesting a myriad of day-to-day illnesses seen daily in every GP/PCP practice. But conversely, […]