One of the most discussed and sometimes confusing subjects on forums is the staging and grading of Neuroendocrine Tumours (NETs). Mixing them up is a common error and so it's important to understand the difference despite the apparent complexity.
In the most basic of terms, stage is the spread of the cancer and grade is the aggressiveness of the cancer. They are totally different things and an understanding…
The internet is full of blogs and articles about a subject which is described as 'scanxiety' - the joining of the words 'scan' and 'anxiety'. I also noted some authors using the words 'scanxiety' and 'anxiety' interchangeably which in my opinion is clearly wrong.
‘Scanxiety’ - I just don't get it ......or more accurately I just don't get overly anxious about scans…
My recent hospital visit brought back some memories as I walked past the Acute Admissions Ward. I thought back to my emergency weekend stay there in July 2010. I've blogged about my diagnosis before but not about this 'incident' which occurred almost immediately prior.
I was well into the 'diagnostic phase', having had all sorts of tests including a liver biopsy. I vividly remember thinking these…
Neuroendocrine Cancers can sometimes present with one or more vague symptoms which occasionally results in a lengthy diagnostic phase for some. Sure, there can be issues with doctor experience and knowledge that can add to the problem. However, some people do present with multiple and confusing symptoms, some people have comorbidities which can also confuse as they come with similar symptoms and the textbook diagnostics don…
In the past 12 months, I've read about 6 similarly slanted blogs on the subject of cancer metaphors and in particular their use in describing cancer experiences with the words 'fight', 'battle' and other 'military' sounding terms. The authors say that perhaps this is not the best language to use. I just read another yesterday where the author used the term 'violence' to describe these type of metaphors…
