Category: neuroendocrine

Sharing my cancer story. It might be helpful, it might be interesting, it might be informative.

  • Ugh, spleen!

    I had an MRI this month, and an appointment with my oncologist. The good news is that my tumors continue to stay “stable” and don’t show any growth of note. Hip hip, hooray!!! He thinks the monthly Lanreotide shots have been doing their job, so I’ll continue those indefinitely. As I’ve said before, somatostatin analog…

  • It’s complicated

    This post is a rant about the complexities of my disease. So, buckle up. Neuroendocrine cancer is rare; some sources say it affects as few as 6 in 100,000 people worldwide. There are just not enough people studying this. There are not enough specialists. There are not enough new doctors entering this field. There are…

  • Scanxiety!

    This past week I had an echocardiogram, bloodwork, an MRI, and then an appointment with my oncologist to discuss all the results. Verdict: my various tumors are growing so slowly they are considered “stable”, and although I do have new tumors, they are still quite small. In Cancer World, that is all GREAT NEWS, and…

  • The waiting game continues

    So, long story short, even though my scans in September showed “numerous” new tumors in my liver, lymph nodes, spleen, abdominal cavity, and right breast, my oncologists think I still don’t yet have enough tumor load to merit another surgery and/or a new treatment called PRRT (Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy). I am both frustrated and…

  • Here we go again…

    On Tuesday I had a 64Cu DOTATATE PET scan. This is only my second time having this particular scan, and last time in 2022 it revealed that my cancer had metastasized in a big way, which completely blindsided me. This time around I am much more mentally prepared to hear “bad news”: I belong to…