Published On:
December 9, 2009
Okay, first things first, let's be very clear on something:
I DO NOT HAVE CANCER.
At least, not that I'm aware of. It's complicated. Carcinoid syndrome is caused by a hormone-secreting neuroendocrine tumor, which can be malignant or benign. Unfortunately (relatively speaking) no such baddie has been found and, as will be discussed in future comics, my biochemical markers are kind of irregular. So we could be wrong, but at this point we've continued to be able to rule out the more common causes of the facial flushing and other symptoms and I've responded well to the recommended lifestyle changes that can ameliorate some of said symptoms, so it's a working diagnosis. It gives me something to work around and against rather than being uncertain about what the hell is going on in my body these last 5 years.
I can handle anything I can name, study and fight. Uncertainty is a bitch.
With that said: yes, my first endo (ooh, foreshadowing!) was a bit of a flake. That's literally all she told me that day, the rest I had to learn on my own. Everyone continues to assure me that she's absolutely brilliant but, well, you'll see...
3 thoughts on “Doctor, Doctor 5”
Shannon King
Wow…sometimes I wonder what doctors are thinking…hoping that you are okay…I just found out recently that I am in total remission…yay! Keep your head up and fight like a girl!
Scraps
Excellent news about the remission. Enjoy!