May 1, 2021

By Anne Dabbs, 
NCAN TN Chapter Leader, NET Patient

“There are two types of tired. One that requires rest and one that requires peace.” — Lauren Fortenberry.

All of our Neuroendocrine Specialists will tell you that the overwhelming number one complaint they hear is fatigue. There is the physical fatigue that is imposed upon our bodies by our cancer. And there is the mental exhaustion as we try to live “normally” with our chronic disease. Some of it is cyclical and revolves around our treatments, while some is driven by the very real scananxiety that most of us experience at one time or another. Some of our exhaustion stems from the challenge and burden of learning an entirely new medical language. Much of our fatigue is from external sources, but we also have the capacity to churn ourselves into a state of exhaustion by not managing our thoughts about Neuroendocrine Cancer.

Many of our long time thrivers will admit to having a light bulb moment about their diagnosis. It may be an initial emotion following a ridiculously long diagnostic period. Others have had to work determinedly to achieve an inner peace with their disease. I think all of those who are living well with their NETs for many years will agree that a light bulb moment of acceptance was pivotal in their journey. It was a moment of peace with their new normal.

What was your light bulb moment? Can you identify the situation, the person, the test results that allowed you to become hopeful and joyful again? Can you remember the release of continuous stress leaving your body as you realized “Hey, I can do this!”? Can you retrieve that moment of survivor mentality to help boost yourself up again and again when needed?

Can you share your lightbulb moment with other NET patients struggling to adapt to their diagnosis? If you can verbalize it, I hope you will. If you can write it down, I hope you will. If you can act upon it, please do. We all need a ray of hope, a shining light of encouragement.

Raising awareness of Neuroendocrine Cancer is beneficial to us all. The developments in treatments and testing are progressing at a very rapid pace, and our community is growing in numbers and in knowledge. We need to be ready to help patients who are struggling to accept their diagnosis. By sharing our stories, we change the focus from “I” to “we”. Then, we can work together to turn “illness” into “wellness”.

Share your lightbulb moment below or on the NCAN FB page. Your light may be exactly what another zebra needs to hear.

Find out more about how YOU can help the NET Community.

Disclaimer: NCAN blog posts are the opinions of its writers and are not intended as a replacement for medical advice. Please consult your Health Care Providers for individual concerns.