NCAN Blog: Medical Mystery Tour.

July 20, 2021

By Anne Dabbs,
NCAN TN Chapter Leader, NET Patient

Do you ever get a song stuck in your head that just won’t go away? It might be a favorite tune or a totally irrelevant commercial jingle. This week, the Beatles’ “Magical Mystery Tour” has taken up residence in my brain, except I have read something which has caused me to alter it to “Medical Mystery Tour”. Isn’t that appropriate for a Neuroendocrine Cancer patient!

To exorcise these altered lyrics from my head, I did some research and learned that Paul McCartney once said that he and John were fascinated by the idea of getting on a bus without knowing their destination. Well, That certainly sounds familiar!

This album was the release of some of the Beatles’ most iconic songs. A fan wrote that the highly popular “All you need is Love” was the Beatles’ message to us that we should not see life as full of obstacles, but rather opportunities. Who me, a cancer patient?

By this point, my association of this album to my disease was becoming clearer. My Neuroendocrine diagnosis has certainly been a mystery at times. The journey can be clear one day and distorted the next. I truly try to see this journey as an opportunity rather than an obstacle, as hard as that may be some days. And, I hope I can encourage other patients to do the same.

One particular article stated that the Beatles considered “All you need is Love” to be a revolutionary song, which brought home this message to me. They thought of this song as a lesson, to learn to love and accept ourselves as we are, because “There’s nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be”. Truth.

So many of us have no idea what chain of events prompted our Neuroendocrine cells to go haywire. We must accept the fact that we may never know the reasons why. But, the more we learn how to live well with our disease, the more we can be open to the opportunities it presents.

So yes, I have accepted that I am where I am supposed to be, and I will make the journey as joyful as I can. By accepting my diagnosis instead of fighting or ignoring it, I intend to be the best that I can be. And, I hope you will sing along with me.

If you need support of any kind, please reach out to us. That’s what we are here for.

Join us on September 30th – October 2nd for the 2021 National Neuroendocrine Cancer Patient Conference in Atlanta. REGISTER TODAY!

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.

Comments(7)

Sharon simsay says
September 2, 2021 at 2:11 am

i would like the general consensus on getting the covid vaccine .
Skd says
July 20, 2021 at 10:15 pm

It is most frustrating when someone at a cancer center asks what kind of cancer you are fighting and when you tell them neuroendocrine – known as NETS and they ask where it is- you tell them liver Mets and they end the conversation because they never heard of it.
- REPLY
  Anne says
  July 22, 2021 at 8:59 pm
  
  Skd, that is so true! The receptionist at my oncology office had never heard of it either! You would think………. However, I just try to brush those slights off and not get too disappointed in our lack of Nets awareness. Thank you for reading and commenting on our blog. We hope that these thoughts will encourage our patient community and help to increase awareness.
Donna Marques says
July 20, 2021 at 8:23 pm

Thank you for these words. I had my injection today and spent a lot of time just thinking about last year. Just 4 months ago, no cancer and couldn’t imagine being diagnosed and how to handle it. Reading remarks from everyone is helpful and so inspirational. It makes me see that I can just take one day at a time and deal with this diagnosis without withdrawing from life. Thank you and everyone else for all these posts and blogs.
- REPLY
  Anne says
  July 21, 2021 at 9:12 am
  
  Good morning Donna, I spend a lot of time in my head on my injection days! Five years post diagnosis now, it is much easier for me to dwell less and accept more. You, too, will become confident in your ability to live with this disease instead of withdrawing. Thank you so very much for your kind words. My very best wishes to you as you begin this journey. Anne
Alysia Christensen says
July 20, 2021 at 5:36 pm

Anne, it certainly helps us to thrive when you show what helps you to look at cancer in a positive light and from a different perspective! We can use this for any frustration we are struggling with in our lives! Thanks for sharing!!!
- REPLY
  Anne says
  July 21, 2021 at 9:14 am
  
  Alysia, thank you so much for your affirmation of my efforts. You are such a hero in my book and I am so thankful our paths have crossed. Looking forward to spending time with you at the conference in September!

Blog

Medical Mystery Tour.

Comments(7)

Sharon simsay says

Skd says

Anne says

Donna Marques says

Anne says

Alysia Christensen says

Anne says

Post a comment

Please follow & like us :)

Medical Mystery Tour.