I haven't written anything on this blog in years. There are two reasons for this. Reason 1 is because I went to medical school and then became a (busy) doctor. Reason 2 is because I've been working on a book about getting cancer and then becoming a doctor. I've never stopped thinking about all this cancer stuff - it was time to get it all down on paper once and for all, especially because going ..read more

Two months ago the section of small intestine poking out of my abdomen was pushed back inside and sealed in a way that meant that it was game time for my colon. Even after explaining to people exactly what a stoma is and how the surgery to remove my tumour unfolded, and even after drawing diagrams on napkins and myself, I have the feeling that people still don't understand exactly what went on ..read more

I'm fairly open about my cancer and its treatment, but one aspect of my treatment that I have tended to keep to myself is the nutritional and psychological changes I have made as a result of getting cancer. I've hinted a few times at providing a list of 'What to do' but I am uncomfortable doing this. The aim of this blog I mainly use this blog to communicate the science of colorectal cancer ..read more

I offered to help recruit research participants for a new study being done into the information needs of people having surgery for colorectal cancer. This project aims to explore patients’ experience of a subtotal or segmental colorectal cancer resection, and to identify their information needs. The project will study the longer term outcomes of the two different surgical options. If a need ..read more

It's here, my (new) favourite week of the year. Me and the people in my support group have been doing media across the country (news, breakfast TV, lifestyle magazines). We are sort of addicted to talking about bowel cancer, the cheap and easy screening kits available from most pharmacies, and pointing out to people that you don't need to be old, overweight and male to get this cancer. I ..read more

Some people increase risk-taking behavior after cancer treatment and start living life fast and hard. Some go back to exactly how they lived before their diagnosis. Some go Zen, move to the country, grow their own veggies and make their own toilet paper. How you live after cancer is important because there is some evidence to show that certain parameters (that you're able to control) can ..read more

I spent 28 years not thinking about cancer. Well, I thought about it in the sense that I didn't go out of my way to do things that cause cancer, like smoking and sun baking, but cancer wasn't really on my mind. Then cancer became something I thought about every day. And to be honest, it still is. Several decades ago cancer was equal to death, and doctors were so busy trying to stop people ..read more

[ser-vahy-vuhl] noun 1. the act or fact of surviving, especially under adverse or unusual circumstances. 2. a person or thing that survives or endures, especially an ancient custom, observance, belief, or the like. Defining survival appears straightforward, but within cancer circles it isn't. The days are gone when your medical professional declares 'You're cured!'. Instead, careful ..read more

Macrophages, killer T cells, memory cells, helper cells, natural killer cells, phagocytes, antigens, B cells, neutrophils. The spleen, thymus, lymphatic system and hormones. This is the Immune Toolbox. This set of tools didn't really work for me before, but it's the only set I have and these are the tools I now need to trust, nourish and cherish. These tools stands between me and more cancer ..read more

A good barometer for my overall level of well-being is my attitude towards post-it notes. As I have written here before, I went off to-do lists and post-its and spreadsheets and planning soon after being diagnosed with bot bot cancer. This was quite a surprise (to me especially) because I love lists. Lists are so structured and clear and organised. I learnt to use them because I don't have a ..read more