tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5177586840354107538Tue, 28 Apr 2026 08:37:51 +0000I was diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer at 28 with no family history. This blog explores aspects of bot-bot cancer diagnosis, treatment and recovery.http://benbbrave.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (benbravery)Blogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5177586840354107538.post-2933902283572764245Sat, 05 Mar 2022 01:32:00 +00002022-03-05T12:48:36.560+11:00I 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 http://benbbrave.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-patient-doctor.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (benbravery)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5177586840354107538.post-6628713799213609463Sat, 06 May 2017 05:32:00 +00002017-05-06T15:36:16.278+10:00To accompany the Science Friction episode about the kinds of things people weigh up when making medical treatment decisions, Humyara Mahbub and Olivia Willis worked with my words and came up with this beautiful comic about my cancer love story. http://benbbrave.blogspot.com/2017/05/cartoon-journey_6.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (benbravery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5177586840354107538.post-8827977836180603166Sun, 31 Jul 2016 00:43:00 +00002016-07-31T10:43:10.778+10:00As I've written in my post Three Years, one of the hardest aspects of surviving cancer, for me, is leaving behind the people that don't. So when Cancer Council NSW approached me to speak in a webinar on survivors' guilt I didn't hesitate. Survivors' guilt in people living with cancer is being increasingly recognised by doctors and researchers and it's an important issue. A couple of days http://benbbrave.blogspot.com/2016/07/guilt-of-all-kinds.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (benbravery)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5177586840354107538.post-6086626702326017541Thu, 07 Jul 2016 11:09:00 +00002017-06-27T16:27:33.668+10:00Waiting rooms in cancer hospitals are strange places. We patients sit side-by-side during these deeply private moments, stripped to our underwear, wearing gowns that never conceal enough flesh, mostly in silence. It’s never clear whether people want to talk, or what emotional confrontation is playing out in that intimate space behind their eyes. So as you wait, you wonder. What does he have? http://benbbrave.blogspot.com/2016/07/five-years-waiting-room.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (benbravery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5177586840354107538.post-7958249707117173262Sat, 05 Sep 2015 04:38:00 +00002015-09-08T07:32:16.597+10:00 Image: Izabela Latak During cancer treatment I started drinking coffee, through my mouth. That’s an important distinction in the cancer world because many people with cancer consume coffee through another hole in their body – the bum (more on that in a moment). Once someone gets cancer they develop a radar for things that will help them stay alive. Some of these things come from doctors andhttp://benbbrave.blogspot.com/2015/09/i-drink-coffee-usingmy-mouth-image.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (benbravery)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5177586840354107538.post-819477387227867205Thu, 07 May 2015 08:15:00 +00002015-05-07T18:15:27.914+10:00Soon after my cancer diagnosis I told my surgeon that I was uncomfortable about the upcoming surgery and did not want him to remove all my contaminated organs.   In a small, crowded clinical room I pleaded: “Can’t you just take the colon, or rectum and leave my bladder and reproductive organs alone? Can’t I just delay the surgery for now and spend the next six months working out, eating http://benbbrave.blogspot.com/2015/05/fear-and-alternative-medicine.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (benbravery)11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5177586840354107538.post-1644928701784927997Tue, 27 Jan 2015 03:26:00 +00002015-01-27T14:26:06.650+11:00 I start medical school next week and my stethoscope arrived two Tuesdays ago. I bought it online. I never thought that one day I would end up browsing online stethoscope stores. It didn't cross my mind, for example, while I was lying motionless under beams of radiation. And I certainly wasn't thinking about it while watching nurses change my bags of chemotherapy solution. Was it before ahttp://benbbrave.blogspot.com/2015/01/next-steps.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (benbravery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5177586840354107538.post-7003401137639226334Sat, 16 Aug 2014 02:24:00 +00002014-08-16T12:26:53.591+10:00The worst thing about surviving cancer is not the scars, fuzzy fingers and feet, violent colon or fear that cancer will return. No, the worst thing about surviving cancer is knowing people who don't. Since being diagnosed with cancer I have played a role in the cancer community. It's my way of giving back and I felt the pull early on. There's an important trade off though - being involved and http://benbbrave.blogspot.com/2014/08/three-years.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (benbravery)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5177586840354107538.post-1257861799313516712Sun, 28 Jul 2013 23:47:00 +00002015-02-11T21:10:53.663+11:00There is only one thing I like more than sipping champagne, and that’s sipping champagne while wearing a bow tie. But a couple of weeks ago I found something I like better than that: sipping champagne while wearing a bow tie, on a stage in front of 500 people (half of whom also had bow ties on) and talking, about myself. The occasion was the All Ribbons Ball – a charity gala organised by the http://benbbrave.blogspot.com/2013/07/two-years.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (benbravery)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5177586840354107538.post-1831855002584786239Wed, 26 Dec 2012 21:00:00 +00002015-02-11T21:13:58.106+11:00Having cancer a couple of decades ago, I can only assume, must have been a private affair. Not so today. Cancer is everywhere; it has infiltrated our lives by touching many of our elderly, and increasingly, our young and fit. It now permeates our supermarkets, where items with pink packaging promise a better future, and our magazines, where celebrities have photo shoots under headlines that read http://benbbrave.blogspot.com/2012/12/death-by-facebook.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (benbravery)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5177586840354107538.post-3016441343703084837Tue, 03 Jul 2012 09:27:00 +00002012-07-03T19:27:48.861+10:00Two 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.http://benbbrave.blogspot.com/2012/07/recolonnected.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (benbravery)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5177586840354107538.post-262670331593453409Sat, 09 Jun 2012 02:31:00 +00002012-07-03T09:03:57.559+10:00I'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 cancerhttp://benbbrave.blogspot.com/2012/06/treatment-pie.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (benbravery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5177586840354107538.post-3104580213752613465Wed, 06 Jun 2012 10:48:00 +00002012-06-06T20:50:09.270+10:00I 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 http://benbbrave.blogspot.com/2012/06/had-surgery-be-heard.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (benbravery)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5177586840354107538.post-5569018884860638828Wed, 06 Jun 2012 10:33:00 +00002012-06-08T06:55:16.552+10:00It'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 http://benbbrave.blogspot.com/2012/06/bowel-cancer-awareness-week.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (benbravery)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5177586840354107538.post-5904273916497060488Sun, 25 Mar 2012 01:30:00 +00002012-11-01T09:18:04.765+11:00 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 http://benbbrave.blogspot.com/2012/03/my-holy-grail.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (benbravery)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5177586840354107538.post-2782420145206152275Wed, 21 Mar 2012 12:44:00 +00002012-03-23T18:23:08.938+11:00I 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 http://benbbrave.blogspot.com/2012/03/damocles-and-my-sword.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (benbravery)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5177586840354107538.post-2744391852712292872Wed, 15 Feb 2012 04:51:00 +00002012-11-01T09:19:52.368+11:00 [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 http://benbbrave.blogspot.com/2012/02/survival.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (benbravery)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5177586840354107538.post-5641684987379455799Tue, 10 Jan 2012 08:48:00 +00002015-02-11T21:44:13.018+11:00I have a new life-threatening condition, and it's not cancer. My new condition was picked up in a CT scan done at the end of chemotherapy. This CT was done to re-stage my cancer, but what it actually did was save my life. I have several blood clots, in the lungs. It turns out that cancer is an independent risk factor for developing blood clots. This means that cancer alone predisposes http://benbbrave.blogspot.com/2012/01/clots-and-cancer.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (benbravery)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5177586840354107538.post-7812217604962743896Tue, 03 Jan 2012 00:12:00 +00002012-03-25T22:30:53.544+11:00Macrophages, 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. http://benbbrave.blogspot.com/2012/01/me-and-my-immunity.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (benbravery)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5177586840354107538.post-8259981242895058022Sun, 27 Nov 2011 22:27:00 +00002011-11-28T10:13:11.326+11:00A 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 http://benbbrave.blogspot.com/2011/11/lists.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (benbravery)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5177586840354107538.post-9093617991414416835Sun, 13 Nov 2011 21:40:00 +00002013-07-15T22:25:29.179+10:00The run is over, the money is banked. Thanks again to everyone that supported me financially and otherwise in the lead up to the race and on the day. Your support of The Warwick Foundation meant the total raised was $5500, the 7th highest amount for an individual (12000 people participated). The Warwick Foundation is a small organisation with a big mandate and each dollar donated to them goes http://benbbrave.blogspot.com/2011/11/fame.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (benbravery)14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5177586840354107538.post-2681446810803739224Thu, 27 Oct 2011 23:09:00 +00002011-11-28T22:51:24.493+11:00Cassie dropped her pants for me in Brisbane. Brock ran a personal best over 10 km for me in Ottawa. Susan abstained from alcohol for a month for me in Beijing. Kim cycled 55 km for me in Sydney. I think it's my turn The City2Sea is a 14 km run in Melbourne and takes place mid-November. I'm going to be raising money for The Warwick Foundation - the first and largest Australian http://benbbrave.blogspot.com/2011/10/my-turn.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (benbravery)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5177586840354107538.post-4405611460946900127Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:11:00 +00002014-10-13T23:43:25.541+11:00Cancer has given me tattoos and a scar that looks like I lost an encounter with a Samurai, or maybe a shark, or maybe a samurai-wielding shark. Macho factors for sure. But the only way to really become an Ultimate Macho Man is to work at it from the inside, and that means 'roids. By NinjaMouf (devianart.com) Even the name of the steroid I take sounds tough. Dex: 100% MAN made http://benbbrave.blogspot.com/2011/10/roid-rage.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (benbravery)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5177586840354107538.post-8296364140177132647Thu, 06 Oct 2011 23:06:00 +00002011-10-07T10:08:26.964+11:00Looking at or smelling chemotherapy drugs don't make you feel sick; they have to be inside the body to cause nausea and vomiting. And this doesn't involve the stomach (well, not at first, the vomiting bit is all stomach), it involves the small intestine. Because cells lining the small intestine are particularly sensitive to chemotherapy drugs. When these cells are damaged by chemotherapy http://benbbrave.blogspot.com/2011/10/chemo-vom.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (benbravery)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5177586840354107538.post-9112466257440748482Thu, 06 Oct 2011 04:57:00 +00002014-08-16T13:14:04.657+10:00Vomit Centre is perhaps the coolest name of any part of the human body. It is located in the stem of your brain, in an area called the medulla oblongata. The medulla oblongata is old, meaning it is also found in the brains of other critters not so closely related to humans, such as fish. Old parts of the brain tend to do the really important stuff that animals with brains have been doing for http://benbbrave.blogspot.com/2011/10/vomiting-centre.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (benbravery)7