self-care

Favorite Food & Drinks in New Orleans

~ Tricia Wahmann-Knatz ~ Leave a comment

Happy Friday Zebras! With less than a week out to plan, I’m sure many of you are looking for things to do outside of the hotel and conference. I’ve made a little list of some of my favorites for you!

Starting out, the first absolute must-have is the classic beignets. If you haven’t had a beignet before, it is a delicious fried dough pillow covered in lots and lots of powdered sugar.

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You can find beignets in a lot of locations throughout NOLA but my personal favorite and probably the most well known are from Cafe Du Monde. Cafe Du Monde has a bunch of locations but the classic location is on Decatur Street, where you can run into this crazy location and hopefully grab a table to enjoy your treats and enjoy a Cafe Au Lait while people watching in this buzzing location.

For more information on Cafe Du Monde, you can find their website here!

 

I’ve gone back and forth with drinking coffee but when in NOLA, I have at least a cup a day. My next must-have is coffee from probably what is my favorite coffeehouse ever. PJ’s Coffee has many different flavors for all taste types as well as assorted other drinks and pastries for a quick breakfast or just an afternoon pick-me-up. My personal favorite drinks include the seasonal flavors Southern Wedding Cake, English Toffee, Frozen Hot Chocolate, and even a Mimosa!

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For PJ’s Coffee locations, you can find them here!

 

If you like burgers, you will LOVE Yo Mama’s Bar & Grill! I came across Yo Mama’s on accident. I’m allergic to seafood and many of the places my friend and I had looked at menus for didn’t have many nonseafood options. The last restaurant we went to, we asked the host if he had a recommendation for us where we could just get some burgers and a drink and he gave us directions to Yo Mama’s. Funny enough, if you don’t know what you’re looking for, you’d probably just walk right past it! We did! It’s a small, hole in the wall bar but the food is delicious! I ordered a plain Cheddar Cheese Burger with a baked potato on the side and was blown away! After taking some family back for dinner that night, they had gotten the Peanut Butter Burger, which has peanut butter and bacon on it, I knew I had found a gem of a location.

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To see the full menu and to get more information on Yo Mama’s Bar & Grill, you can visit here!

 

I LOVE martinis so finding a martini bar in NOLA was high on my list of priorities. A personal recommendation sent me straight to The Bombay Club at 830 Conti Street and it didn’t disappoint! They have many specialty drinks and going in a group of 8, we each had something different that we all enjoyed. The atmosphere was great, the live music was good and the company was even better. The delicious martinis were just the cherry on top.

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For the menu and more information and the backstory of The Bombay Club, you can find on their website here!

 

No NOLA trip is complete for me without grabbing a Voodoo from Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar. Located on the corner of Bourbon and St. Philip, this historic building is considered the oldest structure in the U.S. to house a bar. Voodoos are SO delicious and very very strong. Even a small one of these, I was only able to drink maybe a quarter of it before I had to stop drinking it, in fear of not being able to continue drinking at the rest of our stops. If you grab a Voodoo, I wouldn’t plan on needing to drink anything else!

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For more information on Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop Bar and its history, click here!

 

Lastly, is Mr. B’s Bistro. I really don’t have enough great things to say about Mr. B’s. The food and service is always amazing! You can find Mr. B’s at 201 Royal Street. If you plan on heading to Mr. B’s Bistro, you will definitely want a reservation!

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To see Mr. B’s Bistro menu or to make reservations, you can visit their website here!

I hope you guys enjoy my favorite NOLA spots! If you happen to check any of them out, be sure to let me know your thoughts and share your favorites with me!

Also, before you make any plans, remember to check out our conference agenda to not coincide with our unbelievable weekend! If you need the agenda, you can find it here!

*Many photos were taken from Google. Only Yo Mama’s photo is my own.

At the 2016 National NET Patient Conference, Laughter is the BEST Medicine!

~ Tricia Wahmann-Knatz ~ 1 Comment

Looking for a few laughs on Friday night at the National NET Patient Conference?

NCAN is so excited to finally announce the Friday night social event sponsored by NCAN for the 2016 National NET Patient Conference taking place in just a few weeks! This is a great time to network and relax, taking a break from all the heavy information that will be introduced over this amazing, jam packed weekend!

Introducing Emmy Award winning writer, speaker, comedian and fellow cancer survior Steve Mazan:

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Come enjoy a hysterically funny show- ‘Laughter is the Best Medicine’- just for attendees of the 2016 National Neuroendocrine Cancer Patient Conference, starring Emmy Award winning writer, speaker, comedian and fellow neuroendocrine cancer survivor Steve Mazan. Steve is known for his Emmy Award winning writing for The Ellen DeGeneres Show and for performing his comedy on The Late Show with David Letterman, BUT he is most well known for his award winning film, ‘Dying to Do Letterman.’ 

Steve will be hanging out with the crowd, signing autographs, and he will have some merchandise to give away! There will also be a raffle where you can win an autographed DVD of one of Steve’s best shows!

On your way to the show, from 5 pm to 6:15 pm, stop for some healthy and delicious smoothies and cookies provided by one of the conferences sponsors. These tasty treats were designed specifically with neuroendocrine cancer patients in mind. Doors to the show will open at 6 pm and light refreshments will be served. At 7, it’s time for the show, sponsored by the Neuroendocrine Cancer Awareness Network! 

It’s all happening right in the same hall as Friday’s General Session so it’s easy to get to. This is a great time to network and relax, taking a break from all the heavy information that will be introduced over this amazing, jam packed weekend!

Want to learn more about Steve? Visit SteveMazan.com or check out DyingtoDoLetterman.com for more information on Steve Mazan, his cancer journey, and to check out Dying to Do Letterman. Also, check out this Ted Talks that Steve Mazan did back in 2011: It’s Never too Late to Live your Dreams.

For more information on the 2016 National NET Patient Conference in New Orleans, LA September 22nd, 2016 to September 24th, 2016, please click here!

NCAN Bandaid

Speaker Spotlight – National Conference Edition Part 10

~ Tricia Wahmann-Knatz ~ Leave a comment

drheidiconnolly

Heidi M. Connolly, M.D.

mayoclinic

Location

  • Minnesota

Departments

  • Cardiovascular Diseases

Education

  • Fellow – Adult Congenital Heart Disease Special Fellowship
    Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
  • Fellow – Cardiovascular Diseases
    Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
  • Resident – Internal Medicine
    Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
  • MD
    Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
  • Other – Undergraduate
    Hamline University

Certifications

  • Cardiovascular Diseases
  • Internal Medicine

Academic rank

  • Professor of Medicine

Professional Highlights

  • Director, Adult Congenital Heart Disease Clinic
  • Director, Congenital Heart Center

Interests

  • Adult congenital heart disease
  • Carcinoid heart disease
  • Echocardiography
  • Marfan syndrome and other aortic disorders
  • Pregnancy and heart disease

For more information on Dr. Heidi Connolly and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, please visit their website here and the US News report on her here.

You can read Dr. Connolly’s publications by clicking here.

To make an appointment, please contact:

Mayo Clinic Rochester: 200 1st Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905

Phone: (507) 284-2511 or (507) 538-3270

Dr. Connolly at the 2016 National NET Patient Conference:

Topic: Carcinoid Heart Disease: What you need to know

When: Saturday, September 24th, 2016 at 8:00AM*

SIGN UP NOW FOR THE 2016 NATIONAL NET PATIENT CONFERENCE in New Orleans, LA from September 22-24th to see Dr. Connolly and 19 other experts speak on Neuroendocrine Cancer! 

Registration is $125 per person including

  • Thursday’s Welcome Reception 
  • Breakfast, Lunch, and snacks for both Friday and Saturday
  • And keep your eyes out for some special prizes!

Registration does not include your hotel stay or travel expenses.

For more information and to buy your ticket, click here!!

*Time and Date are subject to change.

To check out some of our other speakers, click here!

Together Everyone Achieves More

~ Tricia Wahmann-Knatz ~ 1 Comment

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Last Wednesday, I posted about the importance of knowing the ins and outs of your disease. Today, I’m expanding a little bit on something I said:

“Your care should be treated as a team, not a one person show.”

According to Merriam-Webster, team is defined as “a number of persons associated together in work or activity, a group on one side.”

Why is having a multidisciplinary medical team so important?

The most important aspect of treating a NET patient is a care plan that it is tailored to suit the individual. Neuroendocrine cancer care can be complex and for the patient the journey can encompass not only a whole host of emotions, but also a wide range of tests, treatments and health care professionals. Since there are often multiple treatment options available throughout the course of the disease, collaboration is essential among all key health care personnel who are making clinical decisions for individual patients.

In order to deliver the highest quality care to individuals with neuroendocrine tumors, a NET cancer patient should be referred to a center where there is a multidisciplinary team. Ideally, this collaborative group would be led by an expert in the field of NET cancers and include physicians from a wide range of specialties. Though patients may not always see an expert with a multidisciplinary team, it is important to have a NET specialist partnering with other physicians the patient is seeing to ensure the best treatment.

Patients feel more confident in the knowledge that all aspects of their care have been discussed and the best possible treatment plan has been formulated. A well-coordinated and disciplined team are a very critical aspect for care when striving to achieve the best quality of life and the most positive outcomes for NET cancer patients.

In the case of a doctor being unwilling to work with a patient’s NET specialist and the rest of their care team, it is crucial to fire this physician and find one who is willing to work as part of the team.

*Please remember that doctors work ***FOR*** YOU and you do not have to stay with any physician who is not giving you the care that you need or deserve! If they aren’t listening to you or other physicians in your care team, please move on. Sometimes we are lucky enough to like a doctor even though they are not providing the best or right care. Liking a doctor is not a reason to stay with them.*

I hope everyone is having a great week! Until next time…

Tricia Wahmann-Knatz

A Reminder for Self-Care

~ Tricia Wahmann-Knatz ~ Leave a comment

As we approach the weekend, I’ve decided that we need to take a moment to make a post that isn’t exactly directly related to NET Cancer but is important to our overall wellness. Self-care is something that is often overlooked when you are busy seeking treatment and going about your every day trying to live as normal of a lifestyle as possible. This goes for both patients and caregivers alike. Sometimes, we all reach a point where everything about our everyday life becomes too much and we need to take a much needed step back to regroup and relax.

This is where I’m going to get personal. Not only am I the daughter of a NET patient, but I am one myself. Alongside that, I am newly diagnosed with Adrenal Insufficiency (caused by damage to my pituitary by a non-NET related tumor) and have also struggled with chronic pain for pretty much my whole life and some other strange TBD symptoms. With the SAI (Secondary Adrenal Insufficiency), I am currently under trial and error while learning my new “normal” being steroid dependent and it definitely takes its toll on me.

In my middle-of-the-night Facebook browse, I came across this article/blog post in one of my SAI support groups and I couldn’t help but get right on here to share with you all. So here I am at 4AM writing this (you guys won’t see this until probably 8AM EST though)…

The post I’m introducing to you here is “101 Self-Care Ideas for When It All Feels Like too Much“. We ALL definitely relate to this feeling more often than we would like to admit so this is such a great reminder of some ideas that we could try out when we need to give ourselves some TLC, aside from taking care of our physical symptoms.

 

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This post is from a website called The Mighty and I found this site about 2 1/2 months ago around the time I joined in on the AI support groups on Facebook and I’ve pretty much become addicted. The Mighty is a site that features all different independent blog posts submitted by people around the world, all with disabilities, mental illness, rare or chronic diseases and the people who love people with these conditions. It’s amazing to read and I could spend hours and hours reading on here. I’m 100% sure this won’t be the only entry I’ll ever share with you.

I hope you guys enjoy reading this and be sure to try a few of these out. Let me know down in the comments what works well for you, personally, when you find yourself feeling like this.

Until next time..

Tricia