Our wiki is a collection of useful, practical strategies of GIST patients and caregivers in living with GIST cancer, as well as comments about participation in clinical trials with different drugs in development for gastrointestinal stromal tumor treatment. This wiki is provided by GIST Support International. We are a community of over a thousand people interested in gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) as patients, caregivers, medical personnel, and friends. Our home website has detailed information about gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST cancer) and its treatment. For more services offered by GSI, see our GIST Support International Links section (last item in the Contents list shown below).
Please read our About page and Disclaimer and understand that the information found in this wiki is not provided by medical experts. We hope that you find the content useful and help improve it by making your own edits (see the Wiki 101 page for basic instructions). After all, it is a community project run by individuals like you!
[edit] How to Find What You Need on the GIST Support Wiki
You can find information related to your needs by either:
- using the search box at the top right to search for a key word, or
- taking a look at the contents outline below to find pages of interest, or
- clicking on "All pages" in the wiki header above to see an alphabetized list of all pages
[edit] Adding to the Wiki
We welcome you to add your own tips and experiences to our wiki.
- First time wiki user? See our Wiki Guide
- Feeling experimental? Learn how to edit pages at Wiki 101 and Help:Editing
- Share your recommendations on how to improve the wiki at the Suggestion Box or volunteer to become one of our Wiki Helpers.
- You can also view All Pages, Help Pages, or Special Pages.
[edit] Contents Outline
- Click on any BLUE heading below to open subpages.
[edit] Living With GIST Cancer
Book Recommendations from GSI Listmates
Integrative Medicine Using complementary approaches for holistic healing
Staying organized through a Health Care Crisis Managing a Home, Physical Clutter, Paper Chaos, Mind Clutter, Technical Clutter, The Notebook
Symptoms and Relief Strategies Strategies for coping with symptoms of having GIST, surgery or side effects of medications: from A to Z (acid reflux to weight loss) there are separate pages on a wide variety of topics.
[edit] Surgery and Recovery
Getting Ready for Surgery Tips to make things easier
Living with Your GI Tract Post-Surgery Coping with the changes in your anatomy
[edit] Drugs
Clinical Trial Drugs Patients participating in trials tell their experiences.
Clinical Trials - What you need to know a series of short tutorials explaining the process of choosing a clinical trial and the factors involved, authored by medical personnel.
Pharmaceutical Company Contacts Contact a drug company regarding a particular drug
Side Effects Also see section Symptom Relief
[edit] Doctors, Hospitals, and Medical Tests / Labs / Scans
Doctors answer Members' Questions
Places to stay near major GIST centers
[edit] Insurance Issues and Getting Financial Assistance
[edit] Marina Sez
Marina Symcox, PhD, is a 10-year GIST survivor who is remarkably talented in clearly communicating difficult medical concepts. This page includes her explanations of numerous cancer topics.
[edit] People and Events
Member Reports from GIST Conferences
GIST Patient and Caregiver Get Togethers
GIST Support International Photo Gallery
[edit] Papers and Abstracts concerning GIST
[edit] GIST Support International Links
- GSI Website - Our community website with comprehensive information about gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST)
- GSI JOIN link - How to join the email listserv to communicate with others who are dealing with GIST, or change your subscription options.
- GSI JOIN Pediatric & Carney Triad listserv link - How to join the email listserv for pediatric patients, their parents, and patients with wild-type GIST who developed the disease by about age 30.
- GSI's PHONE PAL Program - How to talk directly by telephone to another GIST patient or Caregiver.
- E-mail archives - the Archives of our email list where you can search for topics previously discussed (accessible only to list members).
- Educational Materials - Request a free GIST brochure (or a supply for your doctor's office), request a DVD featuring GIST patients, download a booklet, access books about GIST.
- Questions to Ask your Doctor if you are a new GIST patient.
- Voices of GIST essays and stories by GIST patients.